Each year millions of Americans engage in the time-honored practice of making resolutions they intend to keep for the coming year. They rarely get to the halfway point before giving up. Nonetheless, I have a few. Some spiritual. Others health related. Almost none dealing with travel, although I really want Read more
After this past election, Democrats are struggling to understand what hit them. Imagine the crew of an overloaded truck bottomed out at a railroad crossing, standing by with hands on hips thinking about how to get unstuck when the freight train slams into them. Frankly, they didn’t even see it Read more
I’ve been thinking about foundations lately. No, not the ones that dole out money to this or that activity. And certainly not the cosmetic that covers up the flaws in one’s skin. I’ve been thinking about foundations that support or undergird a structure. Earlier this year, it dawned on me that we needed to Read more
For many years I have expended a fair amount of time thinking about foreign policy. Some of that is a function of my military service. Having served in Germany for seven years, I learned a lot about other people, their customs, views, and values, especially living with German families. That Read more
To say that we have just survived a tumultuous election season would be an understatement. I won’t recount that here. It makes me weary to even think about it. Indeed, my fingers seem incapable of tapping out any remembrance. It’s as if my fingers are saying to me, “Pah-leezzzzz, oh Read more
So, what is a Reconciliation Bill? You’ve probably read about this in the news as a way for Congress to pass a bill dealing with spending, revenues, or the national debt. Reconciliation bills provide a means for Congress to skirt the 60-vote requirement in the US Senate to bring a Read more
Some years ago, I wrote—not original thoughts—that the purpose of the free speech amendment was designed to distill truth from a reasonable discussion of the facts of a matter. The idea here is that when we discuss, argue, or debate a proposition, the purpose is to arrive at some form Read more
It has been a remarkable week. Not since President Grover Cleveland won election to the Presidency in 1884 and then again 8 years later in 1892 has a president won, lost, and won a return to office as President-elect Donald Trump did on 5 November. It was truly a historic Read more
For those of us who witnessed President George W. Bush’s victory over Vice President Al Gore in November of 2000, the disputes that played out following the contested results in Florida were very divisive. Worse yet, the slim margin that put Bush in the White House provoked Democrats to see Read more
I have a memory of several past Presidential elections. The year after my birth, Republican Dwight Eisenhower defeated his Democrat rival Adlai Stevenson. I was too young to remember that election or the one that followed when Eisenhower dispatched Stevenson again. The first presidential contest I recall was in 1960. Read more