Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
This Way to the Tower of Babel
What ever happened to all those books attacking God, or at least the idea of God? They were quite fashionable not long ago. The bookstores were full of atheists on a roll -- Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris.... They were all here a minute ago. Where'd they go? They seem to have disappeared, or at least abated. Isn't it time for some money-making, best-selling sequels?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Unlike Obama, Americans Reject European Model
An interesting paradox. Last year, America elected a president who, in attitudes and policies, is closer to the elites of Western Europe than any of his predecessors. Yet in the nine months that he has been in office, ordinary Americans have been moving away from those attitudes and policies and have increasingly embraced positions that over the years have made Americans distinctive from those in other advanced Western democracies. Barack Obama's European tendencies aren't not in doubt. His policies on government spending, taxation, health care and carbon emissions would all tend to bring America in line with European norms, to a far greater degree than any other president of the last 40 years and probably any president ever.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Stimulating Incumbency
As Harvard's president, Larry Summers, economist and former Treasury secretary, was a lion in a den of Daniels. The faculty Daniels, their tender feelings hurt by his occasional testiness, cowered together and declared him a meanie. Facing a faculty vote of no confidence, he resigned.
Bipartisan Facade Can't Hide Health Plan's Flaws
If the Democrats' health care package is so great, why are President Obama and Dem congressional leaders so hungry to share the credit for its passage with a Republican? It's not as if D.C. Dems are opposed to hogging the glory when a federal program is popular. So why did Obama feel the need to announce after the Senate Finance Committee passed a health care measure with the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, that the measure "enjoys the support of people from both parties" -- when this one bill enjoyed the support of one lone-wolf Republican?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Tax the Wealthy Even More? That's Rich
Your parents probably told you that you can't get something for nothing. But your government is sending a very different message. For now, at least. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center recently released a report finding that almost half (47 percent) of American households will pay no income taxes this year. Many, in fact, will actually come out ahead in their dealings with the government, because they qualify for refundable tax breaks such as the earned income tax credit. This probably explains a Gallup poll from April which found that 48 percent of Americans said the amount they pay in federal income taxes is "about right." Even the polling company was surprised by its findings. "Since 1956, there has been only one other time when a higher percentage of Americans said their taxes were about right -- in 2003, when 50 percent did so after two rounds of tax cuts under the Bush administration," Gallup wrote. But the finding makes sense. If you're paying nothing, that probably does seem like a good deal. Even if it isn't either fair or sustainable.
MTV's Exotic Marathon
The programming gurus at MTV are basing their profit-making strategy on the viewer demographic of 12 to 34 -- as if there’s no difference in maturity level between 12 and 34. MTV’s brand of sensationalistic "reality TV" was easily demonstrated on the night of Oct. 5, when they aired a primetime marathon (from 7 p.m. Eastern to 1 a.m.) of their hour-long documentary series called "True Life." Just the episode titles were jaw-dropping.
