June 18, 2013 — John Hinderaker
I have never thought so. On the contrary, the Republican politicians I know well are far smarter and much more hard-working than the public gives them credit for. Still, there are times when you wonder: are Republican politicians–not voters, but politicians–pathologically unable to learn from experience? The current immigration controversy is a case in point. Who could possibly consider it a good idea to bring in one-quarter to one-third of
»
June 18, 2013 — John Hinderaker
There is lots of talk, these days, about privacy: about cyber surveillance; about intrusive government; about whether we can feel secure on the telephone and on line. Amid all the noise, it is sometimes hard to sort the wheat from the chaff. But one story that definitely deserves our attention is the hacking of CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson’s home and work computers. This is precisely the kind of totalitarian scenario
»
June 18, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the Gang of Eight’s immigration proposal today, and spinning is in full swing. The fact is, however, that the basic facts can’t be spun: the bill is a disaster. As with Obamacare, the Gang structured its bill to make it “score” artificially well from a budget perspective. They did this by delaying the newly legalized immigrants’ eligibility for most federal welfare benefits
»
June 18, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Today the Senate voted down amendments to the Gang of Eight’s bill that were proposed by Senators Thune and Vitter. Thune’s amendment would have required 350 miles of the 700-mile border fence that was mandated by the 2006 Secure Fence Act to be completed prior to any legalization of illegal aliens. The remaining 350 miles would have to be built thereafter. Thune’s amendment highlights what a joke the Gang’s promises
»
June 17, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The Miss USA pageant was last night; it was won by Erin Brady, Miss Connecticut: There is an interesting trend toward the Northeast in Miss USA, as last year’s winner (and this year’s Miss Universe) was Olivia Culpo, Miss Rhode Island. But today’s news about the pageant focused less on Miss Brady than on Marissa Powell, Miss Utah. Miss Powell was the third runner-up, but she was deemed to have
»
June 16, 2013 — John Hinderaker
I hope that every father had as happy a Fathers’ Day as I did. It started with going to church, a fun outdoor ceremony. Then we all–my wife and I and three of our four kids–packed up a picnic lunch and drove to a park near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. We took a number of photos, of which I will share only a few. Here, Ali and Kathryn carry the
»
June 16, 2013 — John Hinderaker
There is a certain irony in the fact that statists are trying to get people riled up about global warming. History’s warm eras–Roman times, the Medieval Warm Period, and the current warm cycle that follows the Little Ice Age–have been good times for humans and for the vast majority of animals. It is cold periods that we should dread, which is why the statists’ first choice, back in the 1970s,
»
June 16, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Last Thursday evening, I had the privilege, for the eighth consecutive year, of acting as master of ceremonies for the Annual Dinner of the Center of the American Experiment. This year’s dinner featured Dr. Benjamin Carson, one of the most eminent physicians in the United States, whose speech at the National Prayer Breakfast made him a household name. There was a lot of excitement about Dr. Carson’s appearance, and 1,000
»
June 14, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The Gang of Eight’s immigration bill is nothing less than a frontal assault on America’s already-struggling blue collar population. Forget border security–the bill would be an abomination even if it could magically guarantee that upon passage, not a single person would ever again cross the border illegally. The bill is a disaster because of the legal immigration it will authorize, estimated at somewhere between 30 million and 57 million above
»
June 14, 2013 — John Hinderaker
On June 18, 1972, the Washington Post reported that the night before, there had been a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel. Although the break-in story made the Post’s front page, no one could then foresee the consequences that would spin out over the ensuing months. This morning, the Post’s Erik Wemple reported that forensic analysis has confirmed multiple invasions of at least
»
June 13, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Paul noted last night that the Democrats “probably need fewer than two dozen House Republican votes” to pass the Gang of Eight’s bill, or some other amnesty proposal. The number depends, obviously, on how many Democrats defect. Which raises the question: how many members of the Congressional Black Caucus–if any–will be willing to stand up and oppose the immigration bill? The mass importation of unskilled Mexican labor contemplated by the
»
June 12, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The U.S. has a terrible immigration system, which was designed largely by Ted Kennedy for the purpose of increasing “diversity,” without giving any thought to American interests. If we would simply adopt the Canadian system, it would be a vast improvement. Unfortunately, the Gang of Eight’s bill does not move in the right direction, i.e., an immigration policy that is designed to serve the best interests of the United States.
»
June 12, 2013 — John Hinderaker
I have written repeatedly about the fact that emphasis on border security, in the context of the Gang of Eight’s immigration overhaul, is misguided. The big problem with the bill is that it authorizes somewhere between 30 million and 57 million new legal immigrants, overwhelmingly low-skilled and marginally assimilable. Compared to that reality, the continuation of illegal immigration is relatively insignificant. Still, it is worth noting that the Gang’s bill
»
June 11, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The Senate voted overwhelmingly today to move debate forward on the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill. Only 15 Republicans voted No. Not all the Republicans who voted to move the bill forward today will necessarily vote for its passage, but it appears to be a foregone conclusion that the bill will indeed make it out of the Senate in more or less its current form. This is, I think, mystifying.
»
June 10, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991, but they haven’t been a serious contender since the early ’90s. Still, over the last decade or so the franchise has fielded a good, competitive team. Their typical pattern was to make the postseason, and then lose ignominiously to the Yankees. That wasn’t so bad, especially since, for the last few years, we have enjoyed the world’s best baseball
»
June 10, 2013 — John Hinderaker
We wrote here about an astonishing moment of insensitivity on the part of a Democratic member of Colorado’s legislature: A young woman named Amanda Collins mustered the courage to testify before a Colorado legislative committee on that state’s proposed gun ban legislation. Ms. Collins testified in opposition to a blanket ban on guns on college campuses, and described her own rape. She had a permit to carry a pistol but
»
June 10, 2013 — John Hinderaker
CBS News is reporting on an Inspector General’s report on a series of scandals involving Hillary Clinton’s State Department. The most troubling aspect of the OIG report, according to CBS, is the extent to which senior State Department officials have tried to quash investigations of wrongdoing. Mrs. Clinton is not specifically named in the CBS report: CBS News’ John Miller reports that according to an internal State Department Inspector General’s
»
