News stories during an election season often focus on the ups and downs of opinion polling. As a decision nears, polls become central to reporting and analysis, and often affect the enthusiasm of the various candidates’ supporters and opponents. In a republic based on democratic principles, opinion polls occupy a meaningful role in discerning public sentiment. It would be a mistake, however, to le... Read more »
The process of advice and consent for a new Supreme Court Justice is currently under way in the United States Senate. While I play no part in this constitutional process as a U.S. Representative, I am impressed by the legal ability of President Trump’s nominee to the seat, Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Senate Democrats, however, have chosen to wage a pre-emptive war on Judge Barrett. They are either tr... Read more »
In presidential election years, we debate the issues our country faces. Increasingly, the way our country chooses the president has become an issue up for debate. The Electoral College was the mechanism decided upon in the Constitution to elect the chief executive. It gives each state a vote for president and vice president equal to its combined number of U.S. senators and representatives (as well... Read more »
Since COVID-19 first developed, we have learned a lot about the virus. Although far from unlocking all its secrets, scientists now know much more about its symptoms and transmission, as well as how to treat it. By contrast, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) does not appear to have learned much over the past few months. That is the unfortunate lesson to be drawn from her decision to put a bi... Read more »
Responses to the coronavirus pandemic introduced a distinction between “essential” and “non-essential” workers. Based on how Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been running the U.S. House of Representatives lately, she seems to think Members of Congress fall in the “non-essential” category. I have written previously about how the proxy voting rules instituted in the House run afoul of the Constitutio... Read more »
Washington, D.C. now has a new presidential memorial. On September 17, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, joined the ranks of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt in having a major site in the nation’s capital dedicated to his memory. While Eisenhower first rose to prominence as a general in World War II, his two terms in office were devoted to ... Read more »
The coronavirus pandemic has consumed the attention of the country, but health care challenges that existed before COVID-19 ever came about remain. Some of them have been aggravated by the pandemic, while others have faded from the spotlight despite not declining in seriousness. Without detracting from the serious threat posed by the coronavirus, I want to report to you action taken by the House E... Read more »
Government surveillance of a person’s communications has been a persistent fear in the modern age. The increased means at our disposal to interact with each other also increase the means for someone to read communications not meant for them. In the book 1984, George Orwell foresaw intrusive personal surveillance as a tool of totalitarians. Fortunately, we do not live in a totalitarian state – at l... Read more »
Seventy-Five Years Since World War II September 2 marks the 75th anniversary of World War II’s end. It was the most terrible war in history. Estimates of the precise toll vary, but the National World War II Museum records 15 million battle deaths, 25 million battle wounded, and 45 million civilian deaths. Active U.S. involvement in the war began on December 7, 1941, with the surprise attack on Pea... Read more »
A famous song of the 1920s went, “California, here I come.” Today, one might sing that line with dread rather than anticipation as rolling blackouts afflict California residents. But the same public policies that have brought disaster to the Golden State are being pushed with vigor elsewhere, including here in Virginia. The immediate cause of the rolling blackouts is simple. California cannot prod... Read more »
