Category: Column

Last week a scene unfolded in Athens, largely unnoticed by American eyes, that provided all the visual and metaphorical symbols needed to define the current state of the global economy. Hollywood’s best screenwriters couldn’t have laid it out any better. Tiring of being told by self-righteous foreigners to pay for past borrowing with current austerity, the Greek […]

PARIS — Does anyone else miss the days when intelligence agencies were permitted to operate covertly and it was considered totally acceptable that they do so? It seems to be increasingly the case that Western countries are perceived as less than democratic if their traditionally covert operations aren’t fully transparent to the public. It’s one […]

Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas and Congressman Luke Messer of Indiana have introduced a bill that could produce positive, badly needed change in American K-12 education. The bill allows for Title 1 education funds “to follow low-income students to any public or private school of their choice.” What is Title […]

Every Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, is pulled from a tree stump in Punxsutawney, PA. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring is just ahead. In a 2010 interview, I asked Phil about a request made by the People for the Ethical Treatment of […]

(I know I normally write about politics, and if you want to read about that I suggest you check out my column from Thursday on the climate change hoax. It’s pretty good and has some good jokes in it.) I have to start out by saying there isn’t anything wrong with it, but the Super […]

Young Americans continue to put off homeownership, and that isn’t good for anyone. According to USA Today, homeownership for Americans age 35 and under declined to 36.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014, down from 36.8 percent in 2013. The percentage is the lowest on record since the U.S. Census began tabulating home ownership […]

Bill Maher called Chris Kyle of “American Sniper” a “psychopath patriot.” Michael Moore called military snipers “cowards” who shoot people in the back. Howard Dean said “American Sniper” appeals mostly to angry Tea Party types. So what? Why do we conservatives give two cents about what these lefties and liberals say about “American Sniper” – […]

Since when is canceling a tax-free college savings plan a hand-up to the middle class? When President Obama says it is. Parents and Republicans emailed, called, protested, lobbied and raged against Obama’s plan to cancel tax free withdrawals from 529 college savings plans. Seven million families use 529 plans to save for their kids’ college […]

Some columnists write New Year’s columns chronicling the mistakes over the last year. I don’t, but as this January has rolled on, it’s become clear I’ve made many about the 2016 presidential race. One is that I assumed Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush wouldn’t run. Now it seems both are. I thought that Romney would […]

President Obama’s EPA is executing a massive power play, attempting to coerce states into adopting draconian policies that would steeply increase the price of energy. States that don’t cooperate are being told they’ll have their federal highway funding cut off. That’s unconstitutional. Obama’s cap-and-trade energy tax scheme spectacularly crashed and burned in his first term, […]

Sarah Palin Is Right: Go on Offense, Tout Conservatism Forty years ago when my Aunt Nee was the pastor of the Holy Temple Church of Truth, an east Baltimore storefront, during testimony service Sister Davis or Sister Cleary would spontaneously lead the tiny congregation in singing, “We’re Livin’ In the Last Days.” “They’re calling wrong […]

Have you heard about the secret conspiracy between the Saudis and the White House? I haven’t either, probably because there isn’t one. But events are playing out exactly as one would expect if such a conspiracy existed. With no help from Barack Obama, the U.S. has launched an energy revolution, becoming the world’s leading oil […]

On Monday, President Obama will unveil his proposed federal budget for 2016. Voters should be warned that virtually all the numbers reported in news coverage of the federal budget will be misleading at best. That’s because the budget reporting will be written primarily in the language of official Washington rather than the language of everyday […]

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. Eight million Israelis are surrounded by some 400 million Muslims in more than 20 states. Almost all of Israel’s neighbors are anti-Israeli dictatorships, monarchies or theocracies– a number of them reduced to a state of terrorist chaos. Given the rise of radical […]

“What do you think you missed not having a dad around?” Marshawn Lynch, the grumpy, often-fined National Football League star for the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, was asked that question. Lynch, raised on the mean streets of Oakland, California, by a single mother, said: “Nothing. My mama played both parts.” When asked, however, […]

The network meteorologists barely had time to come up for air while “forecasting” the latest snowstorm non-disaster. Politicians, fearing what might happen to their approval numbers if a blizzard hit, went on TV to announce they were taking proactive measures. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shut down tunnels, bridges, even the subway to […]

First lady Michelle Obama made an important statement when she showed up in Saudi Arabia with her husband Tuesday to mourn the death of King Abdullah and meet successor King Salman. Though the first lady dressed in a fashion respectful of Saudi custom — in black pants and a long, loose jacket that fully covered […]

__This is National School Choice Week, but I want to talk about parents’ school testing choice. Moms and dads, you have the inherent right and responsibility to protect your children. You can choose to refuse the top-down Common Core racket of costly standardized tests of dubious academic value, reliability and validity. __ Don’t let anyone tell you […]

For most of history, people suffered in miserable poverty. Then, in a few hundred years, some new ideas made life hugely better for billions of us — things like running water, the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, the Internet. We want people to keep coming up with new and better ideas. But there’s a […]

When gasoline sold at record prices, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said, “I think it’s time to say to these people, ‘Stop ripping off the American people.’” When the average price of regular gas was close to $4 a gallon, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for Congress to look into breaking up giant oil companies. The […]

The high-profile battle over Congressional efforts to extend and strengthen sanctions against Iran if it fails to dismantle its nuclear weapons program has ominous implications for Hillary’s likely 2016 candidacy. Obama’s high-profile veto threat, delivered in his State of the Union speech last week, has elevated this issue to the point where it has become […]

Even Republicans gushed with enthusiasm when President Barack Obama announced funding for personalized medicine during the State of the Union last week. “I am launching a new precision medicine initiative,” Obama said, to usher in a “new era of medicine, one that delivers the right treatment at the right time.” Sounds good, but don’t be […]

A week after his State of the Union address, political observers are still trying to figure out what President Obama’s game is. That’s because rhetorically and substantively, he seems to be in another world. In his State of the Union address, Obama refused to even take note of the GOP’s historic midterm gains and the […]

Federal prosecutors have filed espionage charges against three Russians allegedly working for Russia’s foreign intelligence service, SVR. The only one without diplomatic immunity was arrested in the Bronx, N.Y., on Monday, while the other two have left the U.S. The federal complaint reveals some amusing realities of modern espionage. — Spying isn’t terribly exciting. One […]

Je suis Tom Brady! Je suis Bill Belichick! My fellow Americans, these are the words that all true patriots must shout during Super Bowl week so that we may slap down the Great Insult of the Deflated Footballs. As you must know by now — and if you don’t know then you’re probably dead so […]

Sarah Palin Too Toxic for 2016? Sarah Palin saying “Of course” she’s interested regarding running for the presidency in 2016 has people buzzing. During that interview, Palin said we need a candidate who is ready for Hillary. I agree. Romney would be Mr. Nice Guy/gentleman unwilling to attack the girl. As for Palin running, a […]