Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 433
January 30, 2013
Al-Qaeda is back in vogue
Islamic terrorism and al-Qaeda in particular seemed to be in the doldrums, what with military defeats and drone attacks. But now that an al-Qaeda franchise took over that natural gas installation in Algeria–at last count, 38 hostages killed, including 3 Americans–its stock is reportedly soaring in the radical Islamic world and more young people are [...]
January 29, 2013
Is America in decline?
When it comes to economic measures and economic prospects for the future, the United States is not in decline at all. So says a report cited by economics columnist Robert J. Samuelson (who, however, is not quite so optimistic). Then again, despite what some people assume, economics isn’t everything. Are we in cultural, intellectual, or [...]
The new Immigration Reform plan
Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have joined together to draft a new immigration reform plan. It hasn’t been drawn up into legislation yet, but take a look at the provisions after the jump. From Details of the Senate Immigration Proposal – ABC News: Create a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants already [...]
Did the Supremes cripple Obamacare after all?
George Will reports on an article by Thomas A. Lambert, a University of Missouri law professor, who argues that the Supreme Court decision to approve Obamacare by defining its penalty for not having insurance as a “tax” may, in fact, ensure its failure: [Chief Justice John] Roberts invoked what Lambert calls “a longstanding interpretive canon [...]
January 28, 2013
Against women in combat
Let’s stipulate that women can engage in combat, that they are just as brave and patriotic as men and they they can kill our nation’s enemies when they need to. The question is not can they, but should they? Let me put forth two arguments and then put you onto several more from a column [...]
Why conservatives are skeptical of environmentalism
From Charles Krauthammer: As Czech President (and economist) Vaclav Klaus once explained, environmentalism is the successor to failed socialism as justification for all-pervasive rule by a politburo of experts. Only now, it acts in the name of not the proletariat but the planet. That has nothing to do with the environment, of course, but it’s [...]
And now abortifacient vending machines
The “morning after pill” is now coming to vending machines: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration won’t take any regulatory action over a vending machine at a Pennsylvania college that dispenses the morning-after pill. FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson said Friday that officials looked at publicly available information about the Shippensburg University vending program, spoke with [...]
January 26, 2013
Checking and balancing the President
The Constitution’s separation of powers and checks and balances at work: A federal appeals court has said President Obama’s practice of recess appointments to avoid congressional approval is unconstitutional. Presidents have had the authority to appoint people to office temporarily between Congressional sessions, but Obama has construed that to include holiday breaks and other pauses [...]
January 25, 2013
How you know when you’re an adult
Wisdom from Earl Weaver, the legendary manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who died on January 19. “Until you’re the person that other people fall back on, until you’re the one that’s leaned on, not the person doing the leaning, you’re not an adult.” Weaver’s words as quoted by sportswriter Thomas Boswell: “You must remember that [...]
The federal program that wouldn’t die
There is a line item in the budget that costs nearly a half million dollars. Republicans oppose it. Democrats oppose it. President Obama wants to kill it. The House Republican leadership wants to kill it. And yet, this program has gone on for twenty years and NO ONE CAN END IT. David A. Fahrenthold in [...]
