Tag: Great Society

Baltimore’s Real Problems & the Solution

  

Baltimore is now outwardly calmed, although reports from the ground say that there remains a simmering anger. Some of that has been assuaged by the news that charges are being brought against the six police who were somehow involved with the arrest of Freddie Gray. It’s interesting to note, though, that three of those six are African American, one an African American woman whose last name is White. Irony of ironies. Let’s be honest here. None of what occurred with… Read more »

Income Inequality, Faulty Reasoning, & Bad Policy

  

We’re hearing a lot of talk again lately about income inequality. President Obama, in what I believe is an attempt to take the focus off the failure of his signature healthcare law, has come out swinging against those who succeed too much. The impression he wishes to leave is that the reason some are doing poorly is because others are too successful. This is an old ploy. It goes back to Karl Marx, at least, who theorized that the rich… Read more »

A Historian’s Perspective on Bad Times in American History

  

I don’t think there’s really any disagreement about how pessimistic the majority of Americans are about the future. Currently, all the polls reveal that pessimism.  As I survey the scene—the spiritual/moral, political, and cultural aspects [what does that leave?]—I have grave concerns as well. I plan to expound on those concerns in tomorrow’s post. But for now, I’d like to offer a historian’s perspective. Since I teach American history, I have a more in-depth knowledge of what has transpired previously…. Read more »

Party of Which People?

  

I’ve always found it somewhat comical that the Democratic party refers to itself as the party of the people. Historically, it has been the Democrats who have pushed the idea that the government, not individuals, knows best. It started with Woodrow Wilson. He was devoted to the idea that the Constitution was a “living” document that politicians and judges could alter at will. During WWI, Wilson took almost complete control of the American economy, even to the point of nationalizing… Read more »