A disturbing global trend away from liberal democracy and towards authoritarianism has taken hold in recent years. Just last week, we learned that Chinese President Xi Jinping consolidated power and potentially extended his tenure as China’s leader for life. Behind closed doors at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Donald Trump praised Xi’s giant step towards totalitarianism: “He’s now… Continue reading Tyranny on the Rise – Why We Must Resist
Author: Aaron
A Plague Infecting White America
Much of white America, especially white male America, is suffering from delusion (Disclosure: I’m a white American man). Too many in my demographic have debased themselves through thoughtless xenophobia, callous sexism, knee-jerk bigotry, and angry cynicism. During the 2016 election, 62% of white males and 52% of white females knowingly cast their vote for a… Continue reading A Plague Infecting White America
Abolishing the Electoral College is Easier Than You Think!
Early on in the night of Election 2012, after it became clear that President Obama had won the Electoral College, Mitt Romney was significantly ahead in the popular vote (while West Coast votes were still being tallied). Several of my conservative friends and relatives complained that it was not fair that Romney lost the election… Continue reading Abolishing the Electoral College is Easier Than You Think!
Hillary Clinton for President of the United States
This bad hombre just voted for the nasty woman. In the words of President Obama, “there has never been a man or a woman — not me, not Bill, nobody — more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America.” I have observed Hillary over the past two decades, not… Continue reading Hillary Clinton for President of the United States
“Rigged Election” Rhetoric is an Affront to American Democracy
Just when we think the presidential campaign can’t get any uglier, Donald Trump begins undermining the integrity of the American electoral system. Make no mistake, his claim that the election is rigged and suggestion that he may not recognize the result are an affront to our Constitution. Since George Washington, we’ve always had a peaceful… Continue reading “Rigged Election” Rhetoric is an Affront to American Democracy
Is Hillary Clinton is Too Polarizing?
Some of Hillary Clinton’s liberal or Democratic opponents worry that she is too polarizing and her favorability ratings too low for her to be a good general election candidate. I felt the same way in 2008 when I cast my primary vote for Barack Obama. I wanted someone who would help bridge the divide in American… Continue reading Is Hillary Clinton is Too Polarizing?
Who’s To Blame for Washington Dysfunction?
At a recent family gathering, one of my ultra conservative relatives lamented how Washington is broken and does not do the people’s will. She added that she could not stand Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, citing his friendship with the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy. She was flabbergasted that a Utah conservative like Senator Hatch could befriend the… Continue reading Who’s To Blame for Washington Dysfunction?
How Preventable Are Firearm Suicides?
Most Americans have probably heard that there are over 30,000 gun deaths per year in the U.S. When confronted with that fact, opponents of gun safety law reform are quick to point out that approximately two thirds of that number are suicides (and they are correct). Their argument tacitly suggests that gun deaths by suicide… Continue reading How Preventable Are Firearm Suicides?
Three Great Reasons to Eat Less Meat
The foods we choose to eat are a product of our culture. The best parts of holidays and family gatherings are often meal times. And when we think of a holiday, we often think of the foods that accompany them: Thanksgiving and turkeys, Christmas and roasts, Memorial Day and barbecues. With the 4th of July… Continue reading Three Great Reasons to Eat Less Meat
Support Israel’s Security, Not Its Conquests
Americans have a deep sympathy for Israel’s founding story, which is rooted in the Jewish people’s emergence from one of the greatest crimes of all time- the Holocaust. We recognize that since its founding, Israel has experienced continuous hostility from some of its neighbors – a hostility that continues today. Americans will always have Israel’s… Continue reading Support Israel’s Security, Not Its Conquests
Voter Fraud vs. Voter Suppression- Which is the Real Problem?
After the November 2012 election, Republicans across the country were understandably frustrated. Conservative media outlets had been predicting an easy win for former Governor Mitt Romney. The right-wing media and blogosphere kept telling Republican voters that the polls were biased towards President Obama. Well-renowned conservative pundit George Will famously predicted that Romney would win the… Continue reading Voter Fraud vs. Voter Suppression- Which is the Real Problem?
Latter-Day Saints Should Applaud Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration
Last week, President Obama announced that because of Congress’s failure to pass a bipartisan immigration reform bill, he is taking executive action to help improve our badly broken immigration system. At the same time, Obama acknowledged that his executive action would not solve all of our immigration challenges and that only new legislation would provide a… Continue reading Latter-Day Saints Should Applaud Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration
Propagandizing Public Education
Across the U.S., conservative-dominated school boards have sought to manipulate public education curricula by overruling relevant experts in subjects such as history, economics, and science, establishing requirements to teach subjects through a conservative lens, and via outright censorship. In 2010, the Texas Board of Education approved a social studies curriculum that questioned the Founding Fathers’… Continue reading Propagandizing Public Education
What Do Stalin, Mao and Obama Have in Common? Nothing.
Over the past several years, as President Barack Obama has occupied the White House, his detractors have ceaselessly labeled his policies as communist or socialist. Pundits like Glenn Beck often carefully choreographed imagery of the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle flag, or the Nazi’s swastika when referring to Mr. Obama and his policies. The notion… Continue reading What Do Stalin, Mao and Obama Have in Common? Nothing.
Vigilantism’s Return to America
Several weeks ago, George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of murder in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin, made an appearance at a Florida gun show as the guest of honor. Zimmerman was invited by the gun show’s organizer, who had supported Zimmerman at his trial, to help promote the event by signing… Continue reading Vigilantism’s Return to America
State Capitals Are Key to 2014 Election
Most Americans claim they are tired of bitter partisanship and Congressional gridlock in Washington. The non-stop manufactured crises, including the show-downs over the federal budget and debt ceiling, the more than 40 House votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the unprecedented use of the filibuster in the Senate to block even routine executive… Continue reading State Capitals Are Key to 2014 Election
Obamacare Unlocks American Innovation
America’s antiquated health care insurance system has hampered innovation and ultimately slowed economic growth for decades due to the insurance system’s perverse incentives. However, the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, has done much to reverse those disincentives. Consider the following scenario: Imagine you work for a large company that pays an acceptable salary.… Continue reading Obamacare Unlocks American Innovation
Is Obamacare Doomed for Failure?
When the media finds a narrative it loves, it tends to hang on, even when the facts do not compute. The poll numbers for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, have plummeted since the embarrassingly flawed roll-out of the online health insurance exchanges, and as reports spread regarding cancellations of some lower-grade insurance policies.… Continue reading Is Obamacare Doomed for Failure?
The Tyranny of Gross Wealth Inequality
In a 2012 General Conference address, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, expressed concern about “the ever-growing gap between the rich and poor.” Elder Ballard’s concern about gross wealth inequality has been shared by many of his predecessors. Elder Orson Pratt… Continue reading The Tyranny of Gross Wealth Inequality
Shutdown Antics Threaten Constitutional Order
The current shutdown of the federal government and upcoming showdown over the debt ceiling has caused many people to ask who is to blame for this gridlock. The media, in its effort to try to report both sides of the story, often end up giving balanced treatment to an unbalanced phenomenon. What we have is… Continue reading Shutdown Antics Threaten Constitutional Order