Archive for July, 2009

Even the mention of the words conjures up the larger than life image of some battered, bruised woman on a highway billboard; a day glow orange hot-line number beneath her visage, and some catchy slogan like “love shouldn’t hurt.” And no, I am not insensitive to battered women. My heart goes out to any real... »

Desperate States and Decaying Federalism By Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson In the past, I have written about poor governance at the city and national levels ( “Detroit: A Glimpse into America’s Future?,” “We’re Broke,” “Into the Fiscal Abyss,” “The End Game,” et al. ). But, of course, the “government disease” afflicts states also, as shown... »

You know it is time to take a closer look at a deal when the smarmy pitchman warns you to act now before it is too late. Unless a safe is falling on your head, it is usually a good idea to step back, take a deep breath or two, and review what... »

Breaking the Shackles: Bringing Joy Into Our Lives. Edited by Roy U. Schenk and John Everingham.  Madison, Wisconsin: MPC-BEP Press, 2005. www.shametojoy.com . 362 pp.  $14.95. A decade after the original publication of Men Healing Shame , editors Roy U. Schenk and John Everingham have issued a revised version of their previously impossibly scarce... »

If the news media would report on the CONTENTS of the proposed federal health care takeover (see details below) it would die in a day. People would rise up, as they did over the recent illegal-alien amnesty attempt, and demand defeat. Instead, the media reports meaningless drivel, politicking, promises, compromises, party squabbles and leaves out... »

A Full Credit Lockdown (2009-07-13) by David John Marotta In my first job teaching computer science, someone stole my wallet off my desk during my office hours. Although I canceled all my credit cards, the thief used them around town, buying everything from clothes to tobacco. In those days cards were run manually on paper, and... »

Government intervention has reduced competition in the banking sector, allowing the favored few bailout-receiver-therefore-government-backed behemoths to attract investor support, and has enabled their acquisitions of not so fortunate competitors. ?? »

Anybody who has been paying attention by now knows that “Birtherism” is a conspiracy theory constructed by Democrats and 9-11 troothers in order to disorient opponents of President Obama. Its purpose is to boost Democrat reelection chances by portraying conservatives as conspiracy nuts. The Democrat media is now turning up the volume on Birther-related... »

A recent Rasmussen poll shows that Americans still overwhelmingly consider themselves conservative. Sarah Palin can connect with that segment of the population, motivate and inspire it to action. In such a political climate, no excuses suffice for a party that professes to be conservative, yet is devastated at the ballot box as badly as... »

The nation’s abuse shelters are bedeviled by an epidemic of violence, illicit drug use, shoddy financial procedures, ill-trained staff, and more. Last year I wrote a series of columns detailing widespread child abuse, misuse of public monies, and lack of public accountability at Florida domestic violence shelters. Recently the Florida Department of Children and... »

Government intervention in medicine is wrecking American health care. Nearly half of all spending on health care in America is already government spending. Yet President Obama’s “reforms” will only expand that intervention. Prior to the government’s entrance into medicine, health care was regarded as a product to be traded voluntarily on a free market–no different... »

A Full Credit Lockdown by David John Marotta In my first job teaching computer science, someone stole my wallet off my desk during my office hours. Although I canceled all my credit cards, the thief used them around town, buying everything from clothes to tobacco. In those days cards were run manually on paper, and... »

The last thing we need in the midst of our current recession is what happened last Friday: the third increase in the minimum wage in only two years. Contemporary labor markets throughout the country are not a pretty picture. Last month’s national unemployment rate was 9.5 percent. In the most directly affected markets—those for younger... »

S. Fred Singer, a climate physicist, and Dennis T. Avery, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, have written the definitive book about global warming. They carefully explain the complexities and facts so the average person can understand. It is true the earth goes through warming phases, but they are cyclical and not manmade.... »

(The author is the force behind www.menandmarriage.com) My, my, this is a troubling matter. On one hand you have a distinguished Harvard educator, Dr. Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. and, on the other, Sgt. James Crowley, a Cambridge, Mass. cop. By now the incident surrounding these two is well known. A white... »

Today we are confronted with a wave of negative wind pushing against the capitalism that has brought America its unprecedented success, as it absorbs the blame for the economic meltdown. »

    Health Report:         Coronary Artery CT Scans & Cancer Risk   “A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers…” By, Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS   The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author.  Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication changes,... »

Zanu was launched in a small home in Highfield, a high density township on the outskirts of Harare. The small group of activists and intellectuals that took that fateful step that day could hardly have imagined the journey that lay ahead of them. In the next half century they were to be imprisoned and... »

The civil case against a Florida hospital draws to a close this week. A relative of an illegal alien sued Martin Memorial Medical Center when it repatriated the man after treating him for nearly three years at an un-reimbursed cost of $1.5 million. The relative/legal guardian wants an unspecified six-figure judgment for alleged... »

I have concocted a theory that does wonders to explain American politics: We are ruled by history’s most boring people. This is a seminal political idea, up there with Plato’s invention of Stalinism in The Republic. I refer of course to those thunderously bland people, the white middle-class Protestants, or Hagvacas (House and garden variety... »