“There is a crack in everything God has made,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. Does God take credit for making government? Certainly government has its share of cracks.When something falls through governmental cracks, officialdom must not plaster over the problem. When bureaucracies screw up, innocent bystanders should not have to pay the penalty.There will be a […]

Once upon a time the U.S. Supreme Court deferred to Congress to balance the powers of federal and state governments. Then along came Chief Justice William Reinquist who has leaned on the 10th Amendment to steadily steer the court toward states’ rights.The sitting Supreme Court holds states’ powers in high esteem, bowing deeply to constitutional […]

The news of his death came and went, little noticed in the rush of other things. It’s not surprising, given all that’s going on in the world.But it seems to me that he deserves a little more.You know him, even if you think you don’t. Charles Atkinson, born in rural Pratt City, Ala. Worked as […]

The politicians make running government sound complex.Day after day, they lecture us about the impenetrable budget and the rough time they have trying to “fix” Social Security, or reckoning a way to “pay for” tax cuts and the “war against terrorism.”Like the brightly accoutered priests of a savage tribe, the political prestidigitators would have the […]

Greenspan certainly supports the president’s tax policy, but only to a limit.Sen. John McCain once joked that he would vote to keep Alan Greenspan on the job even if the Fed chairman were dead.That’s how revered and beloved Greenspan is.McCain isn’t alone. Former Vice President Al Gore considers himself to be Greenspan’s biggest fan.The chairman […]

I would like to share some information on the subject of gambling (games of chance).Every day of the week, plus two on a certain day, are scheduled bingo games. Almost every school event has someone selling 50/50 chances. Some social events are flooded with 50/50 tickets.Some churches fall into the gambling dilemma as well. Many […]

Congress rushed passage of the USA Patriot Act in the weeks after Sept. 11 intending to squeeze terrorists out of the underworld and onto the surface for identification.The U.S. government was granted greater powers to search and detain people. Credit card habits and Web browsing can now be monitored. Lists of books we check out […]

Why is everyone in such a big hurry to get hurt, to hurt others – or worse? National Work Zone Awareness Week has come and gone without the motoring public being much aware of it. As a driver I continually observe a general recklessness of many of my fellow motorists in these zones. Therefore, I […]

Dear Mohammed Saeed Sahhaf:You’re dead. Yeah, right. Tell me another one.Two Iranian newspapers are reporting that you’ve committed suicide, but I don’t buy it. I’ll bet these words find you on the balcony of some chalet in the south of France, sipping something tall and cool while cursing the infidels.You may not know it, Mohammed […]

Congress is preparing to tackle tort reform. Sounds like a real yawner, but it isn’t.The argument for tort reform – capping the amount of civil damages a plaintiff could collect in a medical malpractice claim – is that aggressive personal injury attorneys and sympathetic juries are fueling excessive judgments, driving up the cost of medical […]