Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The prospect of four more years of Barack Obama in the White House has caused several conservative voices (among them, The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger, Fox News commentator … Continue reading
Media & Culture
Finding the City on a Hill
One of the most widely employed metaphors in today’s American political discourse is that the United States is a “city on a hill.” Especially popularized by Ronald Reagan, this phrase (taken from Matthew chapter 5) has been used by countless … Continue reading
Is America’s House Divided Again?
Having just viewed Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” and knowing that Lincoln’s birthday is approaching, it seemed fitting to ponder one of Lincoln’s most famous speeches, and perhaps a lesson for Americans today. On June 17, 1858, Lincoln gave his famous “House … Continue reading
The End of the Reagan Era?
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. With Barack Obama’s second inauguration, liberals are touting an altogether new epoch: the end of the Reagan era. Unfortunately, I believe they are largely correct. We are witnessing a period … Continue reading
Free To Be Healthy
So how is that New Year’s resolution diet going? Will the long-term results be better than the last diet? For the majority of us, even successful diets are unsuccessful. We may lose weight, but it comes back. Most people can … Continue reading
Slouching From Gomorrah: Remembering Robert Bork
On the Monday morning following the Oscars, U.S. news websites splashed the announcement that the “little film that could,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” had garnered the Best Picture of 2008 award. Buried on many of the same web sites was the news … Continue reading
It Can Be Worse Than the Cliff
Editor’s note: This piece was written exclusively for Investor’s Business Daily by a member of the board of advisors for The Center for Vision & Values, a trustee of Grove City College, and president of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation: … Continue reading
Robert Bork and Grove City College
On a dark February afternoon in 1988, 25 students in a U.S. Constitutional History class waited expectantly in a little-used dining hall on the campus of Grove City College (in Grove City, Pennsylvania) for a special guest lecturer to arrive. I was the … Continue reading
The Fiscal Cliff: What Would Reagan Do?
By Dr. Paul Kengor & Michael Reagan Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at FoxNews.com. As President Obama and Democrats urge Republicans to increase taxes, some liberals are curiously invoking the name of Ronald Reagan, the ultimate tax-cutting … Continue reading
America’s Growing Government Class
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. The latest unemployment figures are again depressing, but not for the usual reasons. They provide further confirmation of Barack Obama’s fundamental transformation of America, specifically through his … Continue reading
American Politics as a Confidence Game
Reading post-2012-election news reports can be hazardous to one’s mental health, particularly for the sanity-challenged among us. But perhaps the singularly most prescient comments come from long ago—from the pen of America’s most profound novelist, Herman Melville, whose words in … Continue reading
Compromise or Gridlock in Washington: Two Unpalatable Alternatives
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. As soon as the elections were over, a wave of commentaries extolling the virtues of compromise appeared in the press. The common theme is that it is time for … Continue reading
Romney vs. McCain and Obama vs. Bush? Who Wins?
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at American Spectator. Shortly after the November election, I wrote an article titled, “McCain Beats Romney!” The article focused on initial reports showing that Mitt Romney received fewer votes in 2012 than John McCain received in … Continue reading
The Dividends of $elf-Control
As Christmas approaches, Americans are once again spending a lot of money. With that in mind, here are some thoughts on the importance of self-control in our lives. Experience, an excellent teacher, has taught me many critical lessons. I learned word processing … Continue reading
Long Live the Twinkie! (Twinkie Killers, Part 2)
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. Can the Twinkie and other famous Hostess brands be saved? I hope so, and I’ll offer my own two cents’ on one possible way of doing so. First, though, … Continue reading
Reverend Rubio? The Media Begins Its Attack on Marco Rubio
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. In a recent interview, Senator Marco Rubio, effectively the Republican front-runner for 2016, was asked, “How old do you think the Earth is?” It’s a question of utter irrelevance to the … Continue reading
Executive Privilege: The 2012 Election and the Power of Incumbency
Mitt Romney lost the presidential race by only two percentage points. If the election had been held just a week earlier, when he was up in the polls, things might have been different. Nonetheless, Mitt Romney lost, and now a … Continue reading
V&V FLASHBACK — The 40-Percent President: Obama’s Cruise to Reelection
Editor’s note: A version of this piece was written for the American Thinker on January 26, 2011. We’re at the halfway mark of Barack Obama’s first term as president. I say “first term” because I’m confident that this isn’t his last. … Continue reading
America’s Fundamental Transformation
Timing is everything in politics. For four years, I angered conservatives by insisting Barack Obama would get reelected. I figured that an electorate willing to elect a man with ideas and a record that far to the left in 2008 … Continue reading
Two Percent Economic Growth: Real or Apparent?
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has just announced that GDP grew at a rate of 2 percent during the last three months. Keynesians like Paul Krugman should be happy, and the so-called … Continue reading