Depending on whom you ask, education is either a right or a luxury. Those of us who went to schools where the expectation was for all students to go to college have a different perspective than those who went to schools where the goal is to meet the needs of bureaucrats. Most Americans believe that education is the foundation of our society, but most also do not understand the complex beast that is the education system. We have to comprehend the system before we can change it.

Let’s first get one thing very clear- Advocates of the abolition of public school want every child to have a better education than they are getting today, especially minorities and children from poor backgrounds. We hold the education of our youth to a higher standard than any government institution can offer. We know, and can prove, that the best way to achieve the greatest success is through a separation of school and state. 

“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned -- this is the sum of good government. - Thomas Jefferson

Most of the people who oppose the unions have never been a member of a union...
 

In 1922, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) went on strike. W. J. Lester, who owned a mine in Herrin, Illinois initially complied with the strike, and agreed to temporarily stop shipping out coal. The limited supply of coal caused the price to soar. Lester hired 50 people, desperate for work, to act as strikebreakers, or “scabs” as the union called them, and then sent out a large shipment of coal. Lester pointed out that the steam shovel operators and the railroad workers who handled the coal were also member of different unions.

When President Obama was sworn into office last January, he made history. He became the first minority to assume leadership of this nation, a feat many thought this country would never see. In doing so he made the dreams of civil rights activists who fought for equality in the tumultuous race relations of the sixties come true.  His historical victory was a triumph for minorities across the country, and brought hope to many that a man raised by a single mother and his grandparents, son of a Kenyan national and a white woman could find himself the leader of the greatest country on Earth. America is known for Presidents who come mostly from wealthy backgrounds and political families. A racially mixed man from less than wealthy roots assuming leadership of America is remarkable, because for the first time in history, a man who is representative of the trials so many Americans face has taken charge. 

If I had to give Barack Obama a grade for his first year in office, I would generously give him a D-, a far cry from the B+ that he gave himself. While Obama asserted that he wanted to “fundamentally change” the greatest country on Earth, his promises of hope and change are really the epitome of what he accused of his Republican rival during the campaign- more of the same.

George Bush: A Legacy of Errors

As the Bush administration came to an end, historians and political pundits alike are assessing the former President’s performance. Presidents must be judged by their actions, the context of those actions, and what they accomplished during their tenure. Most historians agree that James Buchanan was the worst US President ever, for his negligence led to the Civil War, in which 600,000 Americans lost their lives. Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone could legitimately argue, as some try, that Bush was the worst President in History. When examining our most recent President we must view his actions with an unbiased eye.

George W Bush: A Great American President

In November of 2000, when the Bush/Gore Presidential election became a long extended Florida recount, the Left was already screaming that Bush had “stolen” the election. The far left refused to accept the result, even after recounts and re-recounts and even after Al Gore’s concession speech claimed “[the race] has ended, resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy.”

Just Legalize It

Legalization advocates don’t condone marijuana use by kids, nor believe that people should go to work or school stoned. They don’t believe that it should be legal to drive under the influence of marijuana or that being under the influence of marijuana will, in any way, enhance ones ability to be productive in society. They are simply advocating the medical or recreational use by responsible adults. 

Something is Rotten in the State of California

The Public Debt in California is skyrocketing. California’s Treasury reports that the state now has more than 60 billion dollars in debt.

In an attempt to alleviate some of this massive public debt, the State of California is now debating the legalization of marijuana, a drug that the DEA classifies as a Schedule 1 narcotic. Schedule 1 narcotics include LSD, heroin, ecstasy, GHB, several amphetamines, peyote, and mushrooms.

It is infuriating that some people so quickly forget what has made the United States the greatest country in the world. The Statue of Liberty has stood as a symbol of American freedoms for over 100 years, and millions of immigrants have entered the country while sailing through her shadow. It may have been the first taste of freedom these people ever experienced. It was the beacon of light that invited millions of people from around the world and greeted them with open arms.

We are constantly referred to as the “melting pot” of the world. But have you ever left a pot of boiling soup on the burner too long? If so, you know what happens. The mixture becomes dried out and eventually burns up, destroying the pot altogether. That’s what happens to any country that will accept anyone who wishes to join their society, legally or illegally. This must stop somewhere and the time has long passed, so enough is enough with the “melting pot” mentality.

An Impetuous Balance: Free Market and Government Intervention

History has also shown a need for government intervention. Creating rules and regulations provide the “checks and balances” that are needed to keep big businesses from destroying the market place and becoming monopolies that erode the efforts of the small business owner trying to compete. The questions are, “How much control do you insert?” and “How do you keep the economic control from becoming a political process?”

The Only Solutions: Free Markets, Sound Money

“There are two giant entities at work in our country, and they both have an amazing influence on our daily lives...one has given us radar, sonar, stereo, teletype, the transistor, hearing aids, artificial larynxes, talking movies, and the telephone. The other has given us the Civil War, the Spanish American War, the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, double-digit inflation, double digit unemployment, the Great Depression, the gasoline crisis, and the Watergate fiasco. Guess which one is now trying to tell the other one how to run its business?"

The Future: 25,000 American Gun Deaths Next Year

Today’s nightly news gives us a constant reminder that these events are not uncommon, especially in the United States. The Department of Justice estimates that in 2005, there were 16,692 people murdered in the US, by far the most of any other Western country. Firearms accounted for 72.6% of those murders, or just over twelve thousand deaths; twelve thousand people who may have been saved if it was only a little more difficult to obtain firearms.

Healthcare: It’s Too Important for Government Work

by Rory Adams

Universal Healthcare sounds great. The 47 million Americans who don’t have insurance get covered and the costs don’t pile up on anyone. It will be cheaper because of the “group rate” concept and the bills will go directly to Uncle Sam. Medicare and Medicaid are programs that have successfully thrived since their creations. Virtually all of Europe has it. Canada has it. The American Privatized Healthcare system is broken and Universal Healthcare is an all-encompassing fix, right?

No, every ounce of this is wrong, wrong, wrong.

The Healthcare System in America Needs an Operation

by M.C. Russell, M.D.

 Mr. Jones* came into the emergency department complaining of gastrointestinal bleeding. He reported that it had been going on “for a while.” In addition to blood, he reported a change in his bowel habits and decreased energy. A quick look at his medical records revealed a colonoscopy some twelve months prior showing a tumor in his large intestine. At that time it was recommended that he have an operation to remove the tumor. When asked why he did not follow up on the recommendation, his answer was honest and straightforward. Mr. Jones did not have health insurance, but he did have a family who depended on his income for food, clothes and a roof over their heads. He knew that, at the very least, he would be out of work for six weeks in order to have the extensive operation. More importantly, there would be thousands of dollars in medical costs that he would surely be unable to pay and support his family. He was not an uneducated man; he realized there would be consequences for not having the operation, but like many of the patients at this public hospital, he was trapped and could see no way out. He left the hospital a year ago and only returned because it was now an emergency. Unfortunately, those twelve months will cost him dearly.