A Post-Post Office World By John Stossel
Even parts of government that look like a business never get run with the efficiency of a business. Just look at the post office.
Political Commentary
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April 17, 2013
April 15, 2013
Extra Care Required in Crafting Immigration Reform By Michael Barone
"Without legislative language," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy declared in a statement March 20, "there is nothing for the Judiciary Committee to consider this week at our markup."
April 12, 2013
Gun Debate Highlights Voter Distrust of Government By Scott Rasmussen
Gun control advocates sound puzzled by congressional resistance to relatively modest gun control legislation.
April 12, 2013
An Immigration Fix for Real By Froma Harrop
Not only is a Senate plan for reforming the immigration program smart, it may actually become law. Those two things don't necessarily go together. That it is bipartisan would seem a near miracle.
The "Group of Eight" reformers -- led by Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York -- would demand concessions from both open-border and closed-border hardliners. Most importantly, they are the right concessions.
April 11, 2013
Her Tea Party: What Margaret Thatcher Really Meant to England and the World By Joe Conason
Amid all the suffocating claptrap celebrating Margaret Thatcher in the media, only the British themselves seem able to provide a refreshing hit of brisk reality. Over here, she is the paragon of principle known as the "Iron Lady," devoted to freedom, democracy and traditional values who bolstered the West against encroaching darkness. Over there, she is seen clearly as a class warrior, whose chief accomplishments involved busting unions and breaking the post-war social contract.
April 11, 2013
Thatcher Insisted on Facing Hard, Uncomfortable Truths By Michael Barone
"Divisive." That's a word that appeared, often prominently, in many news stories reporting the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
One senses the writers' disapproval. You're not likely to find "divisive" in stories reporting the deaths of liberal leaders, although every electoral politician divides voters.
"Divisive" here refers to something specific. It was Margaret Thatcher's special genius that she systematically rejected the conventional wisdom, almost always well-intentioned, of the political establishment.
Instead, she insisted on hard, uncomfortable truths.
British Conservatives like Harold Macmillan accepted the tyranny of trade unionism because they had guilty memories of the slaughter of the working-class men who served under them in the trenches in World War I.
Thatcher, who as an adolescent before World War II saved money to pay for a Jewish girl to escape from Austria to England, felt no such guilt.
April 10, 2013
Government Plays Favorites By John Stossel
People say government must "help the little guy, promote equality, level the playing field."
April 9, 2013
The Moderation of Margaret Thatcher By Froma Harrop
In honoring Margaret Thatcher, some of her greatest fans complain, "They don't make conservatives like that any more."
April 8, 2013
Mexico Becomes a Stable, Politically Diverse Neighbor By Michael Barone
We Americans are lucky, though we seldom reflect on it, that we have good neighbors.
In East Asia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines face challenges from China over islands they have long claimed in the East China Sea.
In Europe, Germany and other prosperous nations face demands for subsidies from debt-ridden nations to avoid the collapse of the Euro.
When Southern Europeans look across the Mediterranean, they see Muslim nations facing post-Arab spring upheaval and disorder.
April 5, 2013
Long Before Hillary Decides for 2016, Scandal Trolls Are Coming Back By Joe Conason
By all accounts, Hillary Rodham Clinton has not yet decided whether to seek the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. But the prospect of her candidacy, combined with her undeniable popularity, is agitating certain commentators so deeply that they simply cannot withhold their bile.
April 5, 2013
To Fight Inequality, It's Time to End the College Admissions Scam By Scott Rasmussen
There's a strong desire among many Americans today to address a growing problem of income inequality. That desire helped President Obama raise taxes on upper-income Americans a few months ago. It's reflected in the fact that just 35 percent believe the U.S. economy is fair to the middle class, and only 41 percent believe it's fair to those willing to work hard. Still, it's not really the inequality that bothers people. After all, 65 percent believe that it's fair for those who create very successful companies to become very rich. The problem comes when some people earn big bucks simply because they can game the system in ways that aren't available to most Americans.
April 4, 2013
Stop Asking, 'How Did You Like ...' By Froma Harrop
I'm shopping for a sweater online, and as so often happens, up pops a "tell us what you think" box. Or I'm on social media, and another social media company hijacks the screen, trying to sell me another product. Then there's:
April 4, 2013
Hard Targets? By Kyle Kondik
One needs little more than just fingers and toes to count the number of House members who represent districts won by the other party’s presidential candidate in 2012. As mentioned here previously, just 25 House members — nine Democrats and 16 Republicans — hold such “crossover” districts. Compare that to 2004, when there were 59 such seats, or 2008, when there were 83.
April 3, 2013
Green Tyranny By John Stossel
Environmental activists and politicians would like you to think that we must love their regulations -- or hate trees and animals.
April 2, 2013
Do Groups Really Foster Creativity? By Froma Harrop
We're not done with the Yahoo story yet. Much has been said about whether workers produce more at home and whether CEO Marissa Mayer had slowed women's progress by denying working mothers the opportunity to telecommute. That is not today's topic.
April 1, 2013
Why Freight Rail Pays and Passenger Trains Flunk By Michael Barone
Forty years ago, American railroads were in trouble. The Penn Central, the largest railroad, had recently gone bankrupt.
March 29, 2013
Cats vs. Dingoes By Froma Harrop
The fight goes on. Whether cats are bird-killing machines or soft balls of love (for themselves, anyway) remains a subject of painful debate.
March 29, 2013
What Happens After Immigrants Arrive Is Important, Too By Scott Rasmussen
Sixty-eight percent of voters believe that, when done legally, immigration is good for America. Most voters for years have favored a welcoming policy of immigration. Unlike many issues these days, there is virtually no partisan disagreement.
These facts raise a question that should make everyone in official Washington uncomfortable. If immigration is good for America and there is support across party lines, why can't the politicians figure out a way to come up with something that works?
March 28, 2013
Without Fear or Favor: the Heresies and Vindications of Anthony Lewis, 1927 to 2013 By Joe Conason
Anthony Lewis, the former New York Times reporter and columnist who died Monday at the age of 86, shaped the American conscience on a broad range of issues, from civil liberties and civil rights to war and diplomacy, for almost 50 years. During his long career, Lewis won numerous awards and published several important books. Unlike many men of his generation who rose to high positions in journalism, he was a charming and thoughtful man who could listen as intently as he talked.
