tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63245635405416389382011-11-27T18:52:43.303-06:00Two Scotts debate everything concerning politics, economics and social issues concerning the United States and the world. One liberal and the other conservative, the debate will be sure to raise important issues facing our nation.Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-17569966360553954182010-08-29T18:09:00.006-05:002010-08-29T18:33:45.226-05:00

There are several issues that need to be discussed on this blog and I'm hoping to get some debate going. On several, I have some legitimate questions for my liberal friends to help me understand, so let's dive right in.Is Obama a Muslim?This question has been getting much more attention than it deserves in recent news. Apparently, a couple of news and polling outfits have been tracking the

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-45974897548569073112010-07-30T15:43:00.000-05:002010-07-30T15:43:10.132-05:00

It is time to blog again. After a little break from the blog for the summer to deal with some personal issues, my divorce is final and I’m actually following the news again. So much information… Let’s do some random drive-by thoughts. I found it very interesting that the Elena Kagan hearings were actually more about Thurgood Marshall, whom Kagan clerked for after law school. I guess

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-89931389772789860232010-06-28T21:04:00.007-05:002010-06-28T22:09:23.230-05:00

In today's New York Times Op-Ed, "Economist" Paul Krugman stated:"We are now, I fear, in the early stages of a third depression. It will probably look more like the Long Depression than the much more severe Great Depression. But the cost — to the world economy and, above all, to the millions of lives blighted by the absence of jobs — will nonetheless be immense.And this third depression will be

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-76208278548689302712010-06-26T16:34:00.005-05:002010-06-26T17:12:00.758-05:00

It's becoming more and more apparent that the Obama Regime doesn't much care for our Constitution. He admitted as much back in 2007, stating that the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties - that is it says what the government cannot do to us. He doesn't like these limitations put on government and its showing.The most recent example of the Obama destruction of the rule of law in this

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-32207884114959798382010-06-14T21:16:00.004-05:002010-06-14T21:22:07.638-05:00

In recent months, many on the left have accused the Republicans in Congress of being simply the party of “no”. President Obama himself has accused congressional Republicans of just sitting on the sidelines and hoping for him to fail because they’ve made a political calculation that if he fails, they’ll win in November.The problem with this accusation is that it is completely false. Do Republicans

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-22081524121192520812010-05-20T07:53:00.006-05:002010-05-22T16:41:46.090-05:00

One thing that conservatives often attack liberals on is the “being soft on terrorism” issue. The consistent claim is that liberals are putting America in danger by being soft on terror. These claims have been made often, especially on the issue of accused terrorists being tried in civilian courts. Charles Krauthammer has been hard on liberals when it comes to Miranda-izing suspected

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-22973236348016306372010-05-14T14:07:00.004-05:002010-05-22T16:41:16.508-05:00

In 2005, when then-President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, plenty of Republicans said they found it refreshing that Miers' experience amounted primarily to her time as a corporate lawyer and Bush aide. That included Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who noted then that "40 percent of the men and women who have served as Supreme Court justices" had no judicial experience. "

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-24313189985701831962010-05-06T07:00:00.004-05:002010-05-06T09:34:51.688-05:00

If it has been so that the Supreme Court could properly be called the “Kennedy Court,” because of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s grip on a tie-breaking vote much of the time, which may well be even more so when the Justices open a new Term next October. Without Justice John Paul Stevens, who is retiring at the end of the current Term, Justice Kennedy moves into position to become a frequent “

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-26409448945406704582010-05-02T16:08:00.003-05:002010-05-05T13:50:20.976-05:00

Let me begin by first saying that the new law recently passed by the state of Arizona regarding illegal immigration should not have been necessary.No, if the Federal government had done what it promised to do, what it is charged with doing – protecting the citizens and borders of the United States – this task would not have fallen to the states to take up for themselves.Yesterday was May Day.

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-38741426821688748802010-04-20T07:56:00.004-05:002010-05-05T13:22:08.683-05:00

USA Today (Monday, April 12, 2010) featured a debate on education on its editorial page (9A). It was fairly revealing and also of no small concern to those of us who believe that our country guarantees certain freedoms to each citizen, including freedom of religion. It was no accident that Thomas Jefferson insisted upon "separation of church and state" as a condition for the new nation he helped

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-33729513879831171932010-03-25T07:46:00.006-05:002010-05-05T13:24:37.880-05:00

Health reform is now almost completely law. Many Democrats finally realized that their electoral prospects will be better if they can point to a real accomplishment. Polling on reform -- which was never as negative as portrayed -- shows signs of improving. And I've been really impressed by the passion and energy of this guy Barack Obama. Where was he last year? But reform still has to run a

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-19543409669886071752010-03-22T22:15:00.003-05:002010-05-05T13:25:00.266-05:00

On March 21, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The bill is with the President, who will most likely sign the bill into law on March 23, 2010. The vote was 219-212. Not one Republican voted in favor of it.So now that it’s done, what does it mean? What can we do? What comes next? Will America ever be the same again?I need to apologize to the

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-85252657270320672382010-03-21T20:04:00.002-05:002010-05-05T13:25:54.224-05:00

It appears Pelosi and Reid have twisted enough arms, bribed enough congressmen, and lied enough to their respective caucuses to finally muscle up the 216 votes required to pass the Senate healthcare bill and with that, take the final plunge off the hill on which America has stood for 234 years.If all goes as the conventional wisdom seems to suggest it might, we will be on the road to Universal,

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-75226964489603762072010-03-09T13:25:00.002-06:002010-05-05T13:26:13.164-05:00

Ok, I’m back. And let’s start right off right into the lion’s den.Former President George W. Bush might need to be put on trial for war crimes.Okay, not that extreme, but I got your attention.News out of England places a disturbing light on the previous administration. Interestingly enough, despite claims of the liberal bias in the media, this is not being reported in America. You have to go

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-17064826761513067232010-03-02T21:30:00.003-06:002010-05-05T13:26:50.601-05:00

On February 13, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the "pay as you go" law...along with raising the federal debt ceiling over $14 Trillion.On March 2, 2010, the Senate voted to waive the law so they could pass emergency funding legislation for unemployment and government workers. Its a measley $10 billion, so what's the harm right?Jim Bunning has been chastized by nearly every Driveby

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-52437005053830327032010-02-18T21:03:00.004-06:002010-05-05T13:27:08.575-05:00

Allow me to begin by first apologizing for the lengthy delay in my posting. In the Retirement Benefits consulting business of which I am a member, the spring is a very busy time.Now then, what to discuss? So much has transpired since I last penned an article for this blog that I am torn regarding the topic about which I should write. Therefore, I’m going to stir the pot a bit on several issues

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-88231021321989045212010-01-29T09:01:00.003-06:002010-05-05T13:28:25.601-05:00

My, oh my. Conservative judicial activism in alive and well on the Supreme Court.In a long awaited decision in Citizens United v. FEC, the conservatives on the Supreme Court overturned precedent and 75 years of law. By doing so, corporations can know spend an unlimited amount of money to directly influence elections.This is too far. When the conservatives on the Court overturned precedent in

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-23983537517739541992010-01-22T07:53:00.004-06:002010-05-05T13:28:43.755-05:00

On Jan. 20, 2009, 2.2 million people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for President Barack Obama’s inauguration. They heard him say, “On this day, I come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”On Jan. 20, 2010, 2.2 million people went to the polls in Massachusetts.

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-63093588098245652232010-01-16T16:54:00.002-06:002010-05-05T13:28:59.118-05:00

I believe it was in my tenth grade US history class that I first learned the concept of “tax burden”. In fact, it was Scott Jones who taught me this concept and back then, the explanation he gave resonated and made sense. His explanation was a defense of the system of taxation here in America known as the graduated income tax, whereby income earners pay an ever increasing marginal rate of tax on

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-66970317549460915392010-01-15T06:49:00.002-06:002010-05-05T13:29:41.096-05:00

On June 10, 2009, James Von Brunn entered the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC and opened fire. Von Brunn was known Holocaust-denier and his actions were that of a dying man trying to fix what he believed to be an injustice – too much focus on the Jews.Immediately after the attack, liberals attacked conservative talk radio for inciting the actions of a man that was always extreme, but never

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-5784314685133209512009-12-15T11:09:00.002-06:002009-12-15T11:18:10.875-06:00

As the holidays are upon us, and I probably won’t be writing again until after the new year, here are some random ramblings…---I am again reminded of the constant battle between tradition and the Constitution as the Religious Right again hammers down on the fact that government institutions are not allowed to display manger scenes. Of course, these same people got all upset about the use of the

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-57130733119752250892009-12-09T20:11:00.003-06:002009-12-09T20:19:56.992-06:00

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is revered by the liberals of today as the paragon of Democrat leadership and legislative prowess. Indeed, when Nancy Pelosi announced her 2,000+ page healthcare debacle had passed the House of Representatives, she invoked FDR along with LBJ as part of that historic example of the best Democrats had to offer.Many liberals credit FDR with the recovery from the Great

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-42469510297263385012009-12-03T10:06:00.001-06:002009-12-03T10:08:47.543-06:00

They killed a killer a few weeks ago.I kept waiting to feel something when news came that John Allen Muhammad had been executed in Virginia. As a staunch opponent of capital punishment, I wanted some nugget of remorse at the knowledge that the government had taken his life.After all, a government that has the power to kill its own people is not consistent with the ideas of limited government

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-59968739796362754232009-11-30T21:02:00.001-06:002009-11-30T21:04:07.215-06:00

"I think there's no real scientific basis for the dispute of this” – Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in response to a reporter’s inquiry into the legitimacy of the science surrounding the Anthropogenic Global Warming movement."I don't think that's anything that is, quite frankly, among most people, in dispute anymore," [Gibbs] said during Monday's press briefing.My friends, in case you haven’t

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-907560666361623332009-11-24T20:20:00.001-06:002009-11-24T20:22:07.136-06:00

Friends, it’s this time of year that I feel the “reason for the season” is most often overlooked. Most people can easily explain the significance of Christmas or Easter. Maybe fewer, but still a majority of Americans understand what the 4th of July represents. Everyone knows why they like Halloween, even if they are perhaps a little curious as to why we have those particular traditions.However, I

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-26222492493098352612009-11-19T08:47:00.002-06:002009-11-19T08:48:43.320-06:00

I have just read of friend of mine’s law school thesis on winner’s justice in international law and the validity of post-war international justice tribunals. Scott’s post brought to mind several ideas I had from reading my friend’s thesis. The idea that I keep coming back to in my friend’s law school thesis and Scott’s previous post deal with morality and the acts of nations as they deal with

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-62815453336104896382009-11-17T18:44:00.003-06:002009-11-17T19:03:55.658-06:00

There are a couple of things going on at the moment that I wanted to throw out for discussion. First off, we have the Obama administration deciding to try 5 Gitmo detainees in US Civilian Criminal Court.The headliner in this case is Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the admitted mastermind behind the 9/11 WTC attacks.This is, in my opinion, one of the single worst national security decisions EVER MADE in US

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-10772354310706478872009-11-12T06:42:00.004-06:002009-11-12T06:51:23.118-06:00

First, if you haven’t yet read Scott’s outstanding post just below this one, please read it first. There are some references in this post that will only make since if you’ve read the previous post from Scott.In his post, Scott does an outstanding job of laying out a True Conservative philosophy of individual responsibility. I have no doubt that my fellow contributor to this blog has the best

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-24023365439223510112009-11-09T21:33:00.006-06:002009-11-09T21:42:00.745-06:00

Apologies to all you Clintonites out there for partially stealing his slick phrase, but it works so well.This post has been in the works for a while now. The main thrust has been a question of mine since I was old enough to really start learning and following politics, around seventh grade. It’s more like a two-part question actually:Why, when we have so much evidence that their policies do not

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-67423873778304375072009-11-04T08:02:00.005-06:002009-11-04T14:18:45.801-06:00

One thing about conservative rhetoric that absolutely drives me crazy is the belief that conservatives have a monopoly on protecting freedom, while liberals want to destroy it.On his radio show on Monday, Rush Limbaugh specifically linked liberalism and the destruction of freedom in America six times. Three of these were direct wording and the other three were implied links.On this blog, Scott L

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-59915413943556033692009-11-02T21:40:00.003-06:002009-11-02T21:50:09.948-06:00

Tomorrow is Election Day 2009 and it is promising to be very important. While there is not a whole lot going on here in St. Louis, three races on the east coast are shaping up to have a real impact on the future of the Republican Party. Those races are for Congress in the NY 23rd district, Governor of New Jersey, and Governor of Virginia.In NY 23, the Congressional seat is being decided between

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-8771187437857520132009-10-29T21:53:00.003-05:002009-10-29T22:04:34.838-05:00

Doing the work MediaMatters for America claims to be doing...Can we please have a little context with all those wonderful quotations?Media Matter for America had been compiling a list of obvious bias that is within the news shows on FNC. The list is exhaustive and can be found at http://mediamatters.org/research/200910130047.On Media Matters for America’s homepage, its stated mission is fighting

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-74907863118401302182009-10-27T07:49:00.004-05:002009-10-27T18:33:15.112-05:00

In the previous posts comment sections, Scott referred to Fox News Channel as slightly left of center. I actually laughed aloud. Only conservative la-la land can Fox News Channel be considered anything that an extension of the Republican Party’s agenda.Yet, Scott considers this as not part of the mainstream media. Interesting. The numbers tell a different story.Neilson Media Research reports

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-19188703668127231532009-10-22T20:53:00.003-05:002009-10-22T21:03:30.867-05:00

I sat down and spent 5 minutes jotting down ideas off the top of my head for reasons that real investigative journalism is dead in the State Run Media. I quickly came up with a healthy list of stories and examples that prove what I and many others on my side of the political spectrum have been saying about the Main Stream Media, namely, they are an ideological leftist bunch of propagandizing

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-92003414595790448112009-10-16T20:02:00.003-05:002009-10-16T20:09:38.243-05:00

This post may come as a surprise to many readers, but I think it is time for someone on the Left to admit it. The enormous political capital that President Obama came to D.C. with in January has evaporated in nine short months. He has shortchanged the reason many people voted for him in the first place.My main reason for voting for President Obama was his dedication to true health insurance

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-23322339367606039942009-10-14T09:40:00.005-05:002009-10-14T15:39:46.514-05:00

First, I have removed my most recent post concerning Rush Limbaugh and racism. It is not because I have been convinced that Limbaugh is not a racist. While the two quotes concerning slavery and James Earl Ray have no real basis in fact and I was wrong for reporting them as such (I did have credible sources that have also been duped). I do believe him to be a racist based on other comments.The

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-73326294118681842612009-10-08T20:23:00.003-05:002009-10-08T21:08:58.022-05:00

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091008/D9B76AUO0.htmlWe haven't discussed the economy for a while on this blog, and I saw this headline on Drudge today, which really got me thinking that this is a great teachable moment.Just to recap:Unemployment rate is 9.8%. U6 unemployment is 17%. Our economy is hemorraging jobs and our deficit for FY 09 is $1,400,000,000,000. The Congress recently voted to

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-50652696284711838942009-10-02T12:58:00.002-05:002009-10-02T13:02:15.657-05:00

Turns out Republican concerns about the foreign policy of the Obama Administration were totally and completely unfounded.If I remember the story correctly, President Obama’s willingness to engage Iran on the nuclear issue tantamount to appeasement, which they assumed to be a wrong strategy. When Defense Secretary Gates announced the United States would be giving up efforts on building an ICBM

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-55969210193382060772009-09-23T06:46:00.004-05:002009-09-23T07:03:40.027-05:00

One of the great things about having the blog is that when someone of great stature dies, it gives us an opportunity to discuss their life and impact on politics/society/culture/philosophy.Last Friday, Irving Kristol died. With his death, we lost one of the great conservative minds. In fact, if conservatives of today (by that I mean today's Republican Party) thought like Kristol, I'd be on

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-42764544284028183072009-09-16T20:22:00.002-05:002009-09-16T21:14:15.404-05:00

Before the election of 2008, many people on both sides of the political spectrum speculated on the possibility that if we, as a nation, could elect a black president, the spectre of racism in America would be forever destroyed. How could a nation so conceived and so matured in its thinking vote for a man of color and not be able to say that finally, America is not a racist nation?Admittedly,

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-10989928538816154802009-09-14T20:33:00.005-05:002009-09-14T21:25:30.156-05:00

Allow me to begin this post by first mentioning that I am not going to get on this blog and strictly demonize democrats. Corruption in government is prevalent on both sides of the aisle. Its just that typically, the party in power gets the focus since the minority can do little to effect any major change. Corruption in government also has many faces; it can mean "you scratch my back, I'll scratch

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-82256500658029734872009-09-03T06:39:00.005-05:002009-09-03T06:46:55.707-05:00

I posted this as a comment, but I think it is important enough to put in as a main topic. We are being faced with too many lies from conservatives about what nationalized medicine looks like in other countries. If it was as bad as the conservative liars say it is, it wouldn't be as popular as it actually is.Scott - since you love posting links for articles that support your unsubstantiated views

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-24352878796531432252009-08-26T06:48:00.005-05:002009-08-26T07:00:22.999-05:00

Just two things I want to point out as we start the day...1) Say what you want about his political orientation or some of the things that happened personally, Ted Kennedy's service to this country as a public servant should serve as a role model for more of us. He dedicated his life to serving this country in the political arena. We don't appreciate this from people as much as we should.2) Just

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-28954404411196621022009-08-18T10:10:00.006-05:002009-08-18T11:36:45.081-05:00

``Fear is the most powerful enemy of reason. Both fear and reason are essential to human survival, but the relationship between them is unbalanced. Reason may sometimes dissipate fear, but fear frequently shuts down reason.'' -- from The Assault on Reason by Al Gore``I'm afraid of Obama!'' -- woman at a Town Hall meeting on health care reformI have no opinion on H.R. 3200. Mainly because I

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-75094810794085032302009-08-10T06:56:00.005-05:002009-08-10T11:08:21.015-05:00

Scott L posted a short entry on how liberals can possibly argue against guns because of the clarity of the Constitution. Here is my take on abortion...Scott L posted a comment that he believes medical decisions should be kept private because of an inherent right to privacy, which is a cornerstone right of a limited government system. However, he then in the next sentence argued that this right,

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-7938688750451488252009-08-05T21:55:00.004-05:002009-08-05T22:29:45.141-05:00

I saw a poll today on CNN. Mind you, not exactly an unfriendly network to President Obama.It was about 83% of respondants were happy with their current healthcare and about 75% were happy with their current health insurance. Polling data routinely shows that about 55% or so of the American public expressly does not want Obama's "public option."People who have never protested anything in their

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-6372706822275279332009-07-31T11:36:00.005-05:002009-07-31T13:36:34.610-05:00

In all the media frenzy surrounding the Judge Sotomayor hearings, an interesting discussion on three very important cased the Court will be hearing this term has gone almost unnoticed.The Court in the October 2009 term will be hearing three cases that could transform American jurisprudence for the future. Two of the cases are dealing with the application of the Second Amendment to the various

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-12054965612337790392009-07-27T21:12:00.002-05:002009-07-27T21:23:46.139-05:00

There is a topic that has yet to be discussed in any detail on this blog and it is the idea of Gun Control. Claire McCaskill and others recently voted to keep people with concealed-carry permits from taking their permit and gun across state lines. I think that through the 14th amendment and the 2 amendment, it is common sense to see that law-abiding citizens who pass certain tests and have a

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-46405893022922256702009-07-20T21:21:00.001-05:002009-07-20T21:22:16.380-05:00

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. What I mean by that is it's an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before. This is an opportunity. What used to be long-term problems -- be they in the health care area, energy area, education area, fiscal area, tax area, regulatory reform area -- things that we had postponed for too long that were long-term are now immediate

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-21767056104742339012009-07-07T11:39:00.006-05:002009-07-14T14:03:48.620-05:00

NEW COMMENT CONCERNING SENATOR SESSIONS' QUESTIONING OF JUDGE SOTOMAYOR. CAN BE FOUND IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.Why is it wrong to trust the government?In a simple answer, it isn’t. I understand that those of the right spend countless hours arguing that we can’t trust the government and spend even more hours worrying about the size of the government. However, it just doesn’t bother me.The

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-26938009959672666272009-07-01T21:20:00.002-05:002009-07-01T21:21:08.171-05:00

Well, I’m back from Europe. The trip was excellent and provided a lot of insight into World War II and Cold War history. Since it has been a while since I’ve posted anything, I figured some updates and a more general discussion forum would be a good way to get us through the upcoming days of summer.Let me begin with Cap and Trade. If you didn’t know, the House of Representatives passed the Waxman

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-42736002208396396702009-06-21T10:51:00.004-05:002009-06-21T11:02:29.815-05:00

I posted this some time ago as a note on Scott L.'s Facebook page. Since I've been on vaction last week and it continues this week, I thought it would be a good time to post this on this blog.______Education is the single most important a society based on the principles of democracy can do for its citizenry. In fact, it was the development of civic character (i.e. literacy, respect,

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-30185581708087185612009-06-07T21:28:00.002-05:002009-06-07T21:36:33.210-05:00

Well, I’ve always stated that I am a results-oriented person, especially regarding politics and economics. I want to put policies in place that I know, from experience, will work.But alas, do we all agree on the functional definition of “work” or “succeed” when it comes to economic policies? I value low unemployment, GDP growth, net income growth, and steady, low inflation. I value a strong

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-4747209712202606222009-06-01T14:05:00.004-05:002009-06-04T21:57:51.384-05:00

On a recent post, one of the comments concerning my liberal ideology was that we (the liberals) want the government to take care of us. The implication of this, of course, is that I do not believe in individual responsibility.That could not be further from the truth.I do believe in individual responsibility, but it is much more complicated than that. In fact, the breakdown of individual

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-72845332845221968242009-05-23T12:21:00.002-05:002009-05-23T12:28:26.957-05:00

Anyone who pays the slightest attention to environmental politics has seen the picture of the innocent polar bear on his floating ice berg and heard the threats from “economic gurus” like Al Gore that if we don’t act swiftly to control our carbon emissions, this magnificent species could soon become extinct.I’m sure you are aware of the “threats of inaction”: rising global temperatures, melting

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-56713459517315258252009-05-17T18:51:00.006-05:002009-05-21T12:35:38.543-05:00

"The Religious Dimensions of the Torture Debate," a web graphic published April 29 by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, has generated a great deal of attention and interest. It shows that currently, more than six-in-ten white evangelical Protestants (62%) say that the use of torture against suspected terrorists in order to gain important information can be often or

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-85749792686533368742009-05-13T18:43:00.002-05:002009-05-13T18:46:33.765-05:00

I recently promised a discussion on the merits of universal healthcare to my Facebook readers. I intend to make good on that promise. But let me lead into that discussion with this idea.What, specifically, do I feel that we, as Americans, have a right to? This is essentially the question that was put to me by one of my friends and it kind of shocked me. Why is this even really a question? But I

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-68494656430362593022009-05-10T20:04:00.006-05:002009-05-10T20:16:00.284-05:00

One thing that liberals and conservatives disagree on is the idea of how much regulation is needed to protect us from ourselves. Conservatives like to argue that they oppose excessive government regulation. However, the facts seem to betray their stance.Recently, the conservative wing, this time including Justice Kennedy, of the Supreme Court of the United States (see SCOTUSblg.com for a great

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-78429119805840792582009-05-09T11:11:00.003-05:002009-05-09T11:22:15.435-05:00

From time to time, I will repost this message as we get new readers, but this is an issue that I hope we can all agree on, liberals and conservatives. This topic is near and dear to my heart.In October 2007, my father passed away from complication with pneumonia. The pneumonia was caused by a genetic deficiency in his liver, which was beyond repair. If he had survived the pneumonia, he would have

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-64327062795862152582009-05-07T13:48:00.004-05:002009-05-07T20:55:09.302-05:00

My guiding philosophy is, in a word, Conservatism. Or to be a bit more traditional, Classical Liberalism. I suggested having our opening posts be about our principles so that readers would understand the screen through which each of us views the world. Also, I want to reemphasize what I believe it means to be a conservative in 2009. I have a feeling that many readers may have been slightly

Scott Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485944706293138039noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324563540541638938.post-90310914318722757382009-05-06T20:16:00.003-05:002009-05-08T09:17:29.481-05:00

For our first posts, we decided it would be a good idea to lay out a general political philosophy that we have used to make our decisions about what occurs in our nation and the world as well. To be up front, I consider myself to be a liberal democrat. While you will often see some libertarian ideas in my posts, more often than not, I will tend to fall on the side of liberalism as it comes to

Scott J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05112321695214431337noreply@blogger.com28