Category: Column

For all the acrimony in Washington over Obamacare, there’s an intriguing consensus around one issue: the ratchet effect. Neither side uses the term, but both the right and left treat it as an article of faith. The term was coined by the libertarian economist Robert Higgs. In his book “Crisis and Leviathan,” Higgs describes how […]

Let’s get clear about the political realities behind the budget impasse in Washington and the government shutdown. Nothing captures the distortions being perpetrated more than the headline of a Washington Post column by Anne Applebaum that reads: “The GOP Undermines Democracy.”And, according to President Barack Obama, a “faction” of Republicans (read “tea party”) is holding […]

If the continued existence of mathematics depended on the ability of the Republicans to defend the proposition that two plus two equals four, that would probably mean the end of mathematics and of all the things that require mathematics. Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, epitomized what has been wrong with the […]

A decade ago, there were roughly only 10 incidents of church violence across the U.S. In 2007, there were 41 incidents. In 2009, there were 108. In 2012, there were more than 135. And by mid-July 2013, there were already 58. Much media attention has been given of late to the Louisiana pastor who was […]

Notwithstanding the naysayers from the left and the right, the bullying White House is running scared, as evidenced by its increasing nastiness, name-calling and petty manipulation of the government shutdown. President Obama must be shocked that his usual demagogic tricks aren’t working this time, that instead of the Republicans caving in deference to his dictatorial […]

The latest left-wing tactic to discredit conservative views is to dismiss the age and race of conservatives. “Old white males” and “old white people” are the left’s latest favored negative epithets for those holding conservative views. Chris Matthews of MSNBC, Thomas Friedman and Paul Krugman of the New York Times, and Senate Majority Leader Harry […]

As a candidate for president, Barack Obama sold his signature universal health care plan with the promise that it would “cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.” Now that the Affordable Care Act exchanges are open for business, voters are finding that the biggest problem with Obamacare is […]

With frustration building over Washington’s refusal to behave in the public interest, perhaps it’s worth noting a drastic solution tried by the Irish. Last Friday, Irish voters cast ballots on a referendum to abolish the country’s Upper House, known as the Seanad. Prime Minister Enda Kenny said Ireland didn’t need all of its politicians and […]

“This book is far from all good news.” So writes Tyler Cowen at the beginning of his latest book, “Average is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of The Great Stagnation.” Cowen is an economist at George Mason University who is generally classified as libertarian and whose interests range far afield. His most recent books […]

Clearly its not just conservatives concerned about Obamacare. A new survey, released and called the “SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Affordable Care Act: Impact On Women Survey” found that more than half of American women believe pending Obamacare policies are confusing, and a mere 22% believe that Ocamacare will benefit their families. The survey was conducted by SheSpeaks, […]

It was not a good week for progressives. Democrats thought they’d be sitting in the catbird seat during a government shutdown, but their own arrogance, World War II veterans, children with cancer and their own words have cost them what they were sure would be a easy victory. Conceptually, progressives had hoped a government shutting […]

The article in The Washington Post filled me with hope: There’s a trend toward college-educated people getting into the trades. One 29-year-old fellow in Washington, D.C. – he has a degree from Notre Dame – considered going to law school, like many others in the lawyer-saturated town. After watching his friends work long hours as […]

Vitals, a leader in providing online tools for healthcare consumers to connect with providers which annually ranks doctors recently announced that: Dr. Chauncey Crandall,: one of America’s foremost cardiologists, was selected to receive the: Most Compassionate Doctor Award two years in a row: for his work at the world-recognized Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Florida. Crandall is one of […]

Imagine you are a veteran of World War II approaching your 90th birthday. This may be your last opportunity to visit the memorial that was erected to honor your service. You have come to your nation’s Capital, only to find that your president has ordered that memorial barricaded to keep you out. As a teenager, […]

Q: Is the government too big and powerful? Does a one-legged duck swim in circles? A: Ah, yes, you speak of a recent Gallup survey that found 60 percent of Americans think the federal government has too much power – a full percentage point higher than the previous high recorded in September 2010. Gallup’s Joy […]

Caller: “Republicans refuse to negotiate, all they want to do is ruin the economy and Republicans said it all when they said they just want to get Obama out of office.” Jensen: “The President and Harry Reid have both said they refuse to negotiate with the Republicans who have reached out to the Democrats.” Caller: […]

The feud between Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La., doesn’t have the import of the federal government shutdown, but it does shine a light on the Beltway’s partisan rancor. If there is a lesson for Washington politicos from this mud fight, then it is this: Don’t try to be clever. There will be […]

Let the crisis continue. Let the standoff between the Democrats and the Republicans over Obamacare drag on for as many weeks or months as necessary to wake up the American people. Let millions struggle daily to sign up online for the government health care that they — but not their elected representatives in Congress — […]

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a constitutional law firm based in Washington, D.C., said today it is prepared to take legal action if the Obama Administration does not re-open the national World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. — a memorial that was barricaded as a result of the government shutdown. The […]

Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them … Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the Six Hundred –The Charge of the Light Brigade — Alfred, Lord Tennyson Almost exactly 159 years ago, a British light cavalry brigade rode directly into Russian guns at the battle […]

Arrogance is like a cancer. Once it lodges itself in the heart and mind, there’s not much you can do as it begins to permeate the entire body with an inordinate sense of self-worth, significance, and position. Lucifer understood this firsthand after becoming so enamored with himself he believed he was co-equal with the Creator. […]

The problem was caused by James Madison. And by the 39 other men who signed the Constitution in 1787. The problem, of course, is the government shutdown. It was caused because the Framers of the Constitution wisely provided for separation of powers among the three branches of government. The president would faithfully execute the laws […]

Liberal pundits and politicians like to refer to them as “hostage takers,” “anarchists,” “political terrorists,” “lemmings with suicide vests” and so on. Grass-roots conservatives think they’re a bunch of weak-kneed RINO defeatists. They have no charismatic stars, few compelling ideas, no one leading a Gingrich-like grand ideological charge against liberal institutions. There is no cohesive […]

In between crying wolf over the impact of a government shutdown triggered by no continuing resolution or an “economic shutdown” brought on by no debt-limit increase, President Obama makes an institutional case saying that he is protecting the power of the presidency against legislative usurpation. Within Congress, Democrats are asking if playing hardball with these […]

On Capitol Hill, a coalition of organizations including the Family Research Council (FRC) held a news conference calling on Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) to add conscience protections to must-pass legislation and to defund Obamacare. In addition, a large coalition: sent a letter: to House leadership calling for religious […]

There is always a tension between the practicality of winning elections and the desire for ideological purity. But for many conservatives across the country, in recent years we have been asked to support mainstream candidates who talk a good game but then don’t fight for conservative principles. The litany of failed mainstream presidential candidates on […]