Op-Ed

A couple weeks ago, I attended a community meeting hosted by faith leaders in Northern Virginia’s Prince William County that brought together more than 1,000 anxious homeowners and several leading mortgage lenders. 

The IRS wants poor people to pay higher taxes. And it has figured out a way to do so without a rate increase. It is called a return-free system. Instead of completing your 1040 form yourself, the IRS would fill it out for you. All you have to do is cut a check. Congress is currently considering a bill to create such a system: H.R. 1069, sponsored by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.).

The White House had several warnings to avoid the Solyndra scandal, but it was too blinded by its ideological and political goals to heed them. The Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee program never should have grown to become a slush fund for political allies and pet causes. We need accountability mechanisms to ensure taxpayers are not stuck funding politically motivated investments in the future.

Does significant tax reform happen in America every quarter-century? Could we once again see a victory for bipartisanship and constructive consensus on a key economic issue? It certainly seems possible that we could be on the edge of a new round of profound tax reform.

Though I am not expecting a cable TV show of my own, I am continuing to mine the “myth buster” vein I opened last week. This time, however, I’ll tackle an even bigger myth — The Myth of the Independent Voter, to borrow the title of a nearly 20-year-old book.

Democrats complaining about my judgment that President Obama cannot win reelection insist there’s still a chance. It is reminiscent of the Jim Carrey character in the movie “Dumb and Dumber,” when he asks the pretty girl if he has a chance with her. She replies that the chances are not good. He persists, asking if his chances are, like, 1 in 100. She says no, “more like 1 in a million.” He pauses and ponders before getting a huge smile on his face and exulting, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!” 

Thirty-two years ago today, Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The blow to America and its diplomatic efforts in the region was profound, and the impact on U.S. relationships in the Muslim world is still with us in many vivid ways. 

Domestic Violence Awareness Month officially ended Nov. 1, and October brought troubling headlines on the issue. 

Herman Cain is by no means the first powerful man to be accused of sexual harassment. And we don’t know whether he’s guilty or not. But what we do know doesn’t look good.

Antitrust enforcement has certainly been revived at the Obama Justice Department.