Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Protestors Have Jumped the Shark
“Jump the shark” is an American pop-culture expression that derives from a 1977 “Happy Days” sitcom episode and describes a moment of decline. At a certain point, a TV show becomes so predictable, empty of ideas and gimmicky that in desperation its writers will try anything — like the character “The Fonz” jumping over a shark on water skis — just to keep on the air.
The Misadventures of Fannie and Freddie
Gigantic government’s complexity and opacity provide innumerable opportunities for opportunists to act unconstrained by clear law or effective supervision. Today’s example, involving the government’s expropriation of hundreds of billions of dollars, features three sets of unsympathetic actors — a grasping federal government, a few hedge funds nimble at exploiting the co-mingling of government and the private sector, and two anomalous institutions that should never have existed.
Facing Up to Bigotry
If I were to confess my prejudice of Greek barbers, what would be said of me? Well, it would depend on where I said it. If I were in Athens and said that I prefer Greek barbers, my preference would be perfectly understandable. I might even become an instant celebrity. Times have been tough in Athens. If I were in Rome and expressed my preference for Greek barbers, I would be dismissed as an ignoramus and offered an Italian barber. If I were in Paris, well, most Parisians my age don’t have much hair left, and therefore have little need for a barber. Many wear toupees, although I am told the cue-ball look is gaining acceptance.
Socialism’s False Promise
Given its track record, one wonders why socialism is gaining in popularity in the U.S. and what appeal it has to a generation that, apparently, knows little about it. A recent survey from Harvard University has found that 51 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 do not support capitalism. Just 42 percent support the economic system that has allowed even the poorest American to live better and to have more opportunity for advancement than most of the rest of the world. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed support socialism.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Trump Wins, Cruz Withdraws, America Loses
While the nation’s Trumpsters celebrated Tuesday night, I’m reminded of another celebratory night in November 2008 and again in November 2012. The cause for jubilation those two nights was another politician’s victory — the occasion of Barack Obama’s two elections to POTUS.
An Autopsy of a Movement
With Ted Cruz having dropped out of the 2016 presidential race, there will be a string of eulogies seeking to autopsy his campaign. At least some of those critiques may hit the mark. In particular, Cruz’s campaign strategy went awry in three ways.
Missouri State Booted Student From Counseling Program Over Christian Beliefs
Should Christians who oppose same-sex marriage based on religious beliefs be allowed to obtain degrees in counseling? That’s the question at the heart of a lawsuit filed in federal court by a former student at Missouri State University who claims he was kicked out of a master’s program in counseling because of his religious beliefs.
Tale of Two Tribes: ‘Climate Refugees’ vs. EPA Victims
The left has concocted a lucrative category of politically correct victims: “climate refugees.” It’s the new Green racket. U.S. taxpayers will now be forking over untold billions to ease the pain allegedly inflicted on “carbon’s casualties” by industrial activity. By contrast, those who have suffered as a direct result of government incompetence by federal environmental bureaucrats continue to get the shaft.
Zawahiri’s Strategy 11 Years Later
The White House this week marked the fifth anniversary of the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden by posting a piece by National Counterterrorism Center Director Nick Rasmussen on the White House website. It was Rasmussen’s recollection of being in the White House Situation Room when U.S. forces took bin Laden down. “Five years ago, I watched in the Situation Room along with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and members of the president’s national security team to see if U.S. Special Operations Forces could deliver the justice that every American had been waiting for for a decade,” Rasmussen wrote.
Stock and Awe: Shoppers Dump Shares in Target Blitz
After more than 1.1 million people pledged to boycott Target, celebrities and corporations alike are having second thoughts about crossing Americans on such a consensus issue. The decision by the retail giant is not only sparking massive backlash, but it’s helping the country get a real picture of the controversy in North Carolina. It’s also shown liberals that without the big media’s cover, twisting the facts of the law, they’re all by themselves. There’s even more evidence of that this week, as more singers are keeping their concert dates in North Carolina than canceling them. Even more telling, not one business has threatened to leave the state after seeing what happened to the retail giant — which has taken a $2.5 billion hit since letting grown men in women’s restrooms and dressing rooms. After executives announced the change, shares dropped 6 percent in just 10 days.
Trump’s Press Clips Better Than Clinton’s?
Politico Magazine published its third annual “Media Issue,” complete with polls of reporters who are perhaps the most resistant to being polled, fearing how they might reveal which viewpoint is ideologically dominant in the press. So, who will these reporters vote for in November? Reporters surveyed were very, very coy. Politico surveyed 82 members of the campaign press corps, and only 12 of them (less than 15 percent) admitted they would vote for Hillary Clinton. Sanders, Trump, Cruz and Kasich drew one reporter apiece.
Hillary, Donald and the Gender Wars
The greatest failures of the past generation concern men, women and sex — and there could not be two more awful representatives of what has gone wrong than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton delights in presenting herself as a feminist icon — but she is weighed down by the weaknesses of feminism and can boast few of the strengths. The weakness is her itchy trigger finger on accusations of sexism. She’s playing in the biggest of big leagues yet reaches for the sexism charge with dull predictability.
Doing Less With More
Pop quiz: What is the primary purpose of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, otherwise known as ICE? If you said, “Enforcing the nation’s immigration laws and deporting those who shouldn’t be here,” congratulations! Move to the head of the class. If you go to the agency’s website and click on the “What We Do” tab, about midway down on the page, you will read, “Immigration enforcement is the largest single area of responsibility for ICE.” (The dentistry picture is somewhat confusing, but I digress. . .)
Common Sense
Republican presidential aspirant John Kasich stirred up angry words from women’s organizations and the Democratic Party by his response to a question from a female college student at a town hall meeting in Watertown, New York, regarding sexual assault. Kasich said all the right things about prosecuting offenders, but what got the Ohio governor in trouble with leftists was the end of his response: “I’d also give you one bit of advice: Don’t go to parties where there’s a lot of alcohol, OK? Don’t do that.” Let’s examine that advice. To do so, let’s ask some general questions about common sense.
Denationalizing Our Politics Would Help Draw Us Together
Nationalism and socialism are in full gallop in America today while conservatives are without a horse. Donald Trump almost never uses the language of traditional American conservatism, with its emphasis on classically liberal notions of limited government, constitutionalism, individualism and free trade. He prefers to talk about “strength” and “winning” while vowing to restore the “greatness” of yesteryear through his indomitable will.
Money Down a Hole
The Republican and Democratic presidential nominees have been chosen. Ignore the deluded supporters of Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz. It’s over. The odds at ElectionBettingOdds.com make it clear: It will be Donald vs. Hillary. A closer contest would be: Who will bankrupt America first, Trump or Clinton? Trump’s a contender because he promises a trade war. That’s what gave us the Great Depression. Trump claims that China is “raping” America. No, Donald, rape is *force*. Your proposed tariffs are also force. Trade is *voluntary* and good. Big difference.
Not So Fast, Mr. Trump
The exchange between Senator Ted Cruz and Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” last Sunday was possibly the most powerful and revealing of this whole presidential campaign. Cruz asked the crucial and telling question: “Why was there no Republican debate in Indiana?” Todd had no response other than defend his bosses at NBC. After the long slog of this campaign, after 12 debates, we arrived to a critical and potentially decisive moment in Indiana, with perhaps the highest stakes yet. And where is the media? Out to lunch.
The Left’s Thought-Fascism Hits ESPN
For baseball fans, the performance of Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling in the 2004 American League Championships ranks among the most memorable gutsy plotlines of all time. The Red Sox, fighting a World Series winless streak dating back to 1918, were down three games to none to their archrival, the New York Yankees. The Sox then won two straight games. In the crucial Game Six, Schilling was slated to start, despite a torn tendon sheath in his right ankle that required medical staff to literally suture his tendon to deeper tissue. He proceeded to throw seven innings, giving up just one run, and giving us the immoral image of blood seeping through his sock as he dragged his team to victory.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
How to Turn Puerto Rico Into Hong Kong
On May 1, the government of Puerto Rico defaulted on some $400 million of bond repayments. This default has added urgency to a bill in Congress to rescue the island from its financial crisis, which is getting worse by the day. Puerto Rico faces more than $70 billion of debt, and the government is already in technical default on many of its bonds. Billions more come due in the weeks ahead, and the government is reportedly out of funds to repay.
A Real Bet for the Tough Guy in a Bow Tie
BREAKING NEWS: Bill Nye issued a bet more than six years after my initial challenge to him in 2010 (which he would have lost) and four months into 2016 after reviewing the impact of El Niño on global temperatures. News flash, Bill: Midway through last year I said 2016 global temperatures would rise thanks to El Niño. I can forecast this because I don’t believe CO2 is a major player in determining global temperatures. I believe the sun, ocean cycles and stochastic events play a much more significant role.