President Obama’s Legacy

Toward the end of their terms, every President turns to thoughts of their ‘legacy’. Naturally, as one enters the end of the term of office, thoughts turn to how they will be remembered and what parts of their time in office will live on after them.   Now that it is roughly a month after President Obama left office, it’s only fitting that we look back at his legacy.

If asked, I would imagine that former President Obama would list Obamacare, and likely the impetus for increased regulation of the banking industry including the Dodd-Frank law as his major domestic policy achievements. In the international arena, he has spoken of his pride with the Paris Climate Agreement, signed by over 120 nations.

So what will be President Obama’s legacy? Regardless of what you think of his Presidency and his policies, the short answer is “probably not much”. Continue reading “President Obama’s Legacy”

Regulations, Big Business and the Poor

Government regulation is a topic of frequent debate between liberals and conservatives. Conservatives say regulations often come at too high of a price, while liberals say that they are vital to protect us and our fellow citizens and that conservatives don’t care. So let’s break down a couple of recent examples. Continue reading “Regulations, Big Business and the Poor”

Socialism and the Poor in Venezuela

Hugo Chavez took power in Venezuela in 1999, on promises to do more to help the country’s poor.  He brought a growing snowball of socialist economic policies with him that have continued since then.  Venezuela has long been a member of OPEC, the world’s oil cartel, and has among the largest oil reserves in the hemisphere.  In 2001, Venezuela was the largest economy in South America.  Soon after taking office Chavez began nationalizing companies, including the nation’s oil companies, and began using the money from oil production to pay for subsidies for consumer goods that have grown over time, for everything from food to diapers. Continue reading “Socialism and the Poor in Venezuela”

On Cabinet and SCOTUS Nominations…

With the election of a new President, we have the nomination for new members of the Cabinet. And with a current vacancy on the Supreme Court, President Trump has also nominated someone to fill the spot created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. All of these require the approval of the Senate.

The Cabinet nominations have been opposed fiercely by Democrats in the Senate, and they promise to do so when the nomination for the next justice of the Supreme Court is considered. With just two exceptions, a majority of Senate Democrats have voted against every nominee.   And the process is taking longer than it ever has, in part because Democratic opposition has been so fierce that, in a couple of cases, every Democratic Senator has simply got up and walked out of the hearings. As recently as earlier, the vote on the nominee to lead the Dept. of Health and Human Services went past 2 AM because of the long debate. Continue reading “On Cabinet and SCOTUS Nominations…”

Sen. Marco Rubio on How We Talk Politics

In the current political environment, where we seem to have…well, lost our collective minds or at least our ability to be civil, Sen. Marco Rubio gave a speech on the floor of the Senate that is worth taking the eight or so minutes to listen to in its entirety. Continue reading “Sen. Marco Rubio on How We Talk Politics”

What Do Maxine Waters and Corrine Brown Have In Common?

As a former resident of Jacksonville, FL we routinely got entertainment from former Congressperson Corrine Brown, who represented parts of the city for years. Brown was known for her barely literate pronouncements on various topics, which often showed either her total lack of knowledge on her subject or were said in such a way as to make normal people laugh out loud and English teachers cringe. (Even now, I chuckle at myself because of the temptation to post YouTube links to Corrine’s ‘greatest hits’ but I am so far resisting the urge).

Upon facing several federal indictments, Brown lost in her re-election bid last fall.   However, there is hope for our ongoing amusement in the person of Maxine Waters, who represents a district in CA. Waters has also provided a number of….um, interesting quotes over the years and, though it is still early, appears to be ramping up for this Congressional term. Continue reading “What Do Maxine Waters and Corrine Brown Have In Common?”

Trump on Putin (again)

During an interview Sunday during Fox’s Super Bowl pre-game lead in, President Trump was asked about relations with Russia and Vladimir Putin. When asked he said that he respected Russian President Putin. When pressed on that, and the interviewer saying that Putin and killed lots of his own people, Trump said “There are a lot of killers” and equated Putin’s killing of political opponents to the US and the war in Iraq. Continue reading “Trump on Putin (again)”

Where Free Speech Went to Die

And the week brings another story of the distressing state of public higher education….unfortunately, another in an increasingly frequent series of stories where US universities are the site of authoritarian violence. Continue reading “Where Free Speech Went to Die”