-
Chuck Hagel, Alec Baldwin, and John Allen and the Wages of Gossip
Tweet Share on Facebook February 20, 2013 CommentThere was a time when being called a gossip was something of an insult, an indication that a person was not to be trusted with private information and would turn even the most insignificant matter into something scandalous. Both General John Allen and actor Alec Baldwin have become victims recently (though deserving of far different levels of sympathy). And Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel has suffered the most—and over a manufactured rumor that started on the flimsiest of premises.
-
High Skilled Immigrants Are the Real ‘Job Creators’
Tweet Share on Facebook February 19, 2013 CommentThe partisan battles over immigration reform and tax policy raise a fundamental question: who are the real "job creators?"
-
Don't Focus on Oscar Pistorius But on Domestic Violence and Guns
Tweet Share on Facebook February 15, 2013 CommentAny story or commentary about the murder accusation against the inspirational Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius must begin with the presumption that he is innocent. Police arrived at Pistorius's home to find the disabled runner's girlfriend in a pool of blood, dead from bullet wounds. It doesn't look good, from the initial facts, but then, we don't yet know all the facts.
-
Sandy Hook, the Green Ribbon, and NRA Bullying
Tweet Share on Facebook February 14, 2013 CommentIf a viewer wanted to tell who was a Democrat and who was a Republican at the State of the Union address, there was no need to match faces to facebooks or even to see where they sat in the House chamber. All that was necessary was to look for the green ribbon.
-
Ted Nugent Shouldn't Have Been Invited to the State of the Union
Tweet Share on Facebook February 13, 2013 CommentIn the first lady's box at the State of the Union address Tuesday evening, there was a guy who had come up with a way to diagnose pancreatic cancer much, much faster, an important scientific development in halting a particularly deadly form of cancer.
-
I Feel Bad Being Mad at Rihanna and Chris Brown—But I’m Still Mad
Tweet Share on Facebook February 12, 2013 CommentMy frustration with the talented singer Rihanna breaks every rule about women and celebrities and personal privacy I preach with some frequency. But I'm still mad at her.
-
Give Congress Credit for Tackling the Alternative Minimum Tax
Tweet Share on Facebook February 11, 2013 CommentCongress has been a pretty easy target recently, accused—rightly—of failing to get its basic work done, kicking the tax and budget can down the road, and waiting until the last minute to prevent a fiscally devastating fiscal cliff. But lawmakers deserve some credit for finally fixing a longtime problem in the tax code: the Alternative Minimum Tax.
-
Bush E-mail Hack Shows Why the U.S. Postal Service Is Vital
Tweet Share on Facebook February 8, 2013 CommentPerhaps there are those who aren't too troubled by the U.S. Postal Service's announcement that it plans to stop Saturday deliveries beginning in August. Snail mail, as it is so sneeringly called, is so 20th century, a relic from a time when we didn't have the technology to conduct electronic communications. That smug judgment has always been flawed, but became more glaringly so with the disclosure that the E-mail accounts of both former Presidents Bush had been hacked. It doesn't appear to be a national security threat, but certainly, a deep personal violation has been committed. And we are all vulnerable to it.
-
Stop Talking About How Fat Chris Christie Is
Tweet Share on Facebook February 7, 2013 CommentChris Christie is fat, and he knows it. So why do people think they need to tell him?
-
The Latest Lunacy: Virginia Considering Its Own Currency
Tweet Share on Facebook February 6, 2013 CommentIf at first you can't secede, you can at least create your own currency.
In the latest lunacy among states which are losing faith in the union—or at least, the leadership of the union—Virginia is considering having its own metallic currency. The Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill calling for a study (which would cost Virginia taxpayers more than $17,000) to assess the value of a state-issued coin. Several other states are considering similar plans. The idea is that Americans can't trust the Fed to operate monetary policy, and that the vaunted U.S. dollar might one day become worthless.
