Industry

When Uncle Sam Ordered a Sewing Machine Company to Make a .45

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Before America entered World War II, Uncle Sam looked at the Singer Sewing Machine Company and essentially asked, “Nice factory. Can you make a .45?” The result was just 500 Singer M1911A1 pistols—one of today’s great military-firearms collectibles. Singer wasn’t forced into gunmaking by the Defense Production Act; that law wouldn’t exist until 1950. Instead, the Army paid civilian companies to learn military production before the shooting started. It was industrial mobilization with refreshingly little mystery: you cannot surge a factory you don’t have.

The Clash Over Immigration, Part 5: Inside the 1960s Mosh Pit

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In the Clash Over Immigration, Part 4, we examined the collision of the 1) Hart-Celler Act, 2) cancellation of the Bracero program, 3) birthright citizenship, and 4) powerful factions driven by competing, narrow self-interests. This was the turning point for both legal and illegal immigration that is essentially in place today. As such, it is important to stop and record observations before moving on to the next chapter. While others may connect the dots differently, these are my observations.

Why Are the Ant Colonies All Blue – and Dying?

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Did unionization put America on a path to communism? When we look at one of those voting maps – showing voting patterns by county, there are blue islands in a sea of red. Major cities almost universally vote Democrat – the party with a decidedly socialist agenda. Of our 50 largest cities, only one (Bakersfield, …

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