Good Night, and Have a Pleasant Tomorrow

A quick personal note of farewell: This will be my last post to Hit & Run. I've taken a job with the L.A. Times, as an assistant editor in the Opinion section, starting today.

Without getting too weepy about it, I want to give my sincere thanks to those of you who read and comment here, and send me the occasional e-mail. I've learned a lot, and am grateful for your tolerance of my odd enthusiasms. As is hopefully evident both here and in the magazine, Reason is a terrific place to work, and I will miss it. Feel free to drop in over at my website, and please check the LAT for some hopefully interesting opinion-slinging. (I'll be writing and editing both unsigned editorials and bylined commentary.) Be seeing you.

Comments

Jennifer | January 23, 2006, 10:37am | #

I'm glad you're moving on to bigger and better things, but I will miss you all the same. Be well.

Number 6 | January 23, 2006, 10:38am | #

Well, shit. MW is(was) one of my favorites at Reason. On the plus side, maybe he'll have some influence over at the Times.

Good luck, Matt.

Does this mean Reason is hiring? ;)

thoreau | January 23, 2006, 10:41am | #

Congratulations and good luck!

mitch | January 23, 2006, 10:43am | #

Well, too bad for us, but good luck to you!

fyodor | January 23, 2006, 10:44am | #

Oh, c'mon, you can get weepy about it!! :-)

We'll miss ya, but you can probably do more good out there in the real world!!

methodman | January 23, 2006, 10:47am | #

Good luck, Matt, and give Bill O'Reilly an aneurysm for the ol' gang.

Leonard | January 23, 2006, 10:49am | #

Congratulations and good luck in your new job!

independent worm | January 23, 2006, 10:52am | #

Well, we won't have Matt Welch to kick around any more. Damn. Enjoy your new job, Matt. We'll miss having you around.

Viking Moose | January 23, 2006, 10:59am | #

Good luck, Matt. All the best.

Kind regards,
VM

David | January 23, 2006, 11:00am | #

Make sure you give the NFL hell when they want L.A. to pay for a new stadium for relocation. Good luck at your new job.

amazingdrx | January 23, 2006, 11:01am | #

Enjoy LA matt (cough, choke, gag). Really thick chemical rich air out there.

That's good free market air!!

Qbryzan | January 23, 2006, 11:02am | #

Good luck, Matt, you'll be missed.

Lost_In_Translation | January 23, 2006, 11:04am | #

Another warrior off to fight another war. Good luck Matt and don't be shy to come back and post your new local outrages, :)

happyjuggler0 | January 23, 2006, 11:09am | #

Hmmmmm, did they lose their mind? I might actually buy the LA Times now just to see the apoplectic letters to the editor regarding editorials that are "regressive" enough to suggest that government is not the cat's pajamas. :o

Mo | January 23, 2006, 11:10am | #

Good luck Matt. This might make me start reading the Times editorial again. You'll be missed.

Baylen Linnekin | January 23, 2006, 11:13am | #

Congrats and best wishes.

Chris | January 23, 2006, 11:13am | #

Just one more post about Jim Bunning the undeserving Hall of Famer? Please?

Dave W. | January 23, 2006, 11:16am | #

Like I said before, you are my favorite Reason writer. Best of luck at LAT.

DownsizedFormerTribuneDrone | January 23, 2006, 11:18am | #

Tribune Co. is hiring?
Revenues way down, stock at a 52-week low...
Good luck with that one.
Please interject some libertarian good sense, however clandestinely.

Warren | January 23, 2006, 11:32am | #

Good luck Matt!
My fear is that you won't be allowed to beat the libertarian drum in the LAT.

Non-weepy words involving your ass and the door.

panurge | January 23, 2006, 11:32am | #

Best wishes, Matt, and I hope you enjoy your new job.

wellfellow | January 23, 2006, 11:33am | #

Bon Voyage! I wish you the best!

Kevin | January 23, 2006, 11:39am | #

Damn it, Matt! I was looking forward to watching your head explode when Barry Bonds passed Ruth and Aaron.

mediageek | January 23, 2006, 11:41am | #

Matt-

Congratulations on the new job. All the best!

Timothy | January 23, 2006, 11:51am | #

You're dead to me Welch.

Best of luck.

Jamie Kelly | January 23, 2006, 11:59am | #

I love your writing, Matt.
Remember, as much as you love to stick it to the right, it's just as important now that you're officially entrenched in that liberal cauldron called the LAT, to stick it to the left. Good fortune to you.

Russ 2000 | January 23, 2006, 12:01pm | #

Just remember Matt, if you ever complain about your job just remember that you knew going in that you'd be working for the owner of the Cubs.

Best of luck, and get rid of all non-bylined editorials.

Jeff P. | January 23, 2006, 12:02pm | #

Go Ahead. (sniff) Get outta here.
As a Trib employee I can offer two bits of advice:

1: When HR gives you your orientation, let them rip your soul out quickly in one motion. It's far less messy that way.
2: Assume whatever computer they give you will not work properly. Your Outlook should come pre-loaded with hundreds of spam emails.

Good luck.

Stevo Darkly | January 23, 2006, 12:08pm | #

Whaaaaa....? Welch is leaving?

Matt, you're one of my favorite Reason writers. And quite possibly "the Reason staffer I'd most like to party with." One of the top three, anyway.

You will be much missed. However, it will be good to see the L.A. Times readership exposed to your thoughts. It'll be good for them.

PS: Which photo will be used to accompany your column? The "Yes, I do rather resemble Ben Affleck" one at your blog, or the "an I.T. guy experiments with a blow-dryer" one that appears in Reason? (I've always been curious and amazed at your ability to maintain those two divergent guises.)

Ironchef | January 23, 2006, 12:10pm | #

Best of luck Matt!
(and damned if you don't look like Matthew Lillard in that picture on your blog)

Derek Ashworth | January 23, 2006, 12:14pm | #

Dammit Matt, I'll really miss your posts here and articles in the dead trees, but hopefully now you won't have to scavenge dumpsters for something to eat. I wish you the best and I hope you don't get stuck on the Rob Wilfong side of the Times bench.

Good times, good times...

theCoach | January 23, 2006, 12:15pm | #

Can I get a count of the number of regular contributors that have never voted for GWB now that Matt is leaving?

Stevo Darkly | January 23, 2006, 12:15pm | #

Oh, and by "column" I guess I meant "signed editorials and bylined commentary." Maybe I jumped the gun a little bit there.

Native Nyer | January 23, 2006, 12:17pm | #

I hope you being on the LA Times' Opinion Section makes Barbara's head explode!

Good luck!

Rick Barton | January 23, 2006, 12:18pm | #

Kudos to you Matt! You deserve it. Our loss will be a larger audience's gain. And given your marshaling of libertarian sensibilities; as fyodor said, you can probably do more good out there in the real world.

Ken Shultz | January 23, 2006, 12:29pm | #

I'll really miss your posts, Matt. This place won't be the same without you.

marc w. | January 23, 2006, 12:57pm | #

Wow - some of us remember you from years ago, writing on your own blog and looking for work. This is one hell of a quick ascent, Matt. Will you be replacing EJ Dionne in 6 months?

Ted Barlow | January 23, 2006, 1:06pm | #

Congratulations, Matt! I agree, our loss is a net gain for sensible commentary. Does this mean Mickey Kaus is going to start egging your house?

Ted Barlow | January 23, 2006, 1:09pm | #

(Or, I suppose, "continue egging your house?")

rob | January 23, 2006, 1:18pm | #

Bad news for Reason readers, good news for LA Times readers.

Good luck, and "don't let the bastards grind you down!"

SR | January 23, 2006, 1:21pm | #

Good luck, Matt; we'll miss you!

Rick H. | January 23, 2006, 1:25pm | #

Congratulations, Matt! It's good to see a kid pull himself up out of the ghetto. No offense meant to any of my fellow slum dwellers.

John (the IT guy) | January 23, 2006, 1:37pm | #

Congrats to ya Matt, and best wishes.

And Stevo Darkly, a pox on ya for the blow dryer comment.

Eric the .5b | January 23, 2006, 1:43pm | #

Good luck!

NoStar | January 23, 2006, 1:51pm | #

The spawn of reason after a suitable incubation period spreads its wings and flies off to unsuspecting nests where it will sew its seed and contaminate new hosts.

Mwuhahahahahahaha!

Jay | January 23, 2006, 1:52pm | #

Good luck, Matt.

theCoach | January 23, 2006, 1:53pm | #

And as I should have said above, this blows for Hit and Run.

Good luck, Big Media Matt 2!

Pro Libertate | January 23, 2006, 1:59pm | #

Good luck, Matt. You'll be missed around these parts.

Matt Welch | January 23, 2006, 2:16pm | #

Thanks everyone! (Sneaking from work.)

Ken Shultz | January 23, 2006, 2:32pm | #

One of us, one of us
Gooble gobble, Gooble gobble
We accept him, we accept him
One of us, one of us

Kwix | January 23, 2006, 2:34pm | #

Wow, and crap!!
You are indeed one of the most level-headed ones on Reason. Gonna miss ya but hopefully you can steer LA in the right direction. Good luck!

Julian Sanchez | January 23, 2006, 2:50pm | #

"Can I get a count of the number of regular contributors that have never voted for GWB now that Matt is leaving?"

We all announced our 2000/2004 votes here. Cathy Young and Jon Rauch stayed mum about their votes, and CPF was undecided about his 2004 vote at the time, and Kerry Howley wasn't onboard at the time (though I feel morally certain she's never voted for Bush). Bearing that in mind, as far as I can tell Ron Bailey and Jeff Taylor are the only acknowledged GWB-voters on staff.

James Feldman | January 23, 2006, 3:07pm | #

Best of luck Matt. Thanks for all the great writing.

joe | January 23, 2006, 3:14pm | #

Congratulations and good luck! I'm sure you'll wow 'em.

SM | January 23, 2006, 3:16pm | #

Good luck Matt.

The Real Bill | January 23, 2006, 3:29pm | #

I hope you'll be getting paid well. Maybe you can draw Kinsley toward the libertarian light.

Congratulations!

dead_elvis | January 23, 2006, 3:35pm | #

sniffle sniffle...

It sucks to lose you here. Good luck and give 'em hell.

Sandy | January 23, 2006, 4:02pm | #

Good luck and good hunting. ;)

Rimfax | January 23, 2006, 4:05pm | #

Thanks for all the great stuff while you were with Reason. I will miss your work. Hopefully, Nick isn't pissed off at you or anything so can still be a "contributor" here. Nonetheless, I'm sure that you will be getting some regular link-tos from here at H&R.

Good luck with bringing up the quality there at the LA Times!

citizengnat | January 23, 2006, 4:35pm | #

Don't take any guff from those fucking swine!!


So now I have to work harder to find your writing. Oh well, I hope the LAT website is free.

Brett | January 23, 2006, 4:50pm | #

Always enjoyed your writing and your participation on H&R, you'll be missed.

Don't let the door hit ya where the Flying Spaghetti Monster split ya.

Larry N. Martin | January 23, 2006, 4:56pm | #

There's something I've always wondered about. Exactly why do newspapers have unsigned editorials? To protect the guilty??

Ungracious anonymous coward | January 23, 2006, 5:39pm | #

Who will be the next leather jacket wearing poster boy for libertarians?

SteveMG | January 23, 2006, 5:52pm | #

Will all future editorials calling for the deportation to Guantanamo of one Steve Finley be signed or unsigned?

Congrats. Good luck.

SMG

Kathy K | January 23, 2006, 6:03pm | #

Congratulations, Matt, and best wishes.

Lowney | January 23, 2006, 6:21pm | #

Congrats, Hippy!

Sok puszi!

http://www.jimlowney.com/mt-archives/000325.html

Orson | January 23, 2006, 6:24pm | #

Another Reason reader here who thinks you're the equal of anyone at the mag.

But congratualations on the move! LA "the dinosaur" Times needs your help, a!nd perhaps distant from SoCal readers like me will find - AHEM - in it new reason to check the wrag.

wool | January 23, 2006, 6:28pm | #

HAHAHAHAHA.

You must have pulled the wool over their eyes in the interviews!

The LAT has no ideas what's come'in!

Marc | January 23, 2006, 6:52pm | #

So I guess the L.A. Examiner thing REALLY didn't pan out.

Solitudinarian | January 23, 2006, 7:01pm | #

Sorry to see you go. Congratulations and hodně štěstí!

The Hedgehog | January 23, 2006, 7:27pm | #

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. As an Angeleno and L.A. Times subscriber who hates the paper's bias, I am pleasantly astonished. You'll be providing a terriifc service! Welcome to La-La Land.

Mark Lambert | January 23, 2006, 7:49pm | #

Good luck, Matt! Have really enjoyed your stuff in Reason and in this blog. Sad to see you go, but good to have libertarians inflitrate the "traditional" media, too! Best wishes!

Mark Lambert

Californio | January 23, 2006, 8:28pm | #

Good luck. Try not to harm La cuidad nuestra de la reina de los angeles de porcuincula.

Stevo Darkly | January 23, 2006, 9:17pm | #

Who will be the next leather jacket wearing poster boy for libertarians?

You're thinking of Nick Gillespie.

mtc | January 23, 2006, 9:36pm | #

One more voice to the chorus of congratulations and good lucks --

Is Matt Welch the LAT's answer to John Tierney? This I wonder.

Jason Sonenshein | January 23, 2006, 10:48pm | #

Congratulations and good luck, Mr. Welch!

SixSigma | January 24, 2006, 12:43am | #

Congrats Matt!

Justin Slotman | January 24, 2006, 1:01am | #

Congratulations, and good luck, Matt. From warblog to the LA Times, quite the accomplishment.

D. Baker | January 24, 2006, 1:50am | #

Oh, no.

Does this mean swearing allegiance to Air America - long, lazy afternoons at Starbucks, and laughing around the Ed-board at carpenters, plumbers and soldiers?

Really, what could be worse than the L.A. Times? Maybe not for Matt, but for the rational reader.

Never was enough money printed that I'd surrender my pen.

Ungracious anonymous cowar | January 24, 2006, 2:02am | #

So Welch is the intous with the intello glasses? Damn! I always get mixed up.

That's why I don't post much. Too embarassing.

Ken Shultz | January 24, 2006, 2:45am | #

Really, what could be worse than the L.A. Times? Maybe not for Matt, but for the rational reader.

I swore off the LA Times myself, years ago. ...but they hired Matt, so they can't be all bad! ...anymore.

Brennan | January 24, 2006, 1:43pm | #

See. Voting for Kerry was not a complete loser.

independent worm | January 24, 2006, 4:29pm | #

Damn, Matt's on the job one day and already there's Drudge carrying the headline:

LA TIMES COLUMNIST: 'I DON'T SUPPORT OUR TROOPS'

kevrob | January 24, 2006, 8:10pm | #

Maybe Matt can get the LAT to stop referring to the local National League team by Brooklyn's nickname.

Good luck, Matt!

Kevin

Twba | January 25, 2006, 6:47am | #

Do I detect a mattwelchian turn of phrase in this?

Good luck.