Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Ellmers Comes Unglued
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) told reporters last year that she wasn’t “beholden” to pro-life groups. But [Tuesday] night, she found out she was beholden to someone else: voters. The North Carolina politician stunned everyone in 2015 when the self-styled “pro-lifer” pulled the rug out from under a bill she supported in 2013 just hours before it was set to pass the House.
I’m Just a Prisoner of the Weather
I am going to appear in an upcoming documentary by an independent film group on the phenomena that is Bill Nye. Like it or not, the guy has a huge following because almost every school child that is now grown up had Bill Nye movies in science class.
America: History’s Exception
The history of nations is mostly characterized by ethnic and racial uniformity, not diversity. Most national boundaries reflected linguistic, religious and ethnic homogeneity. Until the late 20th century, diversity was considered a liability, not a strength. Countries and societies that were ethnically homogeneous, such as ancient Germanic tribes or modern Japan, felt that they were inherently more stable and secure than the alternative, whether late imperial Rome or contemporary America.
Is Personal Responsibility Obsolete?: Part II
Too many social problems are conceived of in terms of what “we” can do for “them.” After decades of massive expansions of the welfare state, the answer seems to range from “not very much” to “making matters worse.” Undaunted, people in a number of countries are coming up with new proposals that are variations on the theme of government-provided income — which amounts to relieving people from personal responsibility.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
How the GOP’s Compromise Led to Donald Trump
Imagine a doctor who compromises the proven cure for an illness. Or a financial advisor who compromises a sure investment. Or a pilot who compromises the correct course heading. Or a Mt. Everest climber who compromises the proper amount of oxygen needed to scale the summit. Or a political party that compromises the very principles and values that built a great nation.
The Nanny State and Payday Loans
President Reagan famously observed that, “the nine most dangerous words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” This is a warning worth keeping in mind when logging onto the website of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and immediately encountering in large letters, “We’re on your side.” CFPB was established as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, passed in 2010 in response to the financial crisis of 2007-08. According to the agency’s website, CFPB makes sure “banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat you fairly.”
Hillary Meets the Press Servants
The most obvious sign of liberal media favoritism is that liberal candidates can avoid press conferences for months at a time, and the media don’t complain. After the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was attacked in 2012, the media hammered Mitt Romney at a press conference for daring to criticize President Obama, and then supinely allowed Obama to avoid a press conference. He merely made a statement in the White House Rose Garden to express his sympathies, and then jetted off to a fundraiser in Las Vegas.
2006 vs. 2016
No one will remember 2006 as one of our nation’s greatest years. But how are we doing now compared to then? By many measures, not nearly so well. The economy grew faster in 2006 than it has in any year since. That year, real gross domestic product increased by a modest 2.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That was down from the 3.8 percent growth of 2004 and the 3.3 percent growth of 2005. But real GDP has not grown by more than 2.5 percent in any year since 2006.
NYC Doubles Down on Arrest Rooms
There’s enough crime in New York City without the mayor adding potential for more! Unfortunately for locals, Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the most reliable shills for President Obama’s social engineering, is too busy waving rainbow flags to see the *red* flags associated with his agenda. Just when you thought liberals couldn’t be more out of touch with America, Mayor de Blasio managed to shock everyone with the news that the Big Apple isn’t just changing its bathroom policy — it’s encouraging people to use it!
A Civil Rights Hero? Muhammad Ali Was Anything But
Long before he died, Muhammad Ali had been extolled by many as the greatest boxer in history. Some called him the greatest athlete of the 20th century. Still others, like George W. Bush when he bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, endorsed Ali’s description of himself as “the greatest of all time.” Ali’s death Friday night sent the paeans and panegyrics to even more exalted heights. Fox Sports went so far as to proclaim Muhammad Ali nothing less than “the greatest athlete the world will ever see.”
Government Shouldn’t Impose Transgender Ideology on Nation
You know gender-identity issues are getting lots of attention when it prompts one gay-rights activist to start a campaign called “Drop the T.” Its goal: to kick *transgender* out of the standard LGBT acronym for being “ultimately regressive and actually hostile to the goals of women and gay men.”
Firefighters Bid Farewell to a Nation’s Best Friend
Firefighters and first responders in Harris County, Texas, bid farewell to one of their own the other day. “It was an incredibly sad day for us,” public information officer David Padovan told me. “Any time we lose one of our members it cuts to the core. And Bretagne was a full-fledged member of our fire department.” Bretagne was a longtime member of Texas Task Force One — an urban search-and-rescue team. She and her partner Denise Corliss responded to some of the nation’s most horrific disasters — from Hurricane Katrina to the tornadoes that ravaged Moore, Okla. She was also there in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Measuring Life by the Spoonful
“How is your daughter doing?” is one of the most complicated questions I’ve had to answer. As Veronica marks her 16th birthday this month, we are sharing an update in hopes of de-stigmatizing and demystifying life with chronic pain, fatigue and other undiagnosed chronic illnesses.
Elitist Arrogance, Part II
A basic economic premise holds that when the price of something rises, people seek to economize on its use. They seek substitutes for that which has risen in price. Recent years have seen proposals for an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Some states and localities, such as Seattle, have already legislated a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
‘Herstory’
That’s the headline on one media site trumpeting the historic news that Hillary Clinton has secured the support of enough delegates to capture the Democrat Party’s presidential nomination. The Sanders campaign is crying foul over reports of Clinton’s coronation, seeing an establishment media plot to sabotage the voting in six states today. Yes, that’s right — voters are heading to the polls in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota. So why are so many headlines this morning declaring Hillary Clinton the winner?
The Left’s Mobocracy
For years, the left has been desperate to paint conservatives as the real danger to civil society. Back in 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called conservatives a threat to safety. In a report, it stated that those who oppose abortion and illegal immigration represent a serious domestic terror threat. After presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reprehensibly justified violence against protesters, the media was awash with fears that conservatives would suddenly lose their minds and begin brandishing pitchforks in search of unlucky transgender individuals.
Ryan’s Endorsement of Trump a Bitter Pill to Swallow
Paul Ryan is a disappointment. That’s more difficult for me to write than it should be. My approach to politicians has generally been similar to that of lab researchers to their test animals: Do not get too attached. For scientists, it’s a lot easier to stick a guinea pig with a needle if you know it as “test subject 43A” than if you know it as “Mr. Fluffy.” For the columnist, it’s easier to twist the knife if you don’t feel personally invested.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s Church Problem
The 2016 presidential race, like all presidential races, has raised questions and controversies regarding the religious faiths of the candidates. Donald Trump’s beliefs have been questioned, as were Ted Cruz’s. And trying to pin down Bernie Sanders’ views on God is very difficult. But that said, recent developments just occurred with the United Methodist Church that should focus the spotlight on Hillary Clinton’s religious thinking. They constitute two crucial moves that stand in direct opposition to Clinton’s longtime militancy for “abortion rights” and her growing radicalism for the “LGBTQ” political agenda, including her recent full-fledged support of same-sex marriage after years of insisting that marriage is between one man and woman in accordance with tradition and Scripture.
A Safe Space From Chaucer
Yale English majors are demanding a safe space from Chaucer. In a petition to the English department, Yale undergraduates declare that a required two-semester seminar on Major English Poets is a danger to their well-being. Never mind that the offending poets, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Donne, Milton, Wordsworth, et al., are the foundational writers in the English language. It’s as if chemistry students objected to learning the periodic table or math students rose up against the teaching of differential calculus.
Hillary and the ‘What if’ Scenarios
Some believe that soon after Tuesday’s final presidential primaries the FBI will interview Hillary Clinton about her handling of emails while she was secretary of state. What comes next is the subject of much speculation. One of the better speculators is Bradley Blakeman, who served as a member of President George W. Bush’s White House staff. We spoke in the “green room” at Fox News before our separate interviews. The following is culled from our conversation.