Ken Connor

This week, Senator Tom Coburn released a 600-page plan that would reduce the deficit by $9 trillion over the next ten years by slashing wasteful spending and eliminating an estimated $1 trillion in tax deductions. The plan is not a gimmick, it’s not smoke and mirrors, and it’s not a media stunt. Thankfully, the American people – unlike their representatives in Washington – still retain a measure of common sense. They don’t need a government funded study to tell them what they already know: when it comes to budgets and taxpayer funded expenditures, size matters.

Another week has come and gone, and our government still cannot agree on a plan for addressing America’s impending financial disaster. Each day, Wall Street and Main Street draw closer to the brink. The time for political posturing and half-measures is over. The cancer has metastasized. We need radiation, chemo, and surgery. Unless we are willing to pursue a radical course of treatment we can kiss the American dream of yesteryear goodbye.

Casey Anthony’s acquittal of the killing of her precious child, Caylee, has shocked the nation. A justice system that allows for the possibility of the guilty going free is undoubtedly unpalatable for those who wish to see Caylee Anthony’s death avenged, but it is a standard that recognizes and upholds the notion that life and liberty should not be deprived without due process of law. It’s not a perfect system, but none better has yet been devised by man.

Elevating the rights of women in Muslim Countries is a cause that should galvanize Liberals and Conservatives, Christians, Jews, and American Muslims – indeed, anyone who is interested in equality and liberty and justice for all. The blessing of a free society is that our citizens are free to speak out on this issue even though our public officials can’t find their voice. Is our love of gas-guzzling SUVs and our wrongheaded sense of “multicultural sensitivity” preventing us from giving this issue the attention it deserves?

Three GOP presidential candidates have, for one reason or another, refused to sign a pro-life pledge by the Susan B. Anthony List. They are Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and Gary Johnson. Mr. Cain has clarified that his reticence has nothing to do with ideological opposition and everything to do with his understanding of checks and balances. Johnson has identified himself as pro-choice, so no surprise there. But then there is Governor Romney.

At this point, it’s difficult to tell who among the Republican candidates possesses the rare combination of wisdom, humility, and leadership necessary to break the poisonous cycle of big-government intervention and lead us out of this mess. Mitt Romney and Herman Cain have undeniable leadership and economic appeal, but the former has troubling gubernatorial baggage and the latter isn’t widely known. Can Michelle Bachmann’s ideological purity offset any concerns about her lack of executive experience, or will she be dismissed in the long run as too “Tea Party” for the GOP ticket? Does Pawlenty have the charisma necessary to convince voters he’s the one to beat Obama? Can Newt Gingrich recover from his early stumbles?

In 2007, Candidate Obama made it clear that the president does not have constitutional power to unilaterally authorize military action, but should seek advice and consent from Congress. My, what a difference an election makes. The Senator who made criticism of George W. Bush’s “imperial presidency” a cornerstone of his campaign is now, as President, quite oblivious to his own constitutional limitations with regard to executive power.

Now that they are safely ensconced on the sidelines however, Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, and Donald Trump have all expressed their confidence that – had they chosen to run and secured their party’s nomination – they could have beaten the President. Other than being self-serving, such behavior serves no useful purpose. This behavior is not helpful, and does nothing to advance the conservative cause against Mr. Obama.

Clearly, the Israel-Palestine conflict is not a simple issue, but the choice between alliance with radical anti-Semetic, anti-American factions and Israel should be an easy decision for the United States. There is nothing to be gained by forsaking our Jewish friends at this critical moment in time. Freedom and democracy will never thrive in the Middle East if America adopts an attitude of indifference towards the relentless campaign of terror being waged against the nation of Israel.

Once upon a time, the American people possessed the virtues of discipline, determination and discernment. Back then, we lived within our means and understood the importance of delayed gratification. But, times have changed. These days, our “Me, Myself, and I” culture insists on instant gratification and has been all too willing to mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren in order to have it all now. There’ll be no fixing this without significant discomfort on everyone’s part. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we can get to work fixing this problem.

The desire for freedom is something hardwired into the fabric of the human soul. Unfortunately, so is the desire for power and control. This tension is playing out today in cities across the Middle East, as protestors eager for reform find themselves targeted by brutal dictatorial regimes. As inspiring as these cries for liberty may be, it is questionable whether stable, authentic democracy will ever triumph in the Middle East. Why? Quite simply, because the region lacks some of the essential cultural foundations necessary for democracy to thrive.

Though it may seem morbid to rejoice and celebrate over the killing of a person, his demise offers those afflicted by the tragedy of 9/11 an important sense of closure, and the men and women who have put their lives on the line in the War on Terror a feeling of great triumph. It also offers an opportunity for moderate Muslims to reclaim their faith from a man who hijacked it in the name of global jihad.

Things have to get pretty bad before the politicians begin to say no to their benefactors. But, that’s exactly what’s beginning to happen, thanks to America’s worsening debt crisis. What’s truly interesting about this development is what it indicates about the severity of the economic crisis facing our nation. Even Democrats are beginning to realize that it is no longer fiscally viable to insulate labor unions from economic reality.

The American people made it clear in the last election that they are ready for true leadership on the debt and deficit issue. They don’t want the rhetoric or logic that brought us the bailouts. They don’t want more of the same lame excuses and convoluted logic. They want their representatives to make the hard decisions and do the work they’ve been elected to do. They want the government to cut spending and live within its means. If that’s going to prove painful, the people who got us into this fix (us!) should have to live with the consequences – not our children and grandchildren.

All rhetoric and hyperbole aside, it is a documented fact that Planned Parenthood is an ideologically-driven organization dedicated to advancing a radical pro-abortion agenda. When the organization and its supporters decry evil Republicans’ attempts to deny critical “family planning” services to low-income women, they are not talking about adoption services or birth control – they are talking about in-clinic abortions, the abortion pill, and efforts to spread their anti-family, anti-child agenda to the women of the world. Why are the taxpayers forced to fund this organization?

By creating idealized visions of great men like Martin Luther King Jr., we dehumanize them. This process not only shortchanges the profundity of their accomplishments, it provides the rest of us with a convenient “hero exemption,” a justification for a self-centered disconnection from the outside world and an unwillingness to stand on principle in the face of adversity.

Years of political myopathy have brought America to the brink of financial and moral bankruptcy. Both conditions threaten the republic, and we cannot recover from one without addressing the root causes of the other. Our collective pursuit of “a more perfect union” must be one that takes into account the many dimensions of human society and the human person. This endeavor requires leaders who will put the country first, and who have the courage and vision to see past the current election cycle. Cut corners in pursuit of the easy win, and nothing will ever change.

As fond as the Left may be of casting America as the world’s great villain, they should be careful what they wish for. Without America’s political and moral example in the world (reinforced by our economic and military power), any hopes for the continued advancement of global political liberty and universal human rights would be greatly compromised. If we don’t get serious, and fast, it will soon be too late to stop this runaway train.

As might be expected, then, the childcare industry is heavily-regulated. adly, however, that the same pains are not taken to protect a class of individuals that is just as weak, vulnerable, and helpless as children. According to a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 90% of nursing homes employ at least one ex-convict. Why is this happening?

When a cherished liberty is exploited for a dubious purpose, do the perpetrators of that exploitation retain the right to exercise that liberty, or should the right be circumscribed “for the greater good?” The US Supreme Court answered this question last week with its ruling that the anti-military, anti-gay protest activities of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution. But try as they might to garner attention with their hateful words, the Westboro Baptist Church’s message will never resonate as loud as the message being sent by the Patriot Guard Riders.

The Scriptures haven’t changed, and neither has our Constitution or the need for stable, healthy families. The only thing that has changed with respect to the evolution of the President’s new found position on marriage is his political calculus. Apparently, the only firm foundation for the President’s convictions is the ever shifting tide of public opinion.

Do our leaders have what it takes to endure the repercussions of decisive action on the budget deficit? Are they willing to risk their careers in order to effect true reform? And, do the American people have the integrity and character to support authentic attempts to balance the budget? Or will we take to the streets in protest when the rubber hits the road and actual cuts are proposed?

Taxes are to government as calories are to people. Lots of tax money is necessary to sustain a big government. When the government requires more of our money in taxes, less is available for the people. And as government grows bigger and bigger on a steady diet of tax money, it occupies a bigger and bigger presence in the lives of its citizens, thereby limiting their freedom even more.

The “scientific” world view is a rather fragile one, in which there is little room for debate outside the accepted parameters of prevailing scientific dogmas. Those scientists with the courage to challenge these dogmas quickly find themselves blacklisted – relegated to the fringes of the profession, unable to secure prestigious positions in the community and unlikely to get their work published in prominent journals. This is hardly conduct befitting a field of study that prides itself on the objective pursuit of truth.

Turns out, Liberals aren’t as keen on multiculturalism as they claim. Their views might be best described as “Our-culturalism.” The tenets of our-culturalism are quite simple: Our worldview is right, good, and absolutely necessary for a just society. Those who disagree with us are not merely wrong, not merely different, they are a positive threat – hatemongers who must be isolated and ostracized for the greater good of society.