Politics
If Bush lied, Clinton lied
By Tom Quiner “Bush lied” was once again invoked in the letters to the editor in the Des Moines Register this morning. For the record, here is specifically what the President said: “Saddam Hussein has huge stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons. And some day, some way, I guarantee you, he’ll use the arsenal.” Only…
Read More“Have you figured out what’s causin’ them babies yet?”
By Tom Quiner [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWIz_AfWW4s] My friend, John, is the proud daddy of eleven children. He is also a proud Catholic. As his bounty grew, he heard the question above with increasing frequency. Here is what he told me about how he handled the question: The best comeback line I ever found to defend the fact…
Read MoreShame on Dick Morris
By Tom Quiner Dick Morris is an interesting guy. He was a political consultant for Bill Clinton who is credited with salvaging the Clinton Presidency through a political strategy characterized as “triangulation.” Essentially, he convinced Mr. Clinton to move toward the center politically, embracing the best of Democratic and Republican ideas, after HillaryCare had damaged…
Read MoreShould morality be the basis for legislation?
By Tom Quiner Judge Vaughn Walker says no. He’s the judge in California who struck down Proposition 8 which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The openly gay jurist said; “A private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples is not a proper basis for legislation.” It’s…
Read MoreHow to make a Republican squirm
America is scared. There’s a realization sinking in that we’ve reaching a tipping point when it comes to national debt and long term financial obligations for America. Our greatness depends on righting the ship. Paul Ryan’s plan will right the ship. The CBO confirms his assumptions.
Read MoreA Modest Proposal to Save Iowa
Copyright 2010 by Tom Quiner Iowa is dying. The numbers are damning. We’re not replacing ourselves. Our population growth is stagnant. The magic number needed to replace ourselves is 2.1 live births per woman. That’s known as the Total Fertility Rate (TFR). Iowa’s TFR is only 1.98 according to National Vital Statistics. We’re one of…
Read MoreWhy atheists advertise on buses
By Tom Quiner Does God exist? This question is in the news more than ever. We live in strange times. Atheists have become evangelical. Here in Des Moines and around the world, they advertised on buses last year in an effort to recruit acolytes. Nationally, their books are best sellers. Christianity is now under attack…
Read MoreHow much confidence do you have in Congress?
By Tom Quiner The Gallup Poll surveyed Americans about their attitude toward critical institutions. The poll was conducted July eight through eleventh. Gallup asked people if they have alot/great deal of confidence in various institutions. Here are a few high points. The military and small business ranked highest, with 76% and 66% confidence respectively. Congress…
Read MoreShould you be free to choose?
By Tom Quiner [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD0dmRJ0oWg&feature=player_embedded] What an interesting question! It depends on the context, doesn’t it? It depends on the principle involved. I pose the question in light of the great exchange in the video above between the late, great Nobel laureate economist, Milton Friedman, and a college student who is allegedly Michael Moore. (I don’t…
Read MoreShould we penalize marriage?
By Tom Quiner Society has a vested interest in marriage. The institution was established thousands of years ago as society’s way to protect wives and their children. To this very day, we see measurable benefits to traditional marriage: Marriage reduces poverty. The poverty rated for single mothers with children is five times higher than married…
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