Category: Politics & Government

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

Obama vs. Ryan

  

Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has gone where few congressmen have dared to tread—into the thicket of budget/entitlement reform. Ryan has proposed a bold plan for revamping the way Congress handles its financial responsibilities; he calls it “The Path to Prosperity.” In it, he tackles most of the weighty problems of our massive debt and tries to show a way out of it without raising taxes. His path leads to energizing American entrepreneurship and significantly reducing the debt over the… Read more »

Defunding Planned Parenthood

  

Every serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 has gone on record as supportive of the current House Republicans’ effort to defund Planned Parenthood. They speak as one voice on this issue, as they well should. Recent episodes of Planned Parenthood’s misdeeds have spurred this movement, but all one has to do is investigate the history of its founder, Margaret Sanger, and the policies it has followed ever since, to know that it is one of the most… Read more »

The Real Double Standard

  

I’ve been doing some more thinking about President Obama’s decision to lend military aid to Libyan rebels. I’ve critiqued the decision on constitutional grounds—he never consulted Congress. Then I thought about Ronald Reagan’s decision to send troops to Grenada back in 1983. He didn’t consult Congress either. Neither did he do so when he bombed Libya [and the same Qaddafi] in 1985. So that leaves a person open to criticism that a double standard exists. There are distinct differences, however…. Read more »

Into the Twilight Zone

  

Last night, President Obama gave his apologetic for why we are acting against Libya. I’ve said all along I don’t like Qaddafi. Hardly anyone does. When Condi Rice spoke at Southeastern a couple weeks ago, she related what is was like to spend three hours with the man. Her conclusion? He is a madman. So there’s really no debate on that point. As many have indicated, the real issue is what will follow after him, if he in fact does… Read more »

A Privilege, Not a Right

  

Back in the fall of 1981, Ronald Reagan had to deal with a public-sector strike threat. The union threatening the strike was PATCO, which represented the air traffic controllers. I’m sure they had some legitimate complaints, but they sought to risk the safety of all air travel passengers by their action. Reagan was firm with that government union, reminding the members that they had taken a pledge when they were hired not to strike. Reagan’s position was that no public-sector… Read more »

Quality Coverage?

  

My first degree was in radio, TV, and film production, so I remain interested in how the media cover the news. There’s a lot to be disappointed about in the quality of that coverage, and unfortunately, a rather blatant bias sometimes appears. When Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature passed their bill to scale back collective bargaining for public-sector employees, the Democrats kept yelling “Shame, shame” at them. It was quite a spectacle. Quality coverage of that incident would have emphasized… Read more »

In a Reasonable World …

  

The Wisconsin saga refuses to go away. How about a short review of the episode thus far? How did it start? Well, one has to look at November first, where Republicans sweep the races in the state, taking the governorship and control of both houses of the legislature. They do so on the promise to deal with the financial problems looming. What problems? How about a projected deficit of over $3 billion? So, after being elected, they set out to… Read more »