I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis – a 1930's socialist frozen in time – and I actually agree on something: that Congress is not the place to solve the nation's juvenile crime problem. For that matter, others can be found all across the political spectrum who share that view – no doubt for different reasons.
The philosophical battle over allowing you to invest your Social Security taxes in a market IRA is far from won. But progress is being made.
In the June issue of Reason magazine, senior editor Nick Gillespie notes the supposedly imminent dangers to our kids that we must guard against – asbestos, lead-based paint, abduction, satanic cults, pornography on the Internet, helmetless bike rides, playground equipment, and Lord knows what else – and wonders, "Do we best prepare our children for responsible, engaged lives by seeking to child-proof the world?"
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) has given some indication of the direction he would like to take on health care reform — and it's a good one.
After a rancorous year-long debate over how to solve the financial crisis facing the Medicare trust fund, it appears that Congress and the president have a compromise that would call for slowing Medicare's rate of growth by somewhere around $115 billion over six years.
Just how tough is the new welfare reform law on foreigners who are legally in the United States?
Freedom and responsibility are two of the fundamental themes underlying the conservative revolution in Washington. It is these two principles that set conservatives apart from our liberal counterparts, as was evident in two recent events.
Anxiety lies heavy in households in April. Taxes to be paid, and graduating high school seniors anxiously awaiting news of acceptance to the college of their dreams. Parents lose sleep over both taxes due and how to pay for college tuition.
Apparently living in its own surreal world, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tightening the clean air standards for both particulate matter (soot and that sort of stuff) and ground level ozone (what we generally call smog). As I mentioned in last week's column, the proposed standards could wreak economic havoc while accomplishing only marginal progress in cleaning up the air – which is already a lot cleaner than it was 30 years ago.
In the February issue of The Atlantic Monthly, billionaire George Soros penned one of the strongest attacks on capitalism I have seen for many years. In the first paragraph he writes: "I now fear that the untrammeled intensification of laissez-faire capitalism and the spread of market values into all areas of life is endangering our open and democratic society. The main enemy of the open society, I believe, is no longer the communist but the capitalist threat."
About 40 million Americans – 9.8 million of them children – don't have health insurance.
Host intro: Bob Dole's proposed 15 percent tax cut is being sold for its economic benefits. But Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis likes it for a very different reason.
Parents of some 13,500 poor children across the country are working extra jobs, postponing paying some bills and even skipping meals to rescue their kids from public schools.
Host intro: commentator Pete du Pont has been reading a book about one of his favorite topics — and probably yours too. It's called The History of Money, by Jack Weatherford.
Host intro: Where have all the conservatives gone? Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis says he only knows of one.
Host intro: A recent issue of The Economist carried a story and an editorial about American venture capitalism. Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis reports both had nice things to say about this feature of the American economic genius.
Host intro: President Clinton wants to spend billions on education. Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis says it's money wasted unless we spend it on the right thing.
Host intro: If you thought socialism was dead, you missed a recent series in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis says the series, "A Nation in Search of Answers," only raises questions about its writers' grasp of economics.
Host intro: Some conservatives want to close the door on legal immigration. Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis believes we should keep it open — with one important qualifier.
Host intro: sometimes people get so caught up in partisan politics they forget to ask simple questions — like, "will it work?" Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis wanted to be sure he wasn't making that mistake.
When will the criminal justice system get its act together? Gallup polls consistently show that the public has about as much confidence in the criminal justice system as it has in Congress – very little.
Host intro: Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis has a plan that will make liberals happy: he wants to make the rich pay more taxes. But before left-wing hearts start to flutter, listen.
Host intro: The united states has spent billions of dollars since the end of World War II on foreign aid. Have we gotten our money's worth? Commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis thinks not.
Host intro: commentator Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis has noticed something about a sense of humor when it comes to politics: liberals don't have one.