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Inside the politics of the shutdown, Obamacare, crime and deportations

Columns

One more time: There is no such thing as free lunch. Government has no money. It acquires the money used to pay for things one of three ways: Taxing, borrowing or printing. Democrat senators, with three exceptions, voted against keeping the federal government fully running because they want to add back spending reduced under the so-called Big Beautiful Bill; they want to spend even more; and they want to extend the expiring Obamacare subsidies. At a 2020 Democratic presidential candidates’ debate, the moderator said, “Raise your hand if your government (health care) plan would ...

When did the other party become biggest enemy?

Columns

Just after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a New York Times/Siena poll found that Americans believe polarization is the second most serious challenge facing the nation. (The economy came in first.) As recently as one year ago, fewer than 1% of registered voters cited polarization as a national problem; this year, 13% said it was the most important problem facing the nation. Additionally, strong majorities agree that “America’s political system ... is too politically divided to solve its problems.” Not only do Americans believe we’re bitterly polarized; they worry that ...

Decency makes its way to ballot in Virginia

Columns

In 2017, in a special Senate election in Alabama to replace Jeff Sessions, Alabama’s electorate sent Democrat Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate after a series of disturbing allegations about Republican candidate Roy Moore. In 2022, Georgia voters elected every statewide Republican candidate for office except Herschel Walker, after a series of disturbing accounts of his prior behavior circulated. Now, the question is if Virginia has the same moral integrity. In Virginia, statewide elections are in odd-numbered years. The state has not split tickets for statewide offices since 2005. ...

Driving safe at any age

Editorials

Every once in a while, politicians will float the question of whether drivers should have to retake their tests as a requirement for license renewal after a certain age. With age comes the possibility of reduced vision, perhaps hearing loss, reduced reflexes and other changes we all laugh about as a fact of life until someone mentions them in the context of affecting a person’s ability to drive safely. Then pride kicks in. Well, pride and a little stubbornness as most of us bristle at the idea of the government telling us it’s possible we are less able to do something we’ve done ...

Religion and education

Editorials

First, state lawmakers wanted to make sure teachers understood what they were NOT allowed to teach; now they are introducing the bits they do want teachers to include, despite repeated insistence they are not serving their own personal agendas by doing so. Ohio educators at all levels have responded with such fear to what is being called the “anti-DEI law,” that institutions such as Ohio State University are reportedly even banning some statements that acknowledge lands historically occupied by Native Americans. The university is asking its educators not to present FACTS to its ...

Passion is fine for relationships, NOT governing

Columns

This week a group from our church took a day trip to the Greenbrier Resort to see fall colors. We planned months ago to leave Charleston at 8:30 AM on Amtrak riding to White Sulphur Springs arriving at noon and have lunch. Each person or couple could choose whatever they wanted to do like: Visit shops. Walk around the grounds. Do the Bunker Tour or relax and read. We planned to catch Amtrak back leaving White Sulphur Springs at 5:05PM, returning to Charleston by 8:30 PM. Many in our group had not ridden a train for years and were looking forward to the train ride. At midnight on ...