Always Right

Herman Cain and "sneak-a-taxes"

Herman Cain looks at what he calls "sneak-a-taxes" over at Townhall.com. Sneak-a-taxes include the AMT, withholding taxes, and the double tax on dividends, just to name a few. Check it out here...

A good article about a good man

In yesterday's Washington Post, there was a story about Congressman Mike Pence (IN-R), the new head of the Republican Study Committee. Pence is a strong, outspoken Christian and has become a leader in the House of Representatives. I had a chance to meet him a couple of summers ago when I was working on the Hill. He's a very neat guy. If you'd like, you can access the article here.

"Between Travesty and Tragedy"

You might have noticed that I've remained silent both here and over at Southern Appeal on the issue of Terry Schiavo. There are many reasons for this, the main one being that I am simply very conflicted about the whole thing. However, Charles Krauthammer's column in today's Washington Post really gets it right. Krauthammer says:

For Congress and the president to then step in and try to override that by shifting the venue to a federal court was a legal travesty, a flagrant violation of federalism and the separation of powers. The federal judge who refused to reverse the Florida court was certainly true to the law. But the law, while scrupulous, has been merciless, and its conclusion very troubling morally. We ended up having to choose between a legal travesty on the one hand and human tragedy on the other.

A legal travesty and a human tragedy. Sadly, he's is right...

Wolfowitz and the World Bank

President Bush's selection of Paul Wolfowitz as the next president of the World Bank is an absolutely wonderful choice. By all accounts Wolfowitz is extremely intelligent, hard-working, and above all committed to spreading democracy around the globe. His time in Indonesia as US Ambassador, I think, uniquely prepares him for the role of head of the global anti-poverty institution.

For a good biographical sketch of Wolfowitz I recommend James Mann's Rise of the Vulcans. Also, today's NYT compares Wolfowitz's time at DoD with former World Bank president and Sec. of Defense Robert S. McNamara. For more on the World Bank itself I recommend Sebastian Mallaby's The World's Banker. 

Pritzker Architecture Prize awarded to American

American architect Thom Mayne has been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. You can check out his firm Morphosis's website here. As the Boston Globe article notes, past winners have included Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei, Frank Gehry, and Rem Koolhaas. Speaking of Koolhaas, The New Yorker did a feature on the Dutch architect in its March 14, 2005 issue - very interesting guy. He's most famous for the new Seattle Public Library (you can check his firm's site out here).

Central principles?

The NYT editorial board lambasts Justice Scalia's recent "charm offensive" and reminds its readers that with his "radical views" he would be a disastrous choice to succeed Rehnquist as Chief Justice. One would be hard pressed to find a more striking contrast between red and blue state views on the role of the judiciary in our system of government than the following quote from today's op/ed:

The implications of Justice Scalia's remarks are sweeping. Many of the most central principles of American constitutional law - from the right to a court-appointed lawyer to the right to buy contraception - have emerged from the court's evolving sense of the meaning of constitutional clauses. Justice Scalia seems to be suggesting that many, or perhaps all, of these rights should exist only at the whim of legislatures.

The "right to buy contraception" is a central principle of American constitutional law? Ditto, "the right to a court-appointed lawyer?" Where does that leave the Constitution's principles of separation of powers, the right to bear arms, freedom of religion, free speech, etc.? I'm looking at my handy-dandy pocket Constitution and am unable to locate the right to buy contraception anywhere in its text. Perhaps I have an old edition? I think it says a great deal about the state of "constitutional law" when its central principles cannot be found in the document itself. Yet, this is how the blue-staters want it - "nine lawyers presuming to be the authoritative conscience of the nation." Even better if the nine lawyers would cede this power to the NYT op/ed page, right?

Also posted @ Southern Appeal...

Another call for a guest worker program...

The National Center for Policy Analysis links to a Dallas Morning News article citing the immediate need for a workable guest worker program...

A thaw in relations between India-Pakistan?

Looks like it might happen. A tension-free Indian-Pakistani border certainly makes South Asia much safer - for them, and for us...

BTW, I've read and reviewed Stephen P. Cohen's India: An Emerging Power and am now working on his The Idea of Pakistan. Excellent books both.

Newt Gingrich's latest book

Yesterday, I referenced Newt Gingrich's new book, Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract With America, as it related to immigration reform. I also made reference to the book in a post on Southern Appeal about the Speaker's plan to "incentivize young people to go into professions other than the law." I concur with Gingrich's immigration plan which is essentially:

1. Control the border - His border control plan is, in essence, President Bush's guest worker program. He wants to "make it harder to sneak in" while also making it "easier for guest workers to enter the country legally and to work here as long as they obey the law." This is eminently sensible.

2. Turn immigrants into citizens by assimilating them - I think I covered this aspect sufficiently yesterday...

3. Get rid of dual citizenship - The Speaker correctly asserts that the "rise of dual citizenship in which people no longer have to renounce allegiance to any other government in order to become Americans" is "one of the most insidious assaults on American exceptionalism." Gingrich cites as an example of dual citizenship run amuck the Hackensack, NJ city councilor who ran for Colombian Senate in 1997. The city councilor "planned to hold both offices simultaneously."

4. Require immigrants to learn English - Last, but not least - poll after poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly believe that immigrants should learn English. This is crucial to effective assimilation. As long as pockets of immigrants continue to come to America and refuse to learn our language we will continue to have a bifurcated society where non-English speaking citizens are relegated to a lower class.

As to the Speaker's plan to keep students from attending law school... it sounds strange to me. That said, I will admit that there are plenty of people in law school that make me wonder about my chosen profession.

The book is essentially Newt's campaign platform in 2008. Why do I say this? Check the three and a half pages of acknowledgments - the man thanks everyone under the sun. He wasn't Speaker of the House for no reason, mind you. He's a sharp, sharp man. Gingrich, naturally, focuses on health savings plans and balancing the federal budget - issues he knows exceedingly well. Anyone that has paid any attention to politics over the years knows his position on these issues, but he does a very good job of succinctly making his argument for those that have been hiding under a rock for the past ten years.

It is a good book; one that a good Republican should at least take a look at seeing as how Gingrich is so influential in the party and will be looking to the White House in '08.

You can also check out the Speaker's website (with more info on the book) here...

Great book...

I strongly encourage you to read Lengthened Shadows: America and Its Institutions in the Twenty-first Century. The book is a collection of essay edited by Roger Kimball and Hilton Kramer. Essayists include: Judge Bork (on the state of the law), Mark Steyn (on education), Jay Nordlinger (on music), Michael Lewis (on architecture), David Hart (on religion), Kramer (on modernism), and Kimball (on the dangers of multiculturalism). I tried to read an essay every night before bed - it was a good approach - gave me something to think about before bed.

A very enjoyable book...