“Before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand, and overwhelming power on the other.”—Gen. George C. Marshall as quoted by Vice President Dick Cheney Last June I wrote of “the shake up we need” that will prepare us […]
Archives for 2002
Our Posthuman Future
The title above is also the title of Francis Fukuyama’s latest book, which I have just completed. I have recommended him before (The End of History and the Last Man), and he continues to attract me with his penetrating insight on the most pressing issues. Here he traces our changing understanding of human nature through […]
Government Is Still The Problem
“If the choice is between doing too much and nothing at all, I’ll choose the latter every single time.”—Jonah Goldberg “If you see ten problems rolling down the road, nine of them will roll into the ditch before they hurt you.”—Calvin Coolidge Thank God Congress will soon be in recess! Maybe back in “flyover country” […]
Health Care Watch
I was encouraged by a little noticed and under-reported ruling by the Internal Revenue Service that could have significant implications for the cost and availability of health insurance. The IRS in effect breached the 1996 cap on the number of Medical Savings Account policies that can be issued by ruling that employer funded out-of –pocket […]
A Revolutionary Century?
In response to my request for comments from readers on their ideas for the prominent themes of the 21st century, I received a particularly provocative response from Dr. John Fieler, which follows in part: “This century will either be noted for the rise of a third party into a position of prominence in this country, […]
“Trail Of Tears”
A repeated segment on 60 Minutes II last month caught my attention. It told the story of the Seminole Indians of Florida, their assimilation and intermarriage with freed slaves, and their tragic “trail of tears” journey to the Oklahoma Territory after 1830. Recently, the U. S. Government settled a lawsuit, awarding $56 million to the […]
A Time To Choose
When I served as Chairman of Texas Business Leaders for Educational Choice during the 1998-99 Texas legislative biennium, I began most of my speeches and debates across the state with the following opening: “Let’s start with a basic premise about the school choice debate: No child should be left behind because of failure of the […]
Thoughts On The Pledge
In a previous issue, I posed the question as to whether or not the second paragraph of The Declaration of Independence (“all men are endowed by their Creator”, etc.) could be ratified by Congress today. It’s a rhetorical question, but one that again resonates in the wake of the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision on the […]
Truth In Labeling
In a world so steeped in postmodern confusion that a U. S. President must resort to a spin on the definition of the word “is”, it is not surprising that we have difficulty defining our enemies. Kathleen Parker has illustrated this confusion well in a recent essay in townhall.com in which she advises “you can’t […]
Voting With Their Feet
One of Houston’s larger companies and the world’s largest onshore drilling company, Nabors Industries, recently became the latest in a series of incorporating relocations of U. S. companies to offshore tax havens, Bermuda in this case. I have been struck by the responses to this trend from labor unions and public officials who seem to […]