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Stories by Thomas J. Marier

T. Joseph Marier is a longtime Catholic church musician, and a human resources professional. He writes from Leesburg, Virginia.

Randian Bankers Are Great Accountants

Thomas J. Marier wrote on December 6th, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Noah asks in his post whether one could trust a Randian banker.
By coincidence, I read Noah’s post on John Allison while I was in the middle of reading Donald Luskin’s through-the-looking-glass book on the characters that allegedly either contributed to or didn’t contribute to the financial crisis: I Am John Galt. It has a whole chapter   more

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What if the Cain Story Came from…Gingrich!

Thomas J. Marier wrote on November 6th, 2011 at 9:08 am

After watching the Herman Cain-Newt Gingrich debate last night, I got to thinking (as I’m sure you did as well): What would Agatha Christie’s great detective, Hercule Poirot, think of the last week in news, and the Mystery of Who Tipped Off the Cain Story? What follows is what I think he would say…
Let us   more

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Real Debates Don’t Use Pre-Packaged Questions

Thomas J. Marier wrote on September 20th, 2011 at 1:00 am

I have no questions to ask for the GOP debates because I don’t believe that questions (plural) should be asked at debates.
Ever since the Kennedy-Nixon debate in 1960, the USA has believed that debates are events where the rivals stand on stage next to each other and answer standard press-conference questions from the “moderator”. This   more

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How to (Marginally) Fix Dulles

Thomas J. Marier wrote on August 2nd, 2011 at 9:14 am

The whole debt-ceiling imbroglio is being resolved at last, so hopefully we can all get back to debating the national issues that matter the most.  Issues like improving the municipal infrastructure of the richest counties in the United States.
To be specific: David wrote recently about his frustration with Northern Virginia not agreeing to spend a few   more

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Was Lieberman Good for the GOP?

Thomas J. Marier wrote on January 20th, 2011 at 10:08 am

Joe Lieberman came into power because conservatives in Connecticut dethroned liberal Republican Senator Lowell Weicker. Was it worth it?  more

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Britain’s Iraq Inquiry Drags On

Thomas J. Marier wrote on October 26th, 2010 at 9:21 am

Tony Blair has been asked to return before Britain’s Iraq inquiry to answer even more questions. It’s time for the panel to wrap up their work.  more

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More Religious Grandstanding in NYC

Thomas J. Marier wrote on August 25th, 2010 at 1:11 pm

One controversy is never enough. The Catholic League is now criticizing the Empire State Building for not lighting up on Mother Teresa’s birthday.  more

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The Tea Party Insight of “Newsies”

Thomas J. Marier wrote on July 30th, 2010 at 4:02 pm

Jonathan Rauch’s piece on the Tea Party reminded me of a line from my favorite film on political organizing.  more

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Does Anyone Care About the Deficit?

Thomas J. Marier wrote on July 15th, 2010 at 10:14 am

On Wednesday, Ezra Klein asked if conservatives care about the deficit. Well, they did in the 90’s and as Newt Gingrich knows, it didn’t turn out too well.  more

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Raiding the Labour Vote

Thomas J. Marier wrote on May 10th, 2010 at 10:57 am

David Cameron and the Conservatives did very well in the British election, so why couldn’t they win Gillian Duffy’s vote?  more

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Rethinking Petraeus in 2012

Thomas J. Marier wrote on May 5th, 2010 at 12:57 pm

In the American Spectator, Philip Klein has a cover story speculating over a possible presidential bid by Gen. Petraeus. But before conservatives get carried away, they should first examine whether a Petraeus candidacy would be good for the movement or the GOP.  more

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The Dumbest Thing You’ll Ever Read on Healthcare Reform

Thomas J. Marier wrote on March 21st, 2010 at 4:50 pm

Did you know that Obamacare couldn’t be effectively opposed because of conservatives’ fatal cooperation with…the Chilean retirement system?  more

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Sign of the Times

Thomas J. Marier wrote on March 5th, 2010 at 1:27 pm

In 1965, National Review identified conservative alternatives to the John Birch Society. If only they could do that today.  more

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Hyperinflation! Any Day Now!

Thomas J. Marier wrote on February 19th, 2010 at 10:00 am

Americans stockpiling gold as a hedge against runaway inflation may want to take a closer look at today’s Wall Street Journal.  more

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Palin’s Dem Boost? Not That Big

Thomas J. Marier wrote on February 12th, 2010 at 3:46 pm

If the anti-Hillary thing really didn’t do much to help the Republicans, I’m not sure that the anti-Palin thing will work to the Democrats’ advantage.  more

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Brown’s Strategy Won’t Work for Every Race

Thomas J. Marier wrote on January 20th, 2010 at 5:54 pm

While conservatives should enjoy the moment, they should also remember that Scott Brown’s campaign model may not be the solution for every race coming up this year.   more

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GOP Not Ready to Breakout in the Northeast

Thomas J. Marier wrote on December 24th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Rep. Parker Griffith’s party switch and Rudy Giuliani’s decision not to run are signposts for what the GOP can expect in 2010: Opportunities will continue to be missed in places like New York, and found in the South and elsewhere.  more

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NY-23: Wasted Money, Wasted Effort

Thomas J. Marier wrote on November 4th, 2009 at 8:55 am

The race in New York’s 23rd served as a Phony War. It gave disaffected conservatives somewhere to spend their time and money, while the Republican establishment put it away on a grand scale in Virginia and New Jersey.  more

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Prediction Time

Thomas J. Marier wrote on November 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 am

The betting markets are too thin to rely on for this cycle, but they do fit with my general read on the situation: McDonnell wins, Hoffman wins, Christie loses.  more

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Deeds Grabs Obama’s Coattails

Thomas J. Marier wrote on October 29th, 2009 at 12:49 pm

Running behind in the polls, Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds, is finally following the advice of the Obama administration: Bring out the minority vote by attaching yourself as closely as possible to Obama. And keep yourself and your actual campaign in the blurry background, if you don’t mind.  more

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