Category: Politics & Government

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

Location, Location, Location

  

I have no problem with presidents taking vacations. With modern communications technology, no president is out of touch with world events or incapable of fulfilling the mandates of the office, no matter where he may be. Therefore, I don’t criticize President Obama for taking a vacation at this time, particularly in the last part of August when Congress is in recess. But if he is not out of touch with the world at large, his choice of vacation spots reveals… Read more »

Another Carter? Or Worse?

  

I’m seeing a lot of comments comparing Barack Obama with Jimmy Carter, but you probably have to be over 40 to really remember the Carter years. Consequently, a large part of our population may not realize the aptness of the comparison. What are the similarities? First, Carter was an outsider who promised a new way of doing things in DC. Sound familiar? He said he would get the economy out of the doldrums, yet by the time his reelection effort… Read more »

Time to Touch the Third Rail

  

We create our own problems. Case in point: Social Security. The original intent was to ensure solvency for those who could no longer work because of age, disability, or loss of a husband. Worthy intention, to be sure. But I’m always reminded of a book I read once with the title Beyond Good Intentions. The thesis of the book was that good intentions do not necessarily lead to good policies. In fact, quite often the policies undermine the original intent…. Read more »

Christians, the Government, & Welfare

  

Time to tread lightly. I don’t intend this post to be a diatribe against government welfare. Rather, I want to approach the subject Biblically, constitutionally, and practically. There’s an accusation floating around in the political arena that politically conservative Christians/Republicans-at-large [take your pick of descriptors] are uncaring individuals who don’t want to help those in poverty. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the Biblical angle, what can be said about our responsibility toward the poor? There is no… Read more »

Bitter Division & Truth-Telling

  

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how the political arena has become bitterly divided. As a historian, let me first say that this is not unique in American history. There have always been periods of strong division: the 1790s, the Jacksonian era, the entire 1850s through the Civil War, the beginnings of the Cold War in the late 1940s-early 1950s, Vietnam and Watergate. And for those who think everyone loved Ronald Reagan [which is what you might surmise… Read more »

Principles & Honor

  

I spoke last evening at the Winter Haven, Florida, 9/12 Project meeting. For those who are unfamiliar with the organization, it began after the 2008 elections with the expressed purpose of educating citizens on the kinds of principles and values that formed the bedrock of our nation and our government. This organization is performing a valuable public service, and I heartily endorse its goals. They are the same goals I have maintained throughout my twenty-two years of teaching at universities…. Read more »

In Praise of Harmony & Mutual Respect

  

The budget/debt ceiling bill passed the House last night, and the Senate is slated to vote on it today. Half of the Democrats opposed it; sixty-six Republicans also said no to it. The Democrats’ objections were that there were no tax increases, there were spending cuts, and it called for the Congress to send a balanced budget amendment to the states for ratification. Republicans’ objections were that most of the spending cuts were too far down the road, there is… Read more »