Posted October 16, 2025in Morain
As I write this column on Sunday, October 12, the United States government is still shut down. Federal employee are not getting paid. No, wait, that’s not quite true. MOST federal employees are not getting paid. Who’s still receiving a paycheck? That would be President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance,
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Posted October 09, 2025in Morain
Kathy and I returned last Friday from three days in the Black Hills, communing with two of my graduate school former housemates and their spouses. It’s a reunion that takes place somewhere in the U.S. on an irregular basis, always enjoyable and nostalgic. Both housemates are professors emeriti, one from
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Posted September 25, 2025in Morain
Last March, six months ago, Congress averted an impending federal government shutdown by reaching a bipartisan compromise, which extended the government funding deadline by six months, to the end of September. Time passes, and we’re approaching the new deadline. By now a functional Congress would have performed its due diligence
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Posted September 18, 2025in Morain
A CALL FOR RADICAL MODERATION Another political leader killed, and another frustrating challenge on what to say, what to do. Charlie Kirk’s death resurfaces similar tragedies from our American past, both venerable and recent, some wounding, some fatal. It’s not a time for what-ifs, for justification slanders, certainly not for
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Posted September 11, 2025in Morain
Why does Congress even bother to debate an annual budget? Every year members of the federal legislative body spend innumerable hours in committees and on the House and Senate floor debating discretionary appropriations decisions. Intense negotiations sometimes produce some or all of the 12 regular mandatory appropriations bills that designate
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Posted September 04, 2025in Morain
College football is here once again, and fans are geared up to cheer on their treasured favorite(s). What stokes such ferocious lifetime loyalty to a bunch of guys playing a game for a few weeks every fall, and does it say anything meaningful about us? In our family—nuclear, offspring, offspring
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Posted August 28, 2025in Morain
The No Kings Act should be the law of the land A year ago this month, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, introduced the No Kings Act with 36 co-sponsors. With the Senate under Republican control, the bill did not receive a vote and therefore died.
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Posted August 21, 2025in Morain
American pundits are prone to designate their immediate time period, whenever it happens to be, as a “turning point.” When the political situation balances on a knife’s edge, as it does these days, every event becomes another one of those in media reports. But this month may actually be a
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Posted August 14, 2025in Morain
The Democratic presidential nomination appears to be wide open today. No shortage of obvious hopefuls, with another batch who are probably mulling it over. More will pop their heads up in the weeks and months to come. Here’s one who deserves serious consideration: George Clooney. I’m not joking, and this
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Posted August 07, 2025in Morain
Do elected leaders grow to covet great power once in office, or do they assume power already coveting it? And what about those who resist the siren song of power, and instead choose to serve their constituents? Most Americans familiar with politics are also familiar with British Lord Acton’s famous
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