Opinions

HUDSON: A New Year’s resolution

HUDSON: A New Year’s resolution

One year ago, our nation was deeply divided by politics and impacted by the surging COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as we begin 2022, many of the same dynamics remain. Throughout the last year, I have stayed focused on delivering results and on the issues that matter most to you. While President Joe Biden promised to unite the country and do the same, I have been disappointed by the radical partisanship from many Washington Democrats, as well as failures to address challenges before us. President Biden spent the past two years promising he would “shut down the virus.” However today, we have…
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MCCAUGHEY: Dems reject work ethic, embrace freeloaders

MCCAUGHEY: Dems reject work ethic, embrace freeloaders

The Democratic Party used to call itself the party of working people and hail the “dignity of work.” No more. Now Democrats want to guarantee people who choose not to work an income funded by the suckers who do the right thing by showing up for work, caring for their family and paying taxes.  Fortunately, these self-supporting Americans just dodged a bullet. The failure to pass Build Back Better in Congress, thanks to holdout Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) means that the monthly checks or automatic bank deposits to parents with kids, sometimes dubbed Biden Bucks, come to an end…
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ERICKSON: Reversing Roe

ERICKSON: Reversing Roe

This past Wednesday, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In the case, Mississippi is seeking Court approval on a law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks, but Mississippi also argues Roe v. Wade itself should be reversed by the Court. It appears there are six votes on the Court for gutting Roe and five for reversing it altogether. One must remember that in major cases like this, the justices of the Court need no persuasion from the lawyers. Instead, it is through the lawyers that the justices have an initial…
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SHAPIRO: Reality remains undefeated

SHAPIRO: Reality remains undefeated

This week, a 39-year-old black man in Waukesha, Wisconsin, plowed a maroon Ford Escape into a Christmas parade of children and older women. Six people were killed and another 48 were injured. The motive of the suspect is unknown; if the media have their way, it will remain that way. The media apparently only care about why suspects commit violent acts when motives can be credited to their political enemies.  There is one thing we do know: the suspect should not have been on the street. He had a rap sheet longer than the first five books of the Bible.…
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HARSANYI: Democrats have only themselves to blame for the inflation fiasco

HARSANYI: Democrats have only themselves to blame for the inflation fiasco

It’s been quite a spectacle watching people who credit Democrats with every job created and every percentage point gained in economic growth suddenly arguing that the White House is completely powerless in the face of our current economic predicament. Presidents generally get far too much credit and/or blame for our fortunes, but they can certainly exacerbate existing problems. And our political class has certainly aggravated them with unbridled spending and support for policies that disincentivize work and inhibit energy production. Wholesale prices rose 8.6% from a year ago in October, another record annual gain and the biggest spike in more…
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HUDSON: They fought for us; let’s fight for them

HUDSON: They fought for us; let’s fight for them

Just before Veterans Day in 1983, President Ronald Reagan said, “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.” On Veterans Day, we honor the best our nation has to offer. We honor those who served to keep America safe in times of peril. And we honor their families who have shared in their sacrifices. Without our nation’s veterans, we would not have the America we enjoy today. I can never thank them enough for their…
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BUDD: Making a difference in the opioid crisis

BUDD: Making a difference in the opioid crisis

It has become clear that after years of progress, the COVID-19 pandemic has aided in the opioid crisis spiraling out of control once again. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a record high of 93,331 drug overdose deaths. The vast majority of those deaths were related to opioids. Given the immense human suffering that swept through the country due to opioid overdoses, it is imperative to act quickly to prevent this crisis from gripping more Americans in addiction. First and foremost, we need to help create off-ramps from addiction, and that starts with making certain treatment drugs…
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HARSANYI: The only thing Biden has left is Trump

HARSANYI: The only thing Biden has left is Trump

This week, the president took a trip to Virginia to try to help salvage the gubernatorial prospects of fellow Washington-lifer Terry McAuliffe. President Joe Biden used the appearance to liken the GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin to Jan. 6 rioters, to lie about Republicans supporting “book bans” and to attempt to goad former President Donald Trump into coming to Virginia.  Biden wants to talk about one person these days, and that person isn’t Biden. Then again, what does he possibly have to brag about? Shutting down COVID? More Americans have died from the disease during his presidency than his predecessors,…
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HUDSON: Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend scheme

HUDSON: Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend scheme

President Ronald Reagan wisely said, “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.” Today, our national debt is an unfathomable $29 trillion, and President Reagan’s warning has never been truer. It’s no secret that President Joe Biden and Washington Democrats are addicted to spending your hard-earned money. Their so-called “Reconciliation Plan” is a prime example. This massive entitlement and climate change bill, a radical proposal written by Bernie Sanders, will transform our society into something we don’t recognize and will cripple our economy. Washington Democrats have been…
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BARONE: Republicans gain big in blue-collar elections but narrowly in affluent state legislative elections

BARONE: Republicans gain big in blue-collar elections but narrowly in affluent state legislative elections

State legislative special elections provide an interesting index of partisan sentiment these days. That wasn’t so in the late 20th century, when clever local candidates and notables often got voters to cross party lines. But in this century of increasing partisan polarization and straight-ticket voting, local special elections are a proxy for opinion on national issues. In that light, consider the results of the two special legislative elections that have resulted in a change of parties so far this year.  The first was in Connecticut’s 36th state Senate district on Aug. 17. This is the richest state Senate district in…
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