Politics Information
Klein v. Oregon: Religious Liberty and Freedom of Speech vs. Gay Rights
Among recent actions by the U.S. Supreme Court, a four-sentence order may set the stage for the court to eventually address the collision between free speech and religious freedom on one hand and gay rights on the other. The order voided a judgment by the state of Oregon that had imposed a $135,000 fine on Portland-area bakery owners—the Kleins—for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. Oregon maintained that its anti-discrimination law condemned such a rebuff even when the bakery owners' religious convictions run counter to participating in a same-sex wedding.
Education Secretary DeVos: This is a Disgrace
College students have racked up $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. These students take on staggering debt and blindly head off to college, hoping for the best. For many college students, this is a formula for disaster. These leaders of tomorrow have been abandoned to fend for themselves. They are told, "You'll figure it out." Really? Students going off to college are receiving little or no counseling on this significant — possibly life-changing — financial encumbrance, which is compounded by virtually no investment in their career development: knowing what to major in based on their unique design. Students are grossly uninformed financially and unprepared to think critically about who they are, which is crucial to knowing which career paths to pursue that "fit." This is a lethal combination which potentially cancels out academic and life success.
Old Wisdom Applied to Current Spending Proposals
This will sound like the start of a bad joke, but please bear with me: What do Everett Dirksen, Otto von Bismarck, H.L. Mencken, and "the Preacher" in the book of Ecclesiastes have in common?
The Bladensburg Cross: The Court Moves in the Right Direction
A large cross erected in 1925 by Gold Star mothers in honor of their 49 fallen sons who gave their lives in World War I will be allowed to stand. That is the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in American Legion v. American Humanist Association. The monument, located in Prince George's County, Maryland, has been maintained by a state agency—the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission—with government funds since 1961. Members of the American Humanist Association claimed they were offended when driving past this religious symbol maintained on public land at public expense, and that to continue this display was a violation of the Constitutional provision prohibiting a governmental "establishment of religion."
Betsy Ross Recall is a Cheap Moral Stand
Nike courted controversy when it cancelled a new line of Betsy Ross flag-stitched sneakers just before the Fourth of July. The American shoemaker, valued at over $130 billion, pulled the shoes after former NFL quarterback and company spokesperson Colin Kaepernick worried on Twitter that the flag was a racist symbol.
Save the Electoral College: The Founders Warned of an "'Overbearing Majority"
An apparent new litmus test has appeared among the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls: abolishing the Electoral College.
When Humans Don't Procreate
The "hook" of the story intrigued me: "This hasn't happened in all of modern history..." An email from "The Crux" last month blared, "Global population growth to virtually stop by 2100."
The Art of the Budget Deal: White House and Congress Cooperate?
Last week, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a two-year budget deal that suspends the debt ceiling, and will raise federal spending $320 billion over amounts agreed to during the Obama years.
Who's Afraid of Religious Reasoning?
If people fear what they don't understand, then one of the most feared things today is religious liberty. It's standard practice for mainstream and left-leaning news outlets to handle the notion with scare quotes when it conflicts with the civil rights claims of sexual minorities. Reporters routinely relay the talking point that religious liberty is just "a license to discriminate."
What Lenin Said About Christians and Socialism
"If someone calls it socialism," said Rev. William Barber at the August meeting of the Democratic National Committee, "then we must compel them to acknowledge that the Bible must then promote socialism, because Jesus offered free health care to everyone, and he never charged a leper a co-pay."
Brexit: What Is at Stake?
I feel badly for the people of the United Kingdom. Brexit — the move to withdraw the UK from the European Union — has left the United Kingdom anything but united. Even families are being ripped apart. The most notable involves Prime Minister Boris Johnson's own family. His brother Jo (a fine fellow whom I met several years ago) resigned his seat in Parliament and his place in his brother's cabinet because he wanted to remain and Boris wants to leave.
When Collusion Twice Saved the World
In November 1971, after serving a year as an intelligence officer supporting the secret American war in Laos, I returned to an assignment in the Intelligence Early Warning Center (INEW) at Headquarters, Strategic Air Command (SAC), near Omaha. The INEW office attached to the SAC War Room was buried three stories underground in a concrete and led-sheathed vault behind massive steel doors. From there SAC could direct global Armageddon while (hopefully) withstanding 30 or more nuclear strikes.
Missing in Action: How America Forgets MIA Day
Presidential proclamation, along with decrees by state governors, have served to establish September 20 as a national day of recognition for thousands of American service personnel who remain missing in action. Since World War II, over 81,000 Americans who served in that war, along with missing veterans from Cold War conflicts in Korea and Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, are among those for whom there is no final accounting. Indeed, this is nothing new, because since the dawn of history people have gone to war never to return—lost along with millions of civilians amid the debris of human conflicts from the Stone Age to the Information Age.
Is the Federal Reserve Apolitical?
President Donald Trump has had (what else?) a publicly tempestuous relationship with the Federal Reserve System.
A Time of Civility Needed Again
Tonight, President Donald Trump will visit Minneapolis. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated, "While there is no legal mechanism to prevent the president from visiting, his message of hatred will never be welcome in Minneapolis." For those too young to remember, the United States in 1963 was divided deeply over the growing civil rights movement—a division that later widened with the war in Vietnam.
The Strategic Effect of Operation Kayla
Raids, like Operation Kayla resulting in the death of Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi and other ISIS terrorist leaders, are usually small affairs with limited results. Nevertheless, such meticulously planned and superbly executed raids also can have significant strategic implications.
Minor Legislation with Massive Implications
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is promoting the "Prevent Government Shutdown Act of 2019." The goal of the act is to prevent disruptive government shutdowns.
One Nation Under God?
"I had no idea how critical religion is to the functioning of democracy." So said a Marxist economist from China conversing with Harvard Professor, Clayton Christensen.
Division One Athletics: It's About the Money
During an episode of Lebron James' online show "The Shop," California Governor Gavin Newsome signed into law a bill allowing California student athletes to sign endorsements while in college. The NCAA Board of Governors, having studied this issue for years, responded by announcing that college athletes can "benefit from the use of their name, image or likeness." The charade of big-name Division 1 football and basketball athletes being in college first and foremost to receive an education has now been fully exposed.
What's Wrong with a Tax on Billionaires?
Among the many radical economic plans offered by various Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed an annual wealth tax on billionaires (and other "ultra-rich" Americans). Sanders has bluntly stated, "There should be no billionaires."
The Soviet-Afghan War at Forty:
In the early morning hours of Christmas Day 1979, Soviet forces began invading Afghanistan. The international community was shocked by the intervention; even though Afghanistan had been unstable for some time, most assumed that the Soviet Union would stick to its usual policy of indirect aid. Soviet policymakers, however, had several reasons for taking action when they did, including the deterioration of détente with the United States, alarm at the Afghan regime's behavior, the desire to replace President Hafizullah Amin with a more pliable ruler, fears of foreign interference in Afghanistan, and national security concerns.
We Need a Healthcare System that Supports the New American Workforce
Americans are increasingly leaving their traditional 9-to-5 jobs to work for themselves. Last year, nearly 57 million people performed freelance work -- up from 53 million in 2014.
Pelosi's Drug Bill Has a Huge, Hidden Price Tag
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just released a bill that would allow government regulators to set artificially low prices for hundreds of medicines.
Senate Drug Plan Brings Death and Taxes
The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act would stall future drug development and deprive Americans of lifesaving cures -- all without reducing patients' out-of-pocket costs.
So-Called Methane Regulation "Rollbacks" Actually Reduce Emissions
President Trump just proposed a small update to methane-emission regulations. But judging by the Democratic candidates' hyperbolic reactions, you'd think he personally assaulted Mother Earth.
We Need Health Care Reforms That Help Patients, Families
This summer, we saw remarkable, bipartisan progress on addressing rising health care costs -- an issue voters have consistently ranked as most important.
ICER Discriminates Against People with Rare Diseases
FDA officials approved a record number of rare disease treatments last year. One groundbreaking medicine treats an inherited bone condition that causes intense pain and immobility. Another treats Fabry disease, a genetic condition that can lead to kidney failure or stroke.
Solving the Looming Superbug Crisis Will Require Bold Action From Congress
Antimicrobial resistance killed upwards of 160,000 Americans in 2010. More and more infections are becoming resistant to antibiotics and antifungals — and while Americans know this is a growing problem, few know how bad it already is.
Fracking Bans Will Cost Democrats the White House
It often seems as if Democrats want to reelect Donald Trump. Why else would their top presidential candidates advocate a ban on fracking, the drilling technique that supports millions of jobs and accounts for half of all U.S. oil production?
Proposed Drug Price Reform Would Short-Change Rare Disease Patients
A prominent healthcare watchdog claims it has found the solution to high drug prices.
Speaker Pelosi's Drug Plan Misses the Mark
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just proposed one of the most ambitious healthcare reforms since the Affordable Care Act. She hopes her plan, The Lower Drug Costs Now Act, will reduce the "out of control" prices that are "crushing Americans at the pharmacy counter."
Kudos to Trump for Cracking Down on H-1B Visa Abuse
President Trump's administration is delivering for American workers. During his time as President, the number of H-1B guestworker visa denials are at a decade high.
Congress, Put Politics Aside and Pass USMCA
While Washington is often dominated with partisan gridlock, Congress can put politics aside and improve the everyday lives of Americans by passing a new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade deal that would replace the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Cancer Cures May Already Exist — But Won't Reach Patients if Pelosi's Drug Bill Passes
House Democrats recently unveiled H.R. 3, a proposal that would impose ill-considered price controls on prescription drugs.
Senate Drug Plan Helps Government, Hurts Patients
Nancy Pelosi has a plan to lower drug prices. The Speaker of the House just released a new bill that would impose a slew of new taxes and allow the government to meddle with private businesses.
The Interational Fix to Rural America's Healthcare Crisis
Imagine going into cardiac arrest and the closest emergency room is more than 30 miles away. Or suppose your child is struggling with depression, but there isn't a single psychiatrist in your county. Or consider experiencing unexpected pregnancy complications -- yet living hours away from a hospital that has the resources to help.
Americans Can't Afford Insurance — and Obamacare is to Blame
The number of uninsured Americans rose in 2018 for the first time since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, according to the Census Bureau.
Pelosi's Drug Plan Would Kill Innovation -- and Hope
"Help is on the way." That's what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told American patients when she unveiled her sweeping plan to lower drug prices.
The Senate's New Drug Bill is Socialism Lite
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a radical new plan to let the federal government set drug prices.
Reducing Uncertainty in Trade with Mexico and Canada
American businesses face enormous challenges right now. The ebb and flow of the trade war with China is roiling supply chains. A simmering tariff war with the European Union could soon boil over.
