Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The Dirty Dem Dogs of Disruption
Here come the hyperpartisan hounds. A new nonprofit called American Oversight launched this week to combat President Trump’s “culture of impunity.” The outfit declared itself “nonpartisan” and claims its crusaders will fight for a “transparent and ethical government.” But like Waylon Jennings once crooned, “Baby, that dog won’t hunt.”
The Pelosi Principle
Suppose the federal government confiscated 90 percent of the income of every private sector worker who earned more than the poverty level. Then suppose the government used some of that confiscated money to pay government workers and the rest to provide benefits to people who do not work or earn less than the poverty level. Would that be a transfer of wealth?
Planned Parenthood: Knockin’ on Bevin’s Door
Who would trust their health care to a group that doesn’t know anything about medicine? Try the U.S. government. For years, it’s been funneling billions of dollars to an organization that can’t even answer basic questions on pregnancy: Planned Parenthood.
Hiding the Media’s Disapproval Rating
The latest poll by USA Today and Suffolk University carried some eye-opening numbers about public disapproval of the media’s aggressive attempts to run the country. It found that President Trump has a 47 percent approval rating and that 44 percent disapprove of him.
David Friedman Right Man for U.S. Ambassador to Israel
I recently had the opportunity to meet, in Washington, DC, David Friedman, President Trump’s nominee to be America’s next ambassador to Israel. I was impressed by this brilliant and passionate man, an observant Jew, a fluent Hebrew speaker (he read my necklace that has my name, Star, in Hebrew), who has the values crucial to our important Israeli ally. This is critical to re-establish American leadership in the Middle East.
Ignorant Media
Has the media gotten worse? Or am I just grouchier? Every day I see things that are wrong or that so miss the point I want to scream.
Are We on the Verge of Violence?
Two weeks ago, political scientist Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute went to speak at Middlebury College. There, he was quickly surrounded by protesters chanting: “Racist, sexist, anti-gay. Charles Murray, go away!” On his way out of the venue, a violent throng surrounded him and his security, as well as one of the university professors. She ended up in a neck brace. The same week, supporters of President Trump held a rally in Berkeley, California, and anti-Trump protesters threw smoke bombs and began punching people.
The CBO vs. Reality
Late Monday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its “score,” or report, on the House leadership’s bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. The results were mixed. But the headlines today highlight the report’s determination that the GOP bill would likely result in millions of uninsured individuals.
Liberty Is Not for Wimps
Most Americans, whether liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican, do not show much understanding or respect for the principles of personal liberty. We criticize our political leaders, but we must recognize that their behavior simply reflects the values of people who elected them to office. That means we are all to blame for greater governmental control over our lives and a decline in personal liberty. Let me outline some fundamental principles of liberty.
Given a Choice Between Fear and Apathy, I’ll Take Fear
Dystopia is in the air these days. George Orwell’s “1984” is selling like hotcakes — if hotcakes still sold well in this low-carb world. Is the president to blame?
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Raging Feminist Who Attacked Spicer Needs to Learn Manners
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was in an Apple store over the weekend just minding his business when he was set upon by a raging liberal — a foaming at the mouth feminist.
What the Media Won’t Tell You About Illegal Immigration and Criminal Activity
Normally, the ACLU promotes transparency in government and the ability of the public to access public records. But apparently that changes when transparency might reveal damaging information that hurts their opposition to President Trump’s common-sense, revised executive order temporarily suspending entry from six terrorist safe havens in the Middle East and Africa.
The Worst Argument for TrumpCare
Of all the arguments to make for repealing and replacing Obamacare, the very worst is that people don’t need health insurance.
How to Make America’s Elites More Responsible
Observing Hollywood’s posturing poseurs deliver their goods at the Oscars, as they ooze self-righteousness and narcissism, triggers a pesky thought that no doubt erupts in the minds of normal people. That is, few of those luminaries strutting across the stage are affected by the events or ideas targeted by their ego-driven drivel. Thus, the question arises, what if they were? More than that, what if America’s elites in the entertainment industry, political realm, media complexes, and academic institutions were forced to suffer the consequences of the views they hold, the policies they force on the rest of us? This tantalizing hypothetical is worth a thought experiment or two.
Left-Wing Intolerance
The intolerance of the left was on full display this weekend. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was accosted when he attempted to go shopping at an Apple store. It was another disturbing incident involving the public shaming of Trump officials by left-wing fanatics.
A Pryor Commitment
Imagine the money America would save if liberals understood a little concept called the “separation of powers.” Instead, they clog the courts with cases hoping that judges won’t interpret the law, but rewrite it in a way that elected representatives refuse to! And while some courts are all too willing to comply, others — like the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals — are leaving the legislating to Congress.
Europe’s Lesson Teaches Us: Don’t Go Green
If you listen to the media narrative on climate change and “clean energy,” you’d think that the rest of the world has moved smartly and seamlessly toward 21st century green energy while the U.S. is the high-polluting laggard that just won’t get with the program to save the planet. Think again. The green energy revolution around the world has turned into a big green meltdown, with many nations sprinting away from “renewable” energy with the speed of Usain Bolt.
Some on the Left Now Criticize the Students They Created
In the last few weeks, there has been a spate of columns by writers on the left condemning the left-wing college students who riot, take over university buildings and shout down speakers with whom they differ. These condemnations, coming about 50 years too late, should not be taken seriously.
Lousy Climate Models Yield Lousy ‘Social Cost of Carbon’
One step in climate and energy policy making is establishing the so-called “social cost of carbon” (SCC). That’s a misnomer, of course, for it substitutes “carbon” (an element, a solid, posing a risk of respiratory diseases when it blows around as fine-particle black dust) for “carbon dioxide” (a compound, a gas, odorless, colorless, non-toxic at over twenty times today’s atmospheric concentration but essential to all life, with plants and their fruits increasing as its concentration rises)
America’s Longest War
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to spend $1.4 billion of New York’s resources to solve the persistent problem of poverty in central Brooklyn. If he wins legislative approval, Cuomo, a Democrat, intends to spend the money on affordable housing, job training, anti-violence programs, recreational space, even obesity.