Commentaries

Enjoy a selection of my commentaries below. To see the full listing of commentaries, please click here.

Candidates ignore world to the south

The future of this hemisphere depends on decisions which governments are making today, and which governments — including the U.S. government — will be making in the next five years. Yet there is a virtual blackout in the current presidential contest on foreign and national security policy issues — and, unfortunately, no one seems to…

Crime bill feeds public cynicism

Why are Americans so cynical about Congress? Just examine the so called crime bill, passed by the House of Representatives this weekend when 46 Republicans joined House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., to resurrect the measure, which had failed to pass a critical vote in the House 10 days earlier. The lessons are many. Politics,…

BTU tax kills jobs, slows growth

Imagine a headline proclaiming, “Clinton proposes 98% tax on computers made in the Silicon Valley.” The subhead reads: “Computers made in Indiana to be taxed 29%.” People would properly ask: Why does the administration pick on one industry to carry so much of the burden of its tax proposals? Why did the administration select a…