Reacting to Donald Trump’s speech Monday to the Detroit Economic Club, Hillary Clinton said her Republican opponent tried to “make his old, tired ideas sound new.” As opposed to her old, tired ideas of higher taxes on the wealthy with government as redistributor. Let’s consider some important quotes from the economic club speech. “… the […]
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Bring on the chess championships
WASHINGTON — You may be thrilled by the feats of Katie Ledecky, mesmerized by the grace of the women gymnasts, startled by Rio spectators mocking U.S. soccer star Hope Solo with chants of “Zika! Zika!” (the first recorded instance, noted one wit, of a stadium rocking to the invocation of a virus). Allow me, however, […]
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At last: A nearly definitive biography of George Mitchell
In 2015, former Senator George Mitchell, released his first book in 16 years, “The Negotiator.” It was his first and so far his only multi-subject memoir. In it, he wrote, “This is not a complete biography.” Instead , it was merely a “telling of some favorite stories about my very fortunate life.” Now, just over […]
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Student loan debt problem overstated
WASHINGTON — Maybe the college student debt burden isn’t so crushing after all. That’s the surprising gist of a new study by economists at the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). It’s surprising because burgeoning student debt has become a new economic worry and a political “cause celebre.” It adds to the hurt of millennials, […]
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Proposed health care plans quite different
We may be getting ahead of ourselves assuming that Hillary Clinton will be next president, but let’s proceed on that (comforting) notion. Few are better prepared to preserve and improve upon the Affordable Care Act than Clinton, who has long immersed herself in health care policy. Obamacare is complicated — built that way to get […]
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ISIS continues genocide in Iraq
Last week, on August 3, Iraqi Yazidis marked a bitter anniversary. Two years ago, ISIS fighters drove off Kurdish Peshmerga militiamen defending the Yazidi town of Sinjar and took control. The ISIS force quickly killed 2,000 Yazidi men. All told ISIS fighters would massacre some 5,000 Yazidi men in the Sinjar region. A systematic campaign […]
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Administration won’t admit to ransom paid to Iran
You’ve probably heard the very old riddle: When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar. An updated version might go like this: When is a ransom not a ransom? When the Obama administration says it isn’t. President Obama and his State Department want us to believe that $400 million in foreign cash that […]
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A nation divided by different realities
“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” — John 8:32 Or maybe not. Far be it from me to correct Jesus, but to survey the modern political landscape is to see precious little evidence of the truth setting anyone free. Indeed, it is to become convinced that a great […]
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I cannot support Trump for president
I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country. When the primary season started, it […]
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The (false) globalization narrative
WASHINGTON — In the public imagination, no industry better symbolizes the downfall of U.S. manufacturing than steel. Shuttered plants dot the Midwest. Since 1973, steel employment has dropped 76 percent, from 610,700 to 147,300 in 2015. Moreover, the culprit seems clear — trade — and its influence seems pervasive: Manufacturing as a whole lost about […]