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.
STROSTER: General Motors and What it all Means
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
General Motors’ recent accomplishments have sent a message to this country: don’t count us out. While I believed the Obama Administration was the right group to help rescue GM, I didn’t expect to see such a quick turn around.
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.
RUSHFORD: No Taxes for Old (Wealthy) Men
Stephanie Rushford, Columnist
The deficit is a real concern for many fiscal conservatives of all political parties, but many Republicans, like Senator Kyl, are not making the tough choices to eradicate the national debt. If Congress wants to truly balance the budget, then they must forget about November and start making painful cuts to spending.
THERRIAULT: Mortgage-Backed Securities Under Attack
Patrick Therriault, Independent
Congress’ proposed financial reform, including new regulations regarding mortgage-backed securities (MBS) may hamper real estate investment for foreseeable future.
PANDYA: Were the Euroskeptics Right?
Om Pandya, Conservative
Looking back at the debate and presently at the crisis facing the EU, it seems as if those who pushed for the independence of British currency have every right to gloat.
Phillips: Taxing the Rich – Oregon Measures 66 and 67
Tomorrow, January 26th, Oregonians will vote on two progressive ballot measures to increase state taxes on the wealthier sector of the population. The money will go directly into schools, public safety and other critical public services. The heated debate leading up to the vote ties into very traditional liberal vs conservative taxation policy ideas. Should taxes ever be raised in the middle of a recession? Is it smart to target the wealthy? What will the effect of their passage be on business? What will their failure mean for schools?
BARON: The High Cost of Republican Federalism
Noah Baron, Religious Progressive
What price is the conservative wing of the Republican Party willing to pay for blind adherence to traditional dogma? The answer: any price, just so long as they can get re-elected.
MARIN: Stimulus Bashing – The GOP’s Best Weapon in 2010
by Paul Marin, Liberal Republican
In the context of double-digit unemployment that is unlikely to significantly decrease by election day 2010, stimulus bashing, if wielded properly, can become a potent political tool for the GOP.
FULHAM: Notes on an Uncertain Decade
by Peter Fulham, Democrat
The past decade was not the worst of the century; the era following the Great Depression surely takes that prize. But it is perhaps safe to say that never before as a nation have we been so unsure of our future, so unable to find a silver lining in our own history, as we are now.
WALK: Breaking the Addiction
America needs to break its addiction to government economic “stimulus.”
Pandya: The Federal Reserve’s Folly
Why access to “easy money” is not a cure-all for any financial crisis.
SIEG: The Big, The Small and The Efficient
A look into the British political arena and the proposed policies of the Tories. Does small government necessarily mean efficiency?
EDWARDS: How to Invest in the Current Economic Climate
With everyone greedily investing in the US and China, the most stable and sure returns will come from Europe.
SIEFF: WWI and the Socio-Politics of 2009
The two wars ans the current recession facing the United States may stand to change American culture.
Edwards: Here Comes the Wall Street Tax
Team Obama and the AFL-CIO have their sights set on Wall Street trades – but more taxes on Wall Street could spell disaster for average Americans.