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Religion offers needed structure

As I sit through and observe the God-smathered GOP presidential primary, I look longingly at Europe, where people can have intellectual, stimulating discussions about religion, atheism and politics. Europe is a place, unlike the U.S., where they don’t expect a bolt of lightning to strike …

Obama’s Buffett prop only complicates Americans’ tax misery

In his State of the Union address, President Obama used billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek, as a prop to illustrate the unfairness of our tax system. “Right now,” he said as Bosanek sat near first lady Michelle Obama, “Warren Buffett pays a lower …

Illinois’ woes show why we can’t afford public unions

To see the problem with government employee collective bargaining, look at Illinois. What’s happening here is happening to varying degrees in most states. One year ago, Illinois lawmakers raised the state’s corporate tax an astonishing 46 percent and the personal income tax a more astonishing …

Parents sweat college aid offers

If nothing else, give President Barack Obama points for good timing for delivering a speech Friday at the University of Michigan on the topic of making college affordable for American families. Millions of parents and teens around the country are hunched over their laptops this …

Before it’s too late, rein in feds’ right to snoop

‘If you win this case,” Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer told Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben during oral argument in U.S. vs. Jones last fall, “there is nothing to prevent the police or the government from monitoring 24 hours a day the public movement of …

Sins forgiven, not forgotten?

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Nobody does self-righteousness like Newt Gingrich. Nobody. On stage here Thursday night at the 17th Republican debate, Gingrich was asked about the accusations his second wife had just made about him on ABC News and to the Washington Post. Gingrich’s face …

Legislative scholarships abused, must be ended

It’s one of the great perks of membership in the Illinois General Assembly: Doling out annual legislative scholarships that provide students in their districts a free education at a state-sponsored university. In theory, scholarships are for deserving young people who have the brains but not …

As we become more human, let’s treat animals better

Several new books point to the fact that wars are becoming scarcer and we as people are becoming less violent as a result. Joshua Goldstein, professor emeritus of international relations at American University, author of Winning the War on War, told a radio interviewer last …

Pre-abortion ultrasound law saves lives

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave good reason for celebration for the hundreds of thousands who will arrive in Washington for the 39th annual March for Life on Monday. The court last week upheld the constitutionality of a new law in Texas requiring …

In his new album, Bruce takes up Occupiers’ cause

Bruce Springsteen officially announced Thursday that his new album, “Wrecking Ball,” would hit shelves on March 6. Rumors had hinted that this would be his angriest album and that he would be addressing the current economic travails of middle- and lower-class America. If the first …

Political contribution caps only funnel cash to SuperPACs

Winning Our Future, a “SuperPAC” that supports Newt Gingrich’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination, is spending more than $1.2 million on ads in South Carolina, which holds its primary on Saturday. That fact requires some explanation. First, why would anyone want Newt Gingrich to …

Roger Simon: Romney too big to fail

NASHUA, N.H. — Alone in his hotel room on a dark and stormy night, the presidential candidate was memorizing his talking points when the Devil appeared before him. “Worry not,” the Devil said. “I can grant you a victory in the primaries and the nomination …

Gov. Pat Quinn: Doubling of Earned Income Tax Credit relief is good policy

Rhonda Jones knows what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck. At times in her life, the 43-year-old single mother of five worked three jobs to make ends meet. Now a high school counselor, Ms. Jones says that the tax relief available to working families …

Obama, by his actions, has earned the pro-Israel vote

Relations between Israel and the United States are warmer under President Obama than under previous administrations, yet we hear that the president is vulnerable among pro-Israel voters. But history shows that Obama is being criticized for what would have gone unnoticed in other administrations. Gerald …

  • Broadcast TV censorship pointless in age of cable

    My daughters, who range in age from 5 to 18, watch TV programs and movies on DVDs, on smartphones, streaming from Netflix through our Wii, on websites, on our DVR and on demand from AT&T U-verse. They do not know or care what “broadcast television” …Read More

  • Catastrophic health coverage needed for student athletes

    There is no requirement in Illinois that high schools obtain catastrophic health insurance for student athletes. Rasul “Rocky” Clark found out the importance of such insurance during a football game on Sept. 15, 2000. The 16-year-old running back took a routine pitchout from his quarterback …Read More

  • Crying no longer political suicide

    It has been a trail of tears. Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry all cried on television in the days before the Iowa caucuses. What they did was warm, human and utterly genuine. A few years ago, we would have called them sissies. But …Read More

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