By Chuck Hobbs – At what point do we, the people, tire of celebrity political candidates? This week, former Olympian Carl Lewis announced that he is running for the U. S. Senate in New Jersey. On the right, Donald Trump continues to garner headlines for fueling the “Birther” fanatics–those who believe President Obama to be […]
Blogs
The GOP’s Diversity Issues
By Chuck Hobbs – As Census results pour in, it is becoming clear that the nation’s largest minority, Hispanics, are registering in greater numbers as Democrats. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, whose wife, Columba, is Mexican, routinely implores Republican leaders to develop strategies to attract more Hispanic voters. Good luck. What Republicans have with respect […]
President Obama: Disengaged or Behind the Scenes Leader?
By Chuck Hobbs – President Obama draws frequent criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats for being “disengaged.” A clear example of this was the bashing he took from a number of right wing pundits for being “on vacation” in Brazil while U.S. Warplanes struck Libya two weeks ago. Or the cries of “aloof” when […]
Knowledge of U.S. History and Government on the Decline Among Americans
Don’t know much about history… According to a recent Newsweek poll, only one in 10 Americans knows the name of one of the authors of the Federalist Papers (Alexander Hamilton/James Madison). Only one in five knows who was president during World War I (Woodrow Wilson). And only one in four knows why the Cold War […]
“Pull Your Pants Up” Legislation Passes from Senate in Florida
I’m one of those people who thinks government is doing a little too much intruding in our lives. Too much regulation keeps government workers employed but doesn’t do much else. This Florida bill will prohibit students from wearing clothing that exposes their butt. What in the world? Some schools require uniforms and others have very […]
Tenure and Teacher Performance under Fire
Over the past 50 years, one of the most contentious debates has centered upon the direction of public schools in America. Whether it was integration and forced busing, or the current flavor of the month—removal of tenure for public school teachers—education remains at the forefront of political debate. As to tenure, several states, including Florida […]
Obama the Pragmatist
This week, news that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would not return for a second term initially struck me as a sign that she may resign and run against her boss in the Democrat primary. After reading transcripts of her interview that concern has been allayed—for now. Still, I find it troubling that Secretary […]
White Collar Crime in the news
By Chuck Hobbs – For most of us alive in the 1980’s, when you think of insider trading, two people, one real and the other fictional, spring to mind: Ivan Boesky and Gordon Gekko. Boesky, as we remember, was sentenced to 3.5 years in Federal prison for insider trading in 1986. Gekko, played by Michael […]
Obama Administration rather silent on economic discrimination
Recently, I got to thinking about all of the “reverse discrimination” talk that one hears suggesting that minorities and women are taking over America. The falsity in this notion would be hilarious if it want so dangerous. A glance at the top leaders among major corporations would show few minorities. The same holds true among […]