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Immigration amnesty by executive order

November 18, 2014 By Gene Veith

President Obama, having been unable to get his way in Congress and now faced with a Republican majority in both houses, is reportedly preparing to impose immigration reform by executive fiat. granting amnesty to millions of people who are here illegally. (more…)

Fixing the Senate

October 24, 2014 By Gene Veith

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In a column on Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, who–IF he gets re-elected to the Senate and IF Republicans win a majority on that body–could be the next Senate Majority Leader, George Will offers an explanation of why the Senate is paralyzed and how a Republican victory could fix things. (more…)

“America is unraveling”

February 21, 2014 By Gene Veith

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Deroy Murdock plumbs new depths of pessimism about our government and our political system. Does he have a point? From “The United States of Decline,” at National Review Online | Print:

America is unraveling at a stunning speed and to a staggering degree. This decline is breathtaking, and the prognosis is dim. (more…)

Bob Dylan, Chrysler salesman

February 4, 2014 By Gene Veith

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So what did you think of Bob Dylan’s Chrysler commercial? There he was, clear voiced, no mumbling, unobscure, voicing over some great Americana imagery. (He doesn’t appear until 47 seconds in.) I’m assuming that he wrote the script. Though it lacks Dylan’s trademark surrealistic imagery, the commercial sounds like him with lines like these:

So let Germany brew your beer,
Let Switzerland make your watch,
Let Asia assemble your phone.
We…will build…your car.

Compare this with the lyrics to his protectionist anthem Union Sundown. The only thing is, Chrysler is now fully owned by Fiat, so it’s an Italian company, not American. They do make some of their cars here, but not necessarily. Still, I vote this as best Superbowl commercial.

The transcript after the jump. (You might get the video at the link above, though Chrysler has taken it off YouTube for copyright violations, though I thought going viral was what you wanted in a commercial.) (more…)

Flying into a crime scene

November 4, 2013 By Gene Veith

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Flying into California for my grandson’s baptism, I had to connect through LAX. This was on Friday, the day of the shootings at that airport. That happened in the morning. My plane was coming in that afternoon. We heard about the shootings just before we started to board. The plane had DirectTV if you wanted to pay for it, so to see what we were getting into, I sprung for it and watched the news unfold. After the chaos of the morning, things had settled down by the time we landed. Flights were coming and going, though they were terribly backed up all through the day, and my connecting flight was cancelled. Anyway, I finally caught a flight out and made it to my destination. Still, it was sobering to fly into a crime scene like that. Things on the news happen to real people, just like us, and some of the bad things we see on TV could happen to us. The point is obvious, of course, but still. . . .

Details about the shooting after the jump.

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When the president does it, it’s not illegal

August 16, 2013 By Gene Veith

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Those who oppose Obamacare may well be glad that the President keeps delaying the implementation of parts of the law (namely, the employer mandate and the limits on out-of-pocket expenses). But there is a deeper issue: The law says that these measures are to go into effect in 2014. But now the President says, “no they won’t.” By what authority can the President just change a Constitutionally-enacted law?

George Will says that the President’s increasing habit of by-passing Congress, ignoring laws, and legislating by Executive fiat is an example of the flagrantly unconstitutional principle affirmed by Richard Nixon : “When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.” (more…)