Not so tasty. McDonald’s laying off and closing restaurants? Unheard of. Read about it on MSNBC.com. Time was, McDonald’s was the hottest corporation in America. Countless people have gotten their start in the working world working the grill or register at McD’s, including yours truly. Frankly, the quality of service at the chain has slipped,…
Op-Ed Blog
Republicans to Make Tax Cut Stick
Republicans are likely to make the tax cut passed last year permanent. To hear Daniel Gross tell it, that’s a bad thing. Not so. First and foremost, taxes are not a government entitlement. Reducing spending is not a crime. It is, however, inadvisable at this time. As demonstrated during the Reagan years, reducing taxes leads…
A Republican Sweep!
Well, perhaps not a clean sweep, but certainly a prevailing breeze is in the air. For the first time in many years, the President of the U.S.A. will have a Congress controlled by his own party. The fact that the rulers are the Republicans, a party that generally respects party lines, indicates that the vast…
Electronic Voting Working
After a rough start in Florida, new voting machines are working smoothly everywhere they’ve been implemented. Read about it on MSNBC.com. Now, if only we could vote from the convenience of home. The technology is there, but as NPR reported today, there are concerns over security and validity of votes. Congrats to Harris County, where…
A Perspective on Football
Baylor University announced that football coach Kevin Steele has been sacked, effective at the end of the seaon. Read about it in the Houston Chronicle. The fact of the matter is that Baylor has stunk at the game of football for some time now, long before Steele got there, and will continue to be a…
Palestinians: Terrorists?
The group Human Rights Watch says “Palestinians who launch suicide attacks against Israeli civilians are guilty of crimes against humanity, and Yasser Arafat has not done enough to deter them.” Read the AP story on Yahoo.com. Apparently the obvious does need saying. This is the first time we can recall this truth written or spoken…
Radicals Target Girls’ Schools in Afghanistan
Reports are sketchy as to the amount of damage done, but radicals one can only presume to be Islamic in nature are attacking schools in Afghanistan now. Read the Reuters story on Yahoo.com. What can you say about a belief system such as this? Does anything need to be said?
Crime, Definition and Punishment
Must juries adhere to the letter of the law? A referendum in South Dakota might mean the end of that standard Read the LA Times story. There are many times and places where the literal application of the law creates an injustice. That is undisputable. However, what would become of justice if each jury were…
Deportation Best Option
Foreign nationals suspected of association with terrorists often cannot be formally charges. The U.S. seems to be using deportation as a method of disposing of these cases. Read the LA Times story. In the days before 9/11, sending a seemingly nice person back to, say Pakistan, seemed like harsh punishment for nebulous rules violations. Now,…
Mandatory Voting
Here’s a first: something worth reading in USA Today. The subject – making voting mandatory. Read their article. Personally, I cringe at the very thought of who a law like this might bring to the polls; however, it’s a good idea. Obviously something needs to be done in the U.S. to get our citizenry to…