In his latest column, Jonathan Rauch takes a serious look at Rick Santorum's intellectually serious new book and concludes that the conservative movement has officially blown apart: "As Goldwater repudiated Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, so Santorum repudiates Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. It's now official: Philosophically, the conservative movement has split. Post-Santorum, tax-cutting and court-bashing can hold the Republican coalition together for only so much longer."
Posted by Virginia Postrel on September 02, 2005 • Comments
Meghan McArdle posts, and personally vouches for, an example of the type of grassroots relief, outside the major cities, that recovery from Katrina will take lots of. More info, and a PayPal link, here.
Posted by Virginia Postrel on September 02, 2005 • Comments
In response to my comment below (or, more accurately, to InstaPundit's quoting it) about donations to help refugees cover their rent, Steve Ely writes:
As Michele Catalano noted on A Small Victory, Kevin and Paul from Wizbang are doing essentially that. They've got a PayPal button, Paul's in the thick of it , and donations cover his family, yes, but especially those around them worse off. Much more detailed post from him here.
I gave, and I appreciate the PayPal button. I wish more organized charities would use PayPal.
Posted by Virginia Postrel on September 01, 2005 • Comments
Since Katrina refugees need the sort of immediate relief and infrastructure (i.e., food and beds) it can provide, I sent money to the Red Cross. It may have lost some credibility post-9/11, but this crisis, unlike that one, plays to the organization's strengths.
On a local note, the North Texas Food Bank needs money to feed Katrina refugees in the Dallas area.
What refugees are going to need is help getting settled in new places to live: first and last month's rent, furniture, etc. (Right now, I wish someone would find a fund to pay for hotel rooms. I'd donate.) Tens of thousands, perhaps more, of the poorest people in America--people with few connections outside their local area--have lost everything. And then there are the "lucky" ones, who at least have family elsewhere and some insurance.
InstaPundit's comprehensive list of bloggers' links is here.
Posted by Virginia Postrel on September 01, 2005 • Comments