Politics Elevated

In 1955 Tennessee Ernie Ford’s recording of the song Sixteen Tons hit the top of the charts. Even two generations later this song continues to be included in popular media, so even my children are somewhat familiar with it. I always knew the song was about coal mining, but for years I didn’t understand what was meant [...]

In light of the turmoil in Iran, the military coup in Honduras and National Sovereignty Day in Iraq it seems appropriate to consider the expectations for what a government and a nation should strive to achieve.
Much of what has gone wrong in Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam is a result of a culture that [...]

Sometimes I wish that fewer people would vote in elections. (Actually, I just wish they would become a little bit more informed before they cast their votes.) We have had some great choices in recent elections. Unfortunately, though, it’s nothing new that most Americans are content to be arm-twisted into voting for the [...]

photo credit: sharply_done
Like a sugar addict does on Halloween, our federal government is trying to grab everything in sight for itself. This illegitimate acquisition of power demonstrates itself in nearly every executive order, Czarian mandate, and congressional bill; very little of what comes from Washington these days passes Constitutional muster. The latest of a steady [...]

Socialism is like a Chinese finger trap. Playing with it just a bit looks harmless and even fun, but once you start on that road it much easier to get further trapped than it is to free yourself.

Image based on stuck for lyfe by Chris Martin.
I read a great example of this in the comments [...]

image credit: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/Chap35.html

It’s a nice get-together with my in-laws on Father’s Day.
The kids float in and out of adult conversations, wanting snuggles here and owie-mending there… when this particular adult conversation turns to Iran and the upheaval it is experiencing.
We discuss some of the complexities and conflicts most recently in the news, and I become [...]

Steve Olsen started a discussion about healthcare at THE UTAH AMICUS back in 2007 (also see part 2) by asking: Is “free market health insurance” a nonsense phrase? He then identifies two issues that we must face head-on if we are to have any hope of actually pursuing a solution to this problem. More [...]

For many years I have admired the passion of the Iranian people. Regardless of having lived for decades beneath the damning hand of dictatorship, they still have not lost their innate yearning for freedom. If only Americans could be as passionate about liberty as the Iranians are.

photo credit: samuel_y
Nothing wraps death in a shroud of legitimacy like the government. Official pronouncements, fiat mandates, and governmental stamps of approval all convince a trusting (gullible?) citizenry that the subject of the government’s gaze is indeed what they say it is—nothing more, nothing less. Never is this seen in a more striking light than [...]

A contention continues to be expressed among some conservatives that President Obama is not a “natural born citizen” of the United States as required by Article II Section 1 of the Constitution, and is therefore ineligible to serve as President. They note that the President’s father was not an American citizen. They conjure [...]