Mike Jensen

Coddling

In a recent Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, Warren Buffett, the second-wealthiest man in America with an estimated net worth of $45 billion, argued that his 2010 tax bill of just under $7 million was embarrassingly low and should have been far higher.

A Tale of Two Recessions

Pundits have taken to calling the 2008 financial meltdown the "Great Recession," hinting at the idea that this was the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s and 40s. This is a clever name. Not only does it have a nice ring to it; it also provides cover for the current resident of the White House, as it allows him to blame the anemic recovery/ongoing recession on the terrible economic situation he "inherited."

My Fall Reading List

Whenever I hear someone say, “I belong to a reading group, and just recently we read and discussed [insert obscure book title here]…” I picture a group of effete people sitting around in plush armchairs in front of a roaring fire, pipes in their mouths and patches on the elbows of their smoking jackets, saying things like, “Oh yes, the symbolic abstraction of the personification of the protagonist is emblematic of the author’s objectivist motif.”

Pity the Control Freaks

I write a lot about liberty in this column. I’m for it, by the way. I like liberty, and I’m proud of the United States and Canada (my birth country and my adopted country) for being at the forefront of a struggle for liberty that has led to 90 nations today being considered “free,” “mostly free,” or “moderately free” by the Heritage Foundation / Wall Street Journal combined report, “Index of Economic Freedom.”

The Beauty of State Competition

I’ve been thinking about the concept of state vs. federal government power this week. I have gained a new appreciation for this concept of late. I’m reading a book by Judge Andrew Napolitano titled, The Constitution in Exile. Napolitano notes that the federal government is granted only eighteen specific powers in the U.S. Constitution. These include such things as imposing taxes, borrowing money, and establishing a post office.

The Media Exposed…Again

The first presidential race that I remember growing up is the 1980 race between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. I was more interested in other things at the time, but my parents talked about it incessantly. They felt that Carter was possibly the worst president of the 20th Century, and they desperately hoped that Ronald Reagan would win the election and bring true leadership back to America.

Looking for the Pill in the Twinkie

The United States and Canada are both facing what many experts call an obesity “epidemic.” Of course, in our current sensationalist media environment, just about everything can be considered an epidemic, from Swine Flu to foreclosures to Tea Party membership.

English for Insane People

I am by training an English professor. Being an English professor is not a popular job, as evidenced by the number of bullet holes I regularly find in my home’s all-natural artificial log siding.

A Free and Fair Canada

I’m proud of the fact that Canada is a country known for freedom and fairness. In fact, the Heritage Foundation’s recently released 2011 Index of Economic Freedom ranks Canada sixth in the world in economic freedom, behind only Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

Christmas Food from a Former Friend

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And I don’t say that just because once again my wife barely survived the annual “Day After Thanksgiving, 4:00 a.m., Grab A Gift and Get the Hell Out Before You’re Trampled to Death” shopping extravaganza.

All I Want for Christmas Is to Be a Math Teacher

It’s the Christmas season again, and you can feel that Christmas spirit everywhere. It’s the time of year when we’re inundated with the sights and sounds of the season: chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, two women coming to blows over the last Tickle Me Elmo.

The Proper Role of Government

I saw something interesting on television the other night. It was late and I was channel surfing when I came upon an old video clip of Michael Moore giving a speech at Mott Community College in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. You’ll remember Moore from such highly-edited, quasi-documentaries as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 911.” As you can imagine, I’m not a big fan of Michael Moore.

You Thought I Was Kidding

Government exists for just two purposes: (1) to provide its citizens with the freedom to live their lives as they so choose, and (2) to protect us from those, both foreign and domestic, who would try to take away that freedom. Once government steps outside of those two purposes, it is itself taking away that freedom.

Just How Separate Should They Be?

The year 2007 was America’s and Virginia’s 400th anniversary. I was living in Virginia at the time, and it was cause for celebration. It also reminded me why those hardy Jamestown settlers risked—and often gave—their all to come to this new world. This is a reminder we should all have on a regular basis.

The Dangers of Do-Gooders

It’s easy in today’s politically charged climate to see those with whom we disagree as despicable monsters intent on the destruction of everything we hold dear. Liberals paint conservatives as selfish fat cats who want to take advantage of the poor and defenseless. Conservatives see liberals as power-hungry despots constantly searching for new ways to enhance the size and scope of government.

Why I Don’t Believe in Man-Made Global Warming

I don’t buy the warnings of Al Gore and others about man-made global warming. I have written extensively on the topic, and Canada Free Press regularly runs pieces debunking the global warming scam.

Two Men Who Changed America

I was born in 1964, just when things were getting really weird in this country—although I don’t think there was any connection between the two.

Just Call Me Liberal

I’m a liberal. A flaming, radical liberal. This may surprise several of my readers—both supporters and opponents—who I’m sure would consider my positions to be very conservative. The problem is, what most people consider “liberal” and “conservative” really has nothing to do with the true meanings of “liberal” and “conservative.”

Environmentalist Holy Rollers

Two seemingly unrelated events happened recently that have given me a deeper understanding of the radical environmental movement in this country and throughout the world.

We Ain’t so Dumb

One of liberals’ favorite attacks on conservatives is to label us as “dumb.” We’re simple-minded, or we only see in black and white while the world exists in shades of grey, or—in the case of Rush Limbaugh fans—we’re “mind-numbed robots.”