Autiello: Will True Christianity Please Stand Up?
Nick Autiello, Contributor
The notion that homosexuality is a sin and un-Christian is one that is less than a hundred years old. It is wrong, and has no basis in scriptural or historical reality.
SASSO: The Coming New Year
James Sasso, Associate Editor
As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.
SASSO: Kicking the Can
James Sasso, Associate Editor
For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.
CIOCCI: A Foolish Consistency
Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
AKMAN: Jon Huntsman’s Meaningless Campaign
Josh Akman, Columnist
Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.
SASSO: The 99% Rising
James Sasso
Associate Editor
For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.
PANDYA: The Hypocrisy of Warren Buffett
Om Pandya, Columnist
If multi-billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffett was really interested in taxing the rich, he should promote a tax on unrealized gains, which would tax accumulated capital rather than just the value of the stock at sale — instead of coming out in support of higher capital gains or income taxes. After all, despite his net worth, he actually has a very low annual salary.
PANDYA: Earmarking Our Way to Prosperity?
Om Pandya, Columnist
Focusing on the low-hanging fruit of earmarks ignores 99.9 percent of the problem. Politically it makes sense, but it is safe to say that a ban on earmarks will not reduce the deficit by even a penny.
PANDYA: Lessons from the Tea Party
Om Pandya, Columnist
The Tea Party is actually an effective movement — able to put members of the movement into office and has, at least temporarily, changed the direction of political talk. And however extreme and radical it may be portrayed, this still does not change the fact that except for a single incident in Kentucky, almost every single Tea Party has gone off successfully without even as much as a littering citation.
PANDYA: The Next Superpower?
Om Pandya, Columnist
Superpower is not really a word to be thrown around lightly. With 65 percent of the world’s currency reserves in U.S. dollars, an armed forces without rival, 17 of the top 20 universities located in our borders and astounding technological innovation, it is safe to say that the United States falls into that category. And it is safe to say that China will remain a great power, not a superpower, for the majority of our lives.
PANDYA: Breaking the Taboo on Religion
Om Pandya, Columnist
Juan Williams, Angela Merkel and Geert Wilders are not figures on the fringe making insensitive outbursts. We should be able to have an adult conversation on religion without fearing reprisals and shame. Unlike race, gender and even sexual orientation, religion is a choice. Like every choice that people make, it can and should be open to discussion.
PANDYA: Kagan on the Court, What Will Change?
Om Pandya, Columnist
Monday marked Elena Kagan’s first day on the Supreme Court. Despite never being a judge, her role as solicitor general and as a clerk more than prepared her for what she is to face. Her presence definitely will have a huge impact on the Court, so much so that Democrats are calling her the “intellectual counterweight” to Justices Roberts and Scalia. But because she was never a judge, her judicial philosophy is unknown and possibly incomplete. So where will Kagan pull the court?
PANDYA: Global Warnings of a Still-Weak Economy
Om Pandya, Columnist
Officially, the recession is over. But just while the United States is pulling itself out of the recent economic abyss by its fingernails, facing uncertain reports about the housing and job markets, recent news around the world forecasts that we all still have a ways to go before full recovery. A potential trade war with China and instability in the EU will affect the way we do business and potentially could lead us into the feared double dip recession.
PANDYA: One Man, No Vote
Om Pandya, Columnist
On Tuesday, citizens of New York had their work cut out for them when they went to the polls. The myriad of problems that faced them not only prevented many from voting in the first place, but also left some who cast their votes wondering if they would count.
PANDYA: Help the Poor, Buy from a Sweatshop
Om Pandya, Columnist
As much as anti-sweatshop fervor has swept the politically interested crowd, much of the well-intentioned anger actually is harmful to the very workers we are trying to help. Just as the sanctions on South Africa during apartheid ended up hurting poorer black workers, our self-imposed sanction on products of sweatshop labor is putting at risk the livelihood of the poorest of the poor.
PANDYA: Immigration Reform the Wrong Way
Om Pandya, Columnist
Illegal immigration is a problem, Om Pandya says, but the current immigration reform legislation takes reckless steps towards finding a solution. He reminds us that the Republican first created the 14th Amendment, and he urges the Right not to regress and reverse one of its party’s greatest achievements.
PANDYA: Republicans Blowing the Perfect Opportunity
Om Pandya, Columnist Ideology: Libertarian Conservative | Writing from: Florida As I pointed out in my last column, vicious Republican primary battles are hurting our chances to capitalize on the [...]
PANDYA: A Bitter Summer for Republicans
Om Pandya, Columnist
With this being a prime year for Republican hopefuls, many races have been overcrowded with strong challengers that attack each other more than they attack their opponents across the aisle. A look into the heated Florida election season shows the grimy face of politics.
PANDYA: Facing Economic Apocalypse, What Will the Dems Do?
Most people ignore the superstitious hype over the mythical 2012, the year that Nostradamus, the Aztecs, the Chinese and the other ancient wisemen predicted the world would come to an end. But for Om Pandya, another date rings with that dire message: January 1st, 2011.
PANDYA: Reactionary Politics and Financial Reform
Om Pandya, Columnist
On Wednesday, President Obama signed new financial reforms into law. But its punitive measures – designed to punish financial institutions – will ultimately hurt the consumer the most. And unfortunately, instead of being a responsible piece of legislation that could prevent the next crisis, it’s yet another example of the reactionary politics we have come to expect from the Obama administration.
PANDYA: Vindication of the Do-Nothing President
Om Pandya, Columnist
Despite the difficulty in contrasting different time periods and judging factors of Presidential ranking, such as integrity, the consensus was generally unsurprising. The top spot, of course, went to the hero of the left – Franklin D Roosevelt, and the Rushmore presidents rounded out the top five. The bottom five consisted of Pierce, Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, George W. Bush, and Harding. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Barack Obama, despite failures of epic proportions, came in at the 15th spot, three spots above Ronald Reagan.