Category: Politics & Government

Opinions on contemporary political happenings and the workings of civil government.

Two Types of Independents

  

I’ve been watching the poll numbers for President Obama. While he’s on a downward slide overall, he’s in particular trouble with what the politicos term “independents.” Just who are these people? Actually, there are two groups I would call independents. The first group is less numerous—people concerned that the political parties are not holding firm to their principles. This group is comprised of probably equal numbers of those on the left and the right of the political spectrum. They tend… Read more »

Senate Constitutional Scholarship

  

At a press conference this week, Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas was caught offguard with an impertinent question: “What part of the Constitution do you think gives Congress the authority to mandate that individuals have to purchase health insurance?” Her answer was a model of constitutional scholarship: : “Well, I just think the Constitution charges Congress with the health and well-being of the people.” Sounds definitive, right? I just happen to have a copy of the Constitution at hand. Let… Read more »

Beware the Radical Presbyterians

  

There’s your first warning for today. As you probably have suspected, I and others like me take our orders from the alternative media. Whatever they say we should say, we dutifully follow suit. We never think for ourselves; we want others to think for us. Unlike those who listen to the mainstream media . . . Yes, there are those of us who haven’t yet seen the light. We continue to describe terrorists as terrorists. Further, we constantly identify those… Read more »

Creating Prosperity

  

It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s that our political leaders decided that the best way to become prosperous was to “prime the pump” via government spending. We adopted the philosophy of the British economist John Maynard Keynes, who said that deficits don’t really matter that much. Prior to the Great Depression, most Americans didn’t look to government to create prosperity. They understood that the free market accomplished that feat. Ronald Reagan tried to wean us from the… Read more »

Terror & the Future

  

In my review of the president’s speech in this blog yesterday, I concluded he doesn’t understand that we have a real enemy out there, and that his response to terrorism is without any real moral conviction. This is probably because he doesn’t believe, in the deepest part of his heart, that the threat is genuine. What further evidence do we have of this? Well, here’s a reminder. The idea that terrorists should be treated as ordinary criminals is central to… Read more »

The Afghanistan Policy

  

After months of waiting, the nation finally received the result of all that agonizing over the future of our Afghan policy. The speech that President Obama gave at West Point on Tuesday evening focused on the following: We are in this mess because of the failures of the Bush administration; Gen. Stanley McChrystal will get 3/4 of what he wanted for this war; We are going to get out of it as quickly as possible. Let’s take those three points… Read more »

Pernicious Principles

  

I’ve called this blog “Pondering Principles” because I believe that God has given us general truths [principles] that apply to all of life. Naturally, I want to expound on those truths and call us back to being principled people. We need to keep in mind, though, that there are other principles out there that are not from God. They also form the basis for what people think and do. If they don’t come from the heart and Word of God,… Read more »