Archive By Section - Columnists
Keep the sun shining in
Our own increasingly secretive Kansas Legislature continues to ponder bills that would curtail the release of what is now considered public information.
Rand Paul: GOP’s National Salvation or Doom?
A national political star is born. Kentucky's' Republican Senator Rand Paul became the political Justin Beiber of libertarians everywhere and a role model for GOPers who want to grab media attention by staging a dramatic "talking filibuster." And, suddenly, Republicans who had steadfastly resisted the idea of bringing back talking filibusters were falling all over themselves to get involved and praise it.
Give us a sign
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? The Sistine Chapel emitted black smoke after the first day of papal balloting in Rome indicating no pope yet. The signal is primitive in order to preserve secrecy. CNN hired a ninety-six-year old Apache to read the smoke for hints of which way the votes are leaning. Cambridge scientists devised an algorithm that read sixty thousand Facebook posts and identified each user's race, drug use, sexual proclivities ...
The Many Woes of Telecommuting
Last week, Best Buy joined Yahoo to ban employees from telecommuting - a subject on which I am becoming an expert.
Ted Cruz: Pro-Stimulus Republican?
When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to the Conservative Political Action Conference next week in Washington, it won't be a keynote, it'll be a coronation. Sick of sellouts, movement conservatives have fallen hard for Cruz. The Red State blog dubbed him a "national hero" and a "great patriot" for his first two months in the Senate. Retired Sen. Jim DeMint vouched for Cruz as the real deal:
The Bright Sides of Extreme Maturity
Some fancy-dancy public-policy think-tank just released a brand-new study that speculates the legion of aging baby boomers will permanently redefine retirement. Mainly because so few of us will be able to afford to retire. "Uh, lady, you want lids on these?" Fast-food break rooms equipped with CPR paddles. A forest of tennis ball-footed walkers leaning against the brooms and mops by the back door. Intra-generational minimum wage squabbles: "Hey you punks, get your greasy hot ...
Medicare Needs More Competition, Not Less
Senate Democrats are finally beginning the process of writing a budget after four years of dereliction. They will almost certainly include some changes to Medicare, the largest driver of federal spending and debt. But unfortunately, there are indications that they intend to focus on the small piece of Medicare (10.6 percent in 2012) that is actually working well: the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.
Taking Time to Celebrate Women
International Women's Day is March 6 and is celebrated all through the weekend by many around the world. In the U.S., the day complements a month-long recognition of women through Women's History Month.
Candy Capitulation: Say It Ain’t So!
According to ABC News, you should probably get ready for a take-no-prisoners "This is your brain on nougat" campaign.
Say, is that your natural hair color?
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? Dennis Rodman went on North Korean TV Sunday to urge closer ties between North Korea and the United States. The State Department is simply furious. President Obama may have to visit North Korea just to prove to them that all black men don't have pink hair. The TSA spent $50 million on new uniforms on Monday before the sequester budget cuts could stop them. It's exasperating. The ...
Home Free
As one who frequently works from home, I believe Yahoo's Marissa Mayer has seriously erred in removing that option for her staff. I've kept a diary of my productivity, and I'm forwarding this rundown of a typical day to Ms. Mayer, urging her to reconsider.
Sequestration Shows Failure of America’s Political Class
An old vaudeville joke went like this: "Do I look like an idiot? Do I look like a jerk who doesn't know what's going on? Do you think I'm dumb? Don't answer that!"
My Mother and Father School the Senate
"All right," said my mother, standing before the members of the U.S. Senate, "it's time for you to get your act together."
At least the ballots wouldn’t change much
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? GOP former governor Jeb Bush hinted in an NBC interview Sunday he might run for president in three years. Both parties are tired of holding elections. The Democrats want Obama to be the president forever and the Republicans want a hereditary monarchy. Queen Elizabeth rested in a London hospital after getting gastroenteritis Sunday. What a fearless leader. During World War II, Queen Elizabeth drove an ambulance in ...
FAQ: Electing a New Pope
Q. Can you please explain what the heck is going on in Rome? A. Well, Pope Benedict XVI retired, and now Catholic cardinals from around the world are congregating to elect a new pope. Q. When was the last time a pope retired? A. Thursday. Q. No, before that. A. July 4, 1415. Gregory XII stepped down to head off on a hot weekend with his brother-in-law's sister's seamstress' pool boy in Sardinia. Q. Seriously? ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Man Bags for the Modern Male
Exclusive Excerpt from: "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" by Tom Purcell
Watch the High Stakes Political and Media Credibility Game
Forget the political "blame game." The biggest game in town now is the credibility game -- a high-stakes exercise that will end with America's political middle deciding who is trustworthy and who isn't. Some key players:
Can I take a deduction for that?
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody?
Learning From the Rise and Fall of Michelle Rhee
At some point, we need to stop believing in miracles, at least in education. While we're still getting over the RICO indictments handed down in the Atlanta cheating scandal comes the revelation that the success Michelle Rhee achieved as the "no excuses" superintendent of Washington, D.C.'s public schools was the product of massive cheating. Those asking why Rhee isn't under indictment just like her former colleague in Atlanta are missing the bigger question: If she's ...
Benghazi Smoke Screen
Up until about an hour ago, most Americans thought Benghazi was the guy who palled around with John Cassavetes back in the '60s, but now it's obvious we're talking about the foreign policy arm of a multi-ramped tar pit the president has found himself swimming -- up to his armpits. Yes, friends, it's pity time at the White House.
Scandal Advice from the Master
Bill Clinton, wearing a white toga and a crown of gold, sat in a garden while attractive women fed him grapes. President Obama, having just suffered the most devastating week of his presidency, sat nearby, seeking advice in the art of telling whoppers. Using the Socratic method of teaching, Clinton began to tutor his new student.
Our zoo is famous and other local news
Tying up a few loose ends on stories that didn't make the front page:
IRS Scandal another Reason Why We Need the Fair Tax
"It will create a bureaucracy with the efficiency of the Post Office, the frugality of the Pentagon and the compassion of the IRS."– Mantra of those who opposed HillaryCare in the 1990s.
The Government Can’t Be Trusted With Our Health
"We have a large government," political consultant David Axelrod offered as a plea of ignorance to all of the scandals swirling around his boss. "Part of being president is there's so much beneath you that you can't know because the government is so vast." And yet, thanks to Axelrod and Obama, we now stand on the precipice of the largest expansion of government power in almost half a century: Obamacare, officially known as the Patient ...
Speech to the Best Graduating Class Ever
Students, faculty, family members and friends, it is my great honor to deliver your commencement speech today.
Gang of Eight: Never Have So Few Told So Many Lies
For three more weeks, the Senate Judiciary Committee will debate the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, S. 744. During the 45 years I've studied Washington politics, including 25 years of editorializing on the dreary subject, I can say without hesitation that no more anti-American legislation has ever been introduced.
The Second Term Curse Crashes Down on Barack Obama
You might say that May 10, 2013 was when the "second term curse" officially struck President Barack Obama -- and that May 13 was when it flattened him. Obama's administration has been hit with a triple whammy blast from a massive political stun gun.
It’s Harvest Time in Washington
Not even Barack Obama can defy the laws of physics.
The Batty Battalion
You do realize that Washington, D.C. is not the real world, don't you? It's a state of mind. An altered state of mind. Where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Slammed when you stand and rammed when you run. Berated if you lie and lambasted for the truth. Where even the slightest of breeze can carry the pollen of disaster. And the pack on top knows the best way to avoid ...
