Dr. Tony Magana

Border GAO Report Urges Tougher Gun Laws

A government report purporting to examine the policies to prevent gun smuggling from the United States to Mexico comes to political conclusions urging stricter gun control in the face of incomplete and contradictory evidence about border security. This week the Government Accounting Office(GAO) released the results of their investigation on U.S. efforts to combat arms trafficking to Mexico.

Health Care Quality is Not Just Statistics

Liberal advocates for health care reform point to evidence based medicine as the panacea to a burgeoning dilemma. A true health care change should additionally be based on acquiescence to what contributes to patient satisfaction and how our impious culture negatively impacts this goal.

The Patient’s Choice Act is What America Needs

Must Americans choose between the status quo of the public-private mix of health care or a new government controlled monopoly? There exists a third option, a viable Conservative Republican idea, which is market driven, renders competition in price and quality, and is consistent with the Federalist concept of state sovereignty in exercise.

America’s Nuclear Power Lag: GOP Initiative Reflects Realities

While President Barack Obama welcomed the “peaceful development” of nuclear power plants in Iran and other countries which do not see themselves as friends of the United States, he and his liberal Democratic colleagues seem intent on killing off the remnants of the nuclear power industry in the United States. Although candidate Obama said he would consider nuclear power use if a reasonable solution can be found to storing nuclear waste, President Obama has taken absolutely no action in developing civilian nuclear power. The comprehensive energy program of the Democratic Congress, the Waxman-Markey bill does not even mention nuclear power.

Obama’s Federal Deficit Crisis

The rapidly increasing federal deficit under the Obama administration and liberal Democratic Congress is impinging national security, threatening economic recovery, limiting sovereignty, and creating a legacy of burden for generations to come. Both government analysts and think tank economists are saying that the national debt will likely be doubled in the next five years. This is actually a conservative estimate which assumes that the economy will start a significant recovery next year and does not take into account possible massive costs of cap and trade legislation or health care reform.

Is Obama Compromise an Empty Promise?

President Obama at the Notre Dame commencement and erstwhile has said that a compromise goal of pro-choice and pro-life groups could be the reduction of the total number of abortions. He conceded that abortion is a tough spiritual and health decision which weighs heavily on the woman affected. The absence of adequate adoption services and lack of societal support of a woman who decides to carry an unintended pregnancy to term were factors that need to be addressed if the number of abortions is to be reduced was remarked upon, as well as a need for expanded availability of reproductive education and contraceptive services.

A Conservative Dilemma:Illegal Drugs

Different persuasions of conservatism have opposed each other on the appropriate solution to illegal drugs but now circumstances should warrant a closer look at the libertarian point of view. The current drug policy of the United States is a two front assault: Try to limit the supply of drugs abroad and try to limit their consumption at home. Unfortunately there continues to be a dismal failure in achieving either objective.

Democrats Must Come Clean

The Democratic Party and President Barack Obama promised the American people that his administration would bring in a new era of accountability, transparency and trust between the American people and their government. It seems the third most powerful person in government, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) did not get the memo.

Tax Change Hurts Seniors,Workers,Jobs

The proposed capital gains and dividend tax increase by the Democrats and President Obama plays on a false myth that such taxes only affect the wealthy. An analysis of this measure shows that it will negatively impact America’s seniors, the value of retirement plans of American workers, reduce the capital needed to rebuild the economy, and # the growth of the American jobs.

Congress Must Investigate McKiernan Firing

Obama wrongly thought we could deal with the Taliban but instead now we find ourselves in the middle of a growing civil war in both countries. Today the announcement of the relief of Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, comes as the latest news in the flawed Obama strategy or perhaps best described as absence of strategy for Afghanistan-Pakistan. There has been growing controversy about whether U.S. military operations in the region have been stacking up unacceptable numbers of civilian casualties but is it fair to blame McKiernan?

No Economic Spark from Energy Bill

The Waxman-Markey Climate Bill is a package deal combining climate change initiatives including cap and trade, smart energy grid , energy efficiency and renewable energy standards. Liberal House Democrats are trying to force the measure through as a package because they know cap and trade alone will not pass. Considerable irritation with the cap and trade proposal is growing on the Democratic side of the aisle because of the increasingly apparent punitive nature of the bill to consumers and certain regions of the country.

Obama Deregulation Promotes Union Corruption

Obama’s labor initiative gives union leaders a blank check to commit fraud and engage in corruption by removing mandatory fiscal record keeping and reporting.

DC Poor Demand Obama Restart Vouchers

Imagine an issue where citizens with an average income of $18,000 per year oppose President Obama and the Democrats and demand a Republican initiative be put back in place in public demonstrations.

Why the Pro-Life Movement is Growing

Americans are embracing Pro-Life! What caused the rightward turn in American values reported by a liberal research group despite overwhelming liberal media bias and political activism? This shift is due to the underestimated and continuing influence of organized religion in America. An understanding of the impact of community churches on American values and American life is essential to rebuilding conservative coalitions in America.

Vatican: No Obama Speech At Notre Dame

There may never another moment in history for Catholics to show their faith as important. Stand up and be counted, join Archbishop Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Vatican’s highest court, the Apostolic Signatura, in calling on Catholics to demand that President Obama not speak at Notre Dame.

Nonintervention Forgotten Conservative Ideal

Although Obama and the Democrats proclaimed they would change the direction of American foreign policy away from that of the Bush administration instead we find Obama is becoming an even more enthusiastic interventionist. Conservatives must shun the Neo-Conservative notions of interventionism and return to the traditional conservative concept of nonintervention promoted by Republicans, Senator Taft in the past and Congressman Paul in the present.

What Star Wars Teaches Conservatives

The 1977 classic movie, Star Wars, portrayed an epic struggle between a righteous outnumbered few (Rebel alliance) against a much stronger dominant government (Empire). The now well known story tells how a small group of activists can effect change by adhering to their principals as a source of power and focusing their efforts on the identifiable vulnerability of their adversary. A useful analogy may be drawn to the current situation of contemporary conservative activism.

The Politics of Tamiflu

Obama and the liberal left are complicit in poor vigilance and not protecting the American pharmaceutical industry which is strategically important to the health and security of the United States. Every hour we are hearing about more cases of Swine Flu H1N1 infection occurring around the world. The virus has now proven itself to be easily transmissible between people but the question remains about how pathogenic (pathogenicity can be thought of as the potential to cause serious illness or death) the virus will be as it affects large populations. Public health measures such as limiting movement and isolating the affected will help but there is still a potential that 50% of the world’s population could be infected.

Obama’s Pakistan Plan Disaster

Sometimes it takes a warrior to understand that patient strategy can be a better tactic than overt haste. During the Presidential campaign, candidate Obama relished the symbol of appearing more “hawkish” than Senator John McCain when he championed that the United States should actively pursue military action into Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Ladin. During the summer and fall preceding the November 2008 election the two candidates repeatedly clashed about whether it was appropriate to respect the sovereignty of Pakistan or not. McCain insisted that increasing military strikes into Pakistan could destabilize the government whilst Obama strongly felt such actions were “long overdue”.

Obama’s Drone Escalation War Crime?

President Obama is pursuing a dangerous and reckless course of action in Pakistan hoping to get a lucky kill on a top level terrorist that he can turn into political domestic advantage. While the Obama administration is complaining about the Bush administration giving a few admitted terrorists some pain, his reckless policy of escalating drone attacks in Pakistan has falsely claimed to have killed many terrorists but instead has only inflamed the Pakistani population against the U.S. Ironically his decisions may put him at risk of being labeled a war criminal by the international community.