Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Height of Utopianism
A political battle that is shaping up in San Francisco has implications for other communities across the country. The issue that will be on the June ballot is whether voter approval shall be required to change the height restrictions on buildings along the San Francisco waterfront. Like so many other political issues, this one is being debated in runaway rhetoric bearing no resemblance to reality. Former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne, for example, says that "the people" own the waterfront and therefore should be "consulted." Really? Can one of "the people," who supposedly own the waterfront, decide that he wants to sell his share of it and pocket the money? As for being "consulted," how many of "the people" -- who have lives to lead, careers to pursue and families to take care of -- are going to study the economic and other complexities created by height restrictions?
A Lesson on Racial Discrimination
Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers owner, was recorded by his mistress making some crude racist remarks. Since then, Sterling's racist comments have dominated the news, from talk radio to late-night shows. A few politicians have weighed in, with President Barack Obama congratulating the NBA for its sanctions against Sterling. There's little defense for Sterling, save his constitutional right to make racist remarks. But in a sea of self-righteous indignation, I think we're missing the most valuable lesson that we can learn from this affair -- a lesson that's particularly important for black Americans. Though Sterling might be a racist, there's an important "so what?" Does he act in ways commonly attributed to racists? Let's look at his employment policy. This season, Sterling paid his top three players salaries totaling over $46 million. His 20-person roster payroll totaled over $73 million. Here are a couple of questions for you: What race are the players whom racist Sterling paid the highest salaries? What race dominated the 20-man roster?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Getting Missile Defense Right
With Iran on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons and Russia wanting to re-assert itself as a world power through the Ukrainian crisis, a strong military presence in the world is more important for America than ever. A critical way the military does this is by remaining a global leader in ballistic missile technology. The details of ballistic missile defense systems are wonky and technical, especially as the technology improves far beyond those missiles used in the defense systems proposed by conservative hero President Ronald Reagan. But now, as military weaponry becomes more sophisticated at an alarmingly fast rate, and more hostile countries acquire ballistic missile technology, the United States must stay ahead of the curve when it comes to missile defense. But staying ahead of the curve for our defenses does not necessarily mean always supporting the most theoretical advancements, especially as our federal government struggles to rein in record deficits.
ObamaCare's Abysmal Numbers
The truth about the president's "eight million" new enrollees.
How Reagan Broke the Ice at Reykjavik
An insider narrates how the Cold War began to thaw
The People and the Experts
The hollowness at the core of 21st century liberal politics stands out against the backdrop of the big climate change ... would "debate" be the word? Not likely. The air fills with assumptions, generated by the media sources that channel most political assumptions. Among these: The people will believe every word from on high, duly knuckling our foreheads. As President Obama himself put it, referring to a recent National Climate Assessment report: "Earlier this week I issued ... " With characteristic modesty the president corrected himself: "Or we issued a report (showing) that climate change is not some far-off problem in the future. It's happening now ... more severe floods, more violent wildfires." "More and more Americans" know it, including "Republicans outside of Washington." Alas, "inside of Washington we've still got some climate deniers who shout loud, but they're wasting everybody's time on a settled debate. Climate change is a fact."
Why the Left Doesn't Care About Bad Economic News
Most conservatives, and just about all independents, have a huge misperception of the left. They think that the gulf between conservatism and leftism is primarily about means, not goals. This perception is wrong. It is their goals that are irreconcilable. And until conservatives, independents and the Republican Party understand this, it will not be possible to defeat the left. Take economic indicators. Most conservatives talk and act as if bad economic news disturbs the left as much as it disturbs them. It doesn't.
First Redistribute Vatican Wealth
I have great respect for the humility displayed by Pope Francis, but in his latest call for the "legitimate" redistribution of wealth, he has it backward. Instead of taking more money from those who have earned it, he should advocate for creating new wealth. If the money I have earned, saved, invested and spent responsibly to care for myself and my family is confiscated by the state (and goodness knows the state already takes a lot of it), who is going to care for us should I retire or become incapacitated? I can't live on Social Security alone. What will happen to the charities to which I now contribute? Will the government give them an equivalent amount? Where will that money come from?
Raiders of a Lost Ark.
Arkansas may be "the Natural State" -- but not on marriage, if one judge gets his way. Late Friday, the South's most reliably pro-marriage state was rocked by the news that a local judge wadded up the will of 75% of voters and threw it on the progressive trash heap, where liberals hope to bury natural marriage. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza joined the marriage circus with a ridiculous ruling that struck down Arkansas's Amendment 83, officially expanding this country's lawlessness to one of the most socially conservative states in the union. "Although marriage is not expressly identified as a fundamental right in the Constitution, the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized it as such. This is an unconstitutional attempt to narrow the definition of equality. The exclusion of a minority for no rational reason is a dangerous precedent." Like judges in Utah, Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and others, Piazza couldn't resist elevating his own political agenda above the democratic process -- thumbing his nose at local officials in the process.
Leftist Thought Police Emboldened and on a Tear
Before I begin, I want to pose a question to the powers that control our society today: Am I allowed to comment on issues that pertain to homosexuality if I don't echo the views of our masters? Will people who read this column willingly twist what I say to justify condemnation of anyone who disagrees with them? They certainly do it to many other people. Note to those waiting for an excuse to pretend to be offended so they can cram their views down our throats with McCarthyite tactics: Please read precisely what I say and don't draw unwarranted inferences, for there are no hidden meanings here and there is no concealed agenda.
Kangaroo Courts on Campus?
There seems to be a full-court press on to get colleges to "do something" about rape on campus. But there seems to be remarkably little attention paid to two crucial facts: (1) rape is a crime and (2) colleges are not qualified to be law-enforcement institutions. Why are rapists not reported to the police and prosecuted in a court of law? Apparently this is because of some college women who say that they were raped and are dissatisfied with a legal system that does not automatically take their word for it against the word of someone who has been accused and denies the charge.
Democrats and Republicans Talking Past the Voters
It's a cliche to say that Washington, D.C., is "out of touch" with voters, but there's something to it. Arguably, in 2012, the Republican Party seemed focused on a subject -- debt -- that wasn't a high priority for average Americans. Sincere Republicans (including this columnist) believe it should be. Nations that cannot pay their bills eventually fall into decline, hardship and worse when governments resort to inflation to pay off their debts. It's easier to make small adjustments now than to endure wrenching hardships later. But the voters remain to be convinced.
Demographics May Be Destiny – But Not One Political Direction
Demography is destiny, we are often told, and rightly -- up to a point. The American electorate is made up of multiple identifiable segments, defined in various ways, by race and ethnicity, by age cohort, by region and religiosity (or lack thereof), by economic status and interest. Over time, some segments become larger and some smaller. Some prove to be politically crucial, given the political alignments of the time. Others become irrelevant as they lose cohesion and identity. From the results of the 2008 presidential election, many pundits prophesied a bleak future for the Republican Party, and not implausibly.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Misdirection Increasing in Size, Intensity & Coverage
Once upon a time, oh, say 20 years ago, the talk was that the Pacific would be in a constant state of El Nino. Though this was an admission that the antics of the tropical Pacific control a large part of the global temperature, the idea of the El Nino and a forever warming planet was a global warming proponent's dream come true. Because they ignored climate cycles and did not understand what Weatherbell.com meteorologist Joe D'Aleo, who also runs the climate blog "ICECAP," showed plainly -- that in the colder cycles of the Pacific, the La Ninas outdo El Ninos and vice versa -- they assumed this would continue forever. As the earth adjusted to the warmth supplied by this natural cycle, the warmth that was occurring, combined with the change of the Atlantic cycle to warmer, lead to a marked decrease in Arctic sea ice. It reached a crescendo in 2007, the year of the death spiral along with forecasts of no summer ice in 2014. Through it all, our side of the AGW argument said this is a natural phenomena, and once the AMO flipped, the summer sea ice, which is the most obvious talking point for those advocating the Arctic death spiral, would come back. As always, the Southern Hemisphere ice, because it was above normal, was ignored.
U.S. Legal Bubble Can't Pop Soon Enough
Is America's lawyer bubble getting ready to pop? Critics have long bewailed our national glut of lawyers, to little effect. Chief Justice Warren Burger predicted 35 years ago that America was turning into "a society overrun by hordes of lawyers, hungry as locusts." At the time, the population of attorneys in the United States had surpassed 450,000, and law schools were graduating 34,000 new ones each year. By 2011, the annual production of law degrees was up to 44,000, and at 1.22 million, the number of lawyers in the country -- which included me -- had nearly tripled. Over the same period, the population of the United States had risen just 40 percent.
A Good Mandate Is Hard to Find
While the Hill is knee-deep in the President's latest disgraces, conservatives are focused on another White House scandal: the HHS mandate. Benghazi, the IRS, NSA, EPA, and DOJ may hog all the headlines, but the four-year drumbeat against the White House's war on religious liberty goes on. For most Americans, time hasn't dulled the outrage over employers' forced participation in the President's sexual agenda. No amount of sound bites or accounting gimmicks seems to have softened voters' stance on the greatest attack on conscience rights our nation has ever seen.
Tea Party Alive and Well – And Influencing Blacks
What's all the crowing about regarding North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis' victory in the North Carolina Republican Senate primary this week? I'm talking about the crowing that this is some kind of defeat for the Tea Party. Sure, Greg Brannon was the Tea Party candidate and endorsed by Rand Paul. And, yes, the Republican establishment big names -- including, of course, Mr. Establishment, Karl Rove -- came out and backed Tillis with endorsements and lots of money. But let's not get carried away, folks. Tillis is an experienced politician with solid limited government, pro-family, pro-life credentials. And Rand Paul immediately threw his support behind him after the election.
Feverish Little Brains
In the movie "All About Eve," Bette Davis wonders aloud what is going on in the "feverish little brain" of wannabe career usurper Ann Baxter. Last week, I also wondered what goes on in a number of feverish little brains, courtesy of people who exhibit a combination of cluelessness and self-absorption that would be truly disturbing in a better world. Unfortunately in this world, it's business -- or is that brainless -- as usual. We begin with the latest cause du jour, as in the kidnapping of 276 girls by a radical Islamic sect known as the Boko Haram. For many feverish little brains who ought to know better, the Boko Haram's latest atrocity is somewhat surprising.
The Feds Are Not Our Friends
Fortunately, I no longer board a lot of airplanes because if I did, it would really piss me off that after a teenager flew to Hawaii in the wheel well of a jetliner, a spokesperson for the TSA said that nobody can be expected to prevent a kid from hopping over the fence at the San Jose Airport in the middle of the night. I suppose that would hold true even if the kid happened to be a jihadist carrying a bomb in his backpack. Keep that in mind the next time you're doffing your jacket, belt and shoes and being X-rayed, by the same jerks who are only too happy to disarm you of your nail clippers, toothpaste and shampoo, after you've been shuffling along in a serpentine line for an hour or so.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Can ObamaCare Be Fixed?
It's a 2,700 page bill. There are 20,000 pages of regulations. Major provisions seem to change every other week. And despite Nancy Pelosi's promise, four years after it passed most of us still aren't sure about everything that's in it. How can something like that possibly be fixed? It's easier than you might suppose.