Unbelievably, a few weeks ago I passed the 10th anniversary of my graduation from Hillsdale College with a bachelors degree. But the spirit of school pride lives on, and my heart smiled when today I read William McGurn's Wall Street Journal column "How Hillsdale Beats Harvard". After explaining how Hillsdale's principled stand of not accepting any federal funds fits right in with the school's warm welcome of military recruiters on campus, McGurn concludes:If Harvard believes that our Armed Forces are inconsistent with its values, surely the honest thing to do is to stand on principle and accept the funding consequences. The folks at Hillsdale would be glad to show the way. Back in the good old college days, there was a running quip … [Read more...]
Memorial Day Reflections: Audie Murphy & A Moment for Silent Reflection
On this Memorial Day, I can't think to do any better than point you back to last year's remembrance:O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine, Till all success be nobleness, And every gain divine. Today, pay your respects to a fallen soldier, sailor, airman, Marine - and to their loved ones still with us. And don’t forget to thank the troops you meet for their service to us all. Happy Memorial Day! Otherwise, I defer to this Saturday Wall Street Journal column by Peggy Noonan (H/T Steve Meyer) on the need to renew American fascination with the military hero. … [Read more...]
Public-Sector Unions vs. Taxpayers: Timely Lesson for Governor Bill Ritter
Quick post, but an important read for a Friday: As clearly and as effectively as I've seen done, Steven Malanga's Wall Street Journal column explains the negative impact of public-sector union strength on the well-being of taxpayers. (H/T Labor Pains) Read it. Maybe it will help clarify the reasons why Governor Bill Ritter ought to veto Senate Bill 180. … [Read more...]
Joe The Plumber at ATF?
A clear sign that I'm not talking enough to people around the office (or someone is just keeping secrets from me) ... I learn that the Independence Institute is courting a famous speaker for our summertime Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms Party by reading a Bill Husted column in the Denver Post:Institute boss Jon Caldara says he's this close to closing the deal to have Plumber (a.k.a. Samuel Wurzelbacher) as the speaker. [Joe the] Plumber would join a distinguished roster of former speakers, which includes Christopher Hitchens and Fred Barnes. Westword named the party the "Best Place to See a Drunk Conservative." One problem. Joe the Plumber announced last week that he was quitting the Republican Party because he is outraged by GOP … [Read more...]
Senator Jim DeMint Sets Up a Great Framework for Rebuilding the GOP
If there is anyone currently in the U.S. Senate of whom I would consider myself a fan, Jim DeMint of South Carolina would be on that short list. I understood where he was coming from but found it a little disconcerting when he said: "I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don't have a set of beliefs." What a great relief then to see Senator DeMint's excellent column in yesterday's Wall Street Journal -- what I consider an opportunity to revise and extend his remark. His rhetoric is blunt, and his analysis is clear: … [Read more...]
RMA Blog Talk Radio Solo Hosting Stint: Helpful and Humorous Links
Last night I was honored to host Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio by myself. I was blessed to have three great conversations - including an update on the Fort Collins city council elections with Randy Ketner, a discussion on a range of fiscal issues with prospective state treasurer candidate J.J. Ament, and 12 minutes with my wife and Independence Institute colleague, the lovely Mrs. Virtus, to talk about parental rights and homeschooling freedoms. A rank amateur flying solo by the seat of my pants, I filled in the rest of the time with a monologue referencing several stories. Here are the links for anyone who is interested: Vince Carroll's excellent "Blowing the lid off TABOR" column in yesterday's Denver Post -- which Ament … [Read more...]
RMA Blog Talk Radio Tonight at 8:30: Filmmaker Evan-Coyne Maloney, Nadeem Esmail on Health Care
Gloomy about the Obama administration's intervention halting economic recovery and pushing the markets down so we can party like it's 1997? Then I have just the cure. Tune in starting at 8:30 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the 15th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio, with two very interesting guests. First is Evan Coyne-Maloney, creator of the film Indoctrinate U, which exposes and challenges political correctness run amok on our nation's college campuses. His on-air discuss with the RMA crew comes two days before the movie's showing at Liberty on Film Thursday evening in Denver's LoDo. With proposals to further socialize health care looming at the State Capitol, the second guest is the Fraser Institute's … [Read more...]
“Consider Yourself” Ready to Refute Inflated Colorado Child Poverty Claim
Oftentimes big, misleading headlines can circumnavigate the globe many times over before the much more nuanced truth gets a chance to catch up. Well, here's a terrific case in point that figures to pop up in Colorado policy debates. Last June the Colorado Children's Campaign released its annual Kids Count report. Latching on to that report, newspapers from the Denver Post to the New York Times climbed on board the claim that Colorado leads the nation with a 73 percent rise in child poverty from 2000 to 2006. In case you were confused, and wondered why you weren't seeing scenes like this one in and around our great state, the Independence Institute's Linda Gorman cleared up the picture a bit for you in last Friday's Denver Daily … [Read more...]
Bon Voyage: Kathleen Parker Set Adrift from All Conservative Moorings?
I have had to defend my critical assessment of a Kathleen Parker post-election column sloppily aimed with disdain at social conservatives. Within that debate, even I have been inclined to see what she wrote as part of an internal squabble within the larger conservative Republican movement. But if Parker's most recent writing is any indication, it would seem she has no real conservative moorings on fiscal issues, either. You simply have to read it all, as no excerpt sufficiently captures the overtones wrapped insider her ambivalent - and sometimes confused - rhetoric. I agree with Michael: Many messengers of the conservative movement are stuck on old themes, when a newly-crafted message is what's needed. However, as Kathleen Parker … [Read more...]
What I’m Thankful for #19: Baseball and the Legendary Ernie Harwell
This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. America's pastime. Come November, the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd seem distant memories. But hope springs eternal in the heart of the baseball fan. For the 19th and penultimate edition of this thankfulness series, I want to express my gratitude for a game - yes, but not just any game. And … [Read more...]