Category: culture
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An Affordable Health Care System
On Sunday, July 5, Paul Krugamn laid out his argument that affordable health care for everyone was an achievable goal.[quote] Many people would be surprised to learn that I agree with him on that. He correctly argues that we already cover the bulk of the most expensive health care patients by covering the elderly under…
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Independence Day Observations
I attended the Freedom Festival parade in Provo with my family on Saturday and I found it very interesting to watch. I was proud to notice that there seemed to be more people who actually knew what to do whent he flag passed by. Unlike some years there was no hesitation in the crowd as…
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Lincoln’s House Divided Speech
I had never before read Lincoln’s House Divided Speech. Considering that it came in the very early days of the Republican party it could have been applied to or derived from the split between the Republicans and the Whigs and not simply the nation as a whole. Here is the heart of what most people…
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News on the Honduran Coup
When I first heard about the military coup in Honduras I noticed some reference to the extra-constitutional activities of the ousted president and the attempts by their legislative and judicial branches to check his actions. Soon however I noticed a shift in the news coverage as a party line began to develop. First Hugo Chavez…
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The Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key witnessed a battle in 1814 during the War of 1812 as a captive on a British naval ship. He was so inspired by what he witnessed that he wrote the Star Spangled Banner which was eventually be adopted as our national anthem. Today the song is often sung as an artistic piece…
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Change Done Right
With the news yesterday that New Hampshire passed a law to allow gay marriage I sincerely hope that the proponents of gay marriage may begin to see the right way to bring the change they seek – especially when put in context next to Vermont’s legalization of gay marriage, Maine’s legalization, the setback in the…
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Use the Proper Tool
I have written before about our national propensity to use government when it is not the proper tool for the job. Scott summed my point up very succinctly in a recent post: There is a proper tool for every job. Use of the wrong tool often produces substandard results. Sometimes it is necessary to make…
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Constitutional Amendment III
Amendment III is very straightforward and needs no explanation: No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. It does remind me however that we are very fortunate as a nation to…
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Our Broken Debate
The big question in the debate over torture right now is “who knew what and when did they know it?” That question is being used by Republicans right now to implicate Speaker Nancy Pelosi as having done nothing with what she knew and thus being complicit in any torture committed under the previous administration. The…
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Political Action vs Reaction
It’s tax day and I doubt anybody who reads this has not heard in advance about the many "Tea Party" events that have been planned around the country for today. Ive been hearing about them from various sources for months and I have been conflicted in my feelings related to such activities. From a constitutional…