James Sharp

Of Sandwich Cookies and Deficit Dollars

This week, the venerable Oreo cookie celebrated its one hundredth birthday. The delicious little sandwich cookie first burst upon the scene on March 6th, 1912. Just about everyone has heard of Oreos, few people have not eaten them, and the term “Oreo” is synonymous with snacking – albeit not terribly healthy snacking.

“Intellectual Enlightenment” and Liberalism

Tom Chivers of the UK Telegraph, in a recent column, made the statement that, if a Republican wins the White House this November, science will lose. Mr. Chivers tries to make the case that conservatives, in general, do not share the same level of “enlightenment” possessed by liberals. This extreme level of condescension that typifies liberals is one that has been with us for a very long time. But what exactly makes liberals think that they have a monopoly on enlightenment?

You’re NOT Alone!

Do you shake your head in amazement every time you hear news reports that indicate that President Obama's approval ratings are somewhere near fifty percent? Do you find yourself asking, "Exactly WHO are these fifty percent?" If so, you're not alone.

A Tea Partier Challenges Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), who also happens to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is at it again. She has launched another surprise assault in her personal vendetta against the Tea Party movement which is, in itself, a subset of the conservative movement in America:

Are Democrats Your Friends?

With the close of 2011 and the dawn of 2012, the Obama administration is trying to portray the president as a "warrior for the middle class".

Athletic Shoes and Capitalism

A brouhaha has erupted this week over the Nike shoe company's release of a twenty-first century version of the wildly-popular "Air Jordan" athletic shoes.

Choosing Sides

With the first of the nation's primaries looming, we find ourselves, as one electorate, faced with a choice regarding the economic direction of our country. For three years now, we have seen President Obama and the Democrats spend our nation into the abyss to an even greater extent than did the Bush administration. Just when you thought that our spending problem could get no worse, Obama - with the people's blessing – has managed to kick it into warp drive a la Captain Kirk. With our nation's debt having eclipsed the fifteen trillion dollar mark, we could use Buzz Lightyear's tag-line and say, "To infinity and beyond!"

How Many Individual Mandates?

Ever since Congressional Democrats rammed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) down the collective throats of the American people and it was signed into law by President Obama in early-2010, the most contentious aspect of it has been the individual mandate provision. This is the portion of the law that requires every American to carry some form of health insurance. It is the individual mandate around which most of the constitutional challenges to the law are centered. The argument concerns the limits of the government’s authority to force citizens to purchase any kind of product – specifically, health insurance.

A Debt Crisis or a Liberalism Crisis?

As the year 2011 draws to a close, it seems that, if there was one word that has defined this year, that word would be "DEBT". Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with the word, Local governments are finding themselves mired in debt as a result of their free-wheeling spending during the late-1990's and early 2000's and the reductions in ad valorem tax receipts that have resulted from the bursting of the real estate bubble. Most states are facing debt crises; especially those that have historically been led by liberals - states such as California, New York, and Illinois. We need not even mention (but we will) the nation's $15 trillion debt - a sum that boggles the mind of those capable of comprehending the magnitude thereof and one that carries little meaning to the rest.

Let It Burn

I profess to be neither an economist nor a political science expert. But after watching the campaign for the presidency for the past four months or so, the cynic in me wonders if the Republican Party and conservatives might not be better off throwing in the towel now and letting President Obama have the second term that he and his supporters so desperately want.

Occupy Wall Street Job Fair???

This morning (Wednesday the 19th) on Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel, host Brian Kilmeade interviewed Chery Casone of the Fox Business Network. Ms. Casone presented information regarding several large corporations that are presently hiring. They included Kraft, AT&T, Pepsico, and ADT.

Of Cold Medicines and Economic Stimuli

President Obama’s jobs bill has been in the news a great deal since he first presented it to the nation nearly a month ago. The Democrats have been touting it as the latest miracle to jump-start our sagging economy. It is the government's latest attempt to reduce the unemployment rate which has been stuck at 9.1 percent for three consecutive months and has not been below 8.8 percent since April of 2009. Most Americans – at least conservative ones – are looking at the plan with a great deal of skepticism, especially after having seen nearly a trillion of our hard-earned tax dollars (or, more accurately, borrowed Chinese dollars) being squandered on a seemingly-endless assortment of insane pet projects benefiting a ridiculously small percentage of Americans (think: Solyndra). Yet the president is still traipsing around the country demanding that Congress, “…pass this bill right now.”

The “Wills” Versus the “Will Nots”

President Obama, since his inauguration, has fueled the fire of class warfare by insisting that wealthy Americans pay "their fair share". The frequency with which he alludes to this - either verbatim or indirectly - in his campaign speeches is as comical as it is predictable.

Presidential Placebo

A placebo is a pharmacologically inert substance – generally in the form of a tablet – that is given to a medical patient either for the patient’s mental benefit or in lieu of an actual drug when testing the effectiveness of a pharmaceutical. Often times, the placebo is a sugar pill; the patient believes that he or she is being given an actual medication and, in some cases, said patient realizes relief from the symptoms of his or her affliction.

A Tea Party State of Mind

The recent election of Republican Bob Turner to the 9th Congressional District seat in New York represents a pivotal event in American politics in the second decade of the 21st century. We are nearly three years into the presidency of Barack Obama and, it seems, the electorate has grown less and less enamored with the far-left policies of the Democrat agenda in general and the Obama presidency in particular. The significance of this election is evidenced by the fact that Democrats have held this seat in Congress for nearly ninety years.

What’s In a Name? – The New Tea Party Moniker

What’s in a name? That rhetorical question has been asked throughout the ages. For instance, the name of an organization is often the key to determining the success of said organization. Take, for example, Waste Management. This corporation has been phenomenally successful hauling and disposing of trash and garbage.

The Politics of Envy

The concept of sin is nearly as old as time itself. Just about every religion includes basic tenets concerning man’s treatment of his fellow human beings. In Judeo-Christian doctrine, The Ten Commandments are mentioned in the Book of Exodus – the second book of the Bible. The Tenth Commandment is the one that deals with envy.

America’s Crisis of Math

A great percentage of news in 2011 has been devoted to America’s spending deficits and debt crisis – specifically the recent battle to raise the country’s debt limit. And rightly so. It could be argued – and many economists make the argument – that the fiscal crisis that we are facing will cripple the nation economically. It could further be argued – and IS by many – that this is already taking place. The immensity of our nation’s debt really does boggle the mind. It is simply not possible for the average person to envision or comprehend the magnitude of a number that ends with twelve zeroes (a trillion), let alone fifteen times that number.

The Economic Buffalo Theory

The "Buffalo Theory" is a concept that was made popular by John Ratzenberger's character, Cliff Clavin, on the 1982-1993 television series "Cheers".

What Political Color Are You?

These days, a great deal is being said about the ever-increasing political polarization the United States. We have seen this taking shape for a number of years now; for decades, it could be argued. One might say that it began in the 1930’s as the social programs of President Franklin Roosevelt were unveiled. We could certainly look at the 1960’s and see this beginning to evolve as the free-love, progressive, hippie movement began to take root. Those aging hippies are now in their 60’s and 70’s and many are in positions of power both in government and in business.