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.
SASSO: The Political Court
James Sasso, Associate Editor
It is troubling that some of the justices seem to have already declared their support for certain cases that are to come before the court. Justice Breyer sidestepped a question about whether or not Justices Thomas or Alito make up their minds for those cases that are obvious fights between differing ideologies, even before they read or hear one argument in the case. Justice Thomas, with his disdain for asking questions during testimony and his wife’s involvement with the Tea Party (not to mention his personal friendship with a major benefactor of the Tea Party), raises many questions about the integrity of certain members of the bench. Do the justices actually address the issues at hand or merely couch their ideologies within veiled explanations of constitutionality?
LIFSON: Republicans Make the Center a Moving Target
Matthew Lifson, Columnist
If Democrats want moderate bills, they must make liberal arguments and then move to the center only though debate and negotiations. Otherwise, Republicans will just continue to choose new, more conservative positions and move the center with them.
BILBO: The Impermanence of Health Care Reform
Only a strong public option can ensure the permanence of President Obama’s reforms
Carpenter: Stop Playing Games with Our Health
The public option is dead and the debate continues. The reality remains that Americans still need health care reform and it’s time to deliver it.
SIEFF: YOUNG AMERICA NEEDS HEALTH REFORM
There is an urgent need to pass health insurance reform this year in order to bring stability and improved care to all Americans, including young adults.
PANDYA: Reform Obama’s Reforms
The problem with healthcare regulation is the regulation itself. Staff Writer Om Pandya provides free-market healthcare solutions.
Floyd: Healthcare as a Public Good
Public goods are best provided and administered by the Government – as healthcare becomes a public good, will our system change?
MEYER: Put the “Dream” to Rest with the Senator
Cynthia Meyer, Staff Writer Ideology: Conservative Republican | Writing From: Austin, Texas Senator Ted Kennedy’s death has given us a chance to truly judge the character of our lawmakers and [...]
WALK: Unwanted Emails, Unwanted Reform
Michele Walk discusses the tactics of the Obama Administration in the wake of the healthcare debate.
FLOYD: The Myth of Bipartisanship
Malcolm-Wiley Floyd, Staff Writer Ideology: Moderate Democrat | Writing From: New York City “I am in this race because I don’t want to see us spend the next year re-fighting [...]
BILBO: A Deficit in Courage
Those who wish to make positive progressive change must sometimes ignore the demands of the public, and instead do what they think is right.
ROGERS: The Dems Blew It
The minute “Yes, We Can” became “Maybe, We’ll See” the Democratic Party should have expected nothing less than plunging poll numbers, a fractured party and negative media coverage.
PERNELL: Dems, Stand By Your Man!
Mallory Pernell, Staff Writer Ideology: Liberal | Writing from: Texas A hot topic in the news recently has been Obama’s dwindling approval rating numbers. When Obama first was elected and [...]
CARPENTER: More Options for the Public
President Obama’s health care plan might be far from perfect, but that doesn’t excuse conservatives in Congress for their lack of civil bipartisanship on healthcare reform.