Editorials

Three Theaters, One Retreat

There is a coherent worldview behind the vice president's foreign policy and that is exactly the problem. J.D. Vance does not stumble into the outcomes he produces. He believes in them. He sees a tripartite world with America secured in its own hemisphere, Russia dominant across its near abroad and China supreme in Asia. He appears willing to trade away 70 years of American primacy to build it. The retreat is the design. Start with Iran. Vance made himself the public face of a memorandum of understanding that reopens the Strait of Hormuz toll-free, lifts the naval blockade and dangles ...

EDITORIAL CARTOON

War and Constitutional Indifference

Since its inception, the government of the United States has inexorably exceeded its powers under the Constitution. All three branches have been complicit in a consistent pattern of constitutional indifference. Congress has regulated in areas of governance nowhere articulated in the Constitution. Its general regulatory powers were granted to address interstate commerce, but during the FDR years, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress can regulate events that affect interstate commerce. This has resulted in federal regulation of matters too infinitesimal to measure, that are not ...

World Cup Visitors Get It; The Pope and Socialists Don’t

Several things have taken place over the past week that shore up the importance of understanding what has truly made the United States of America the most prosperous country in human history. First, we have the foreigners visiting the U.S. to cheer on their teams in this year's World Cup soccer championship. As I wrote last week, it's been heartwarming to see how much these people love America, and how surprised they've been to find that Americans are warm, welcoming, generous and kind people. Another aspect of America that has astonished our guests is the number, size and variety of ...

On Iran Trump gets a mulligan (a do over)

To borrow a golf term, President Donald Trump has finally agreed to take a "mulligan" per the war in Iran. Sadly, it was the most expensive mulligan in history, potentially amounting to half a trillion dollars, the deaths of 13 American service members, increased fuel costs, a major reduction in our military weaponry, and a near depletion of our Strategic Oil Reserve. In a friendly game of golf when you hit the ball in the woods you ask for a mulligan in most cases. As a professional golfer, when this happens, you are given a choice: You can ask for a "drop" which will cost you shots ...

Remembering our history, strength, and people

The country roads are taking us all home this weekend as we take time to recognize the anniversary of our state's founding. Born in the midst of the American Civil War, through a method of which the legality is still debated today, West Virginia was admitted into the nation on June 20, 1863, separating from Virginia, and becoming a key area between the Union and Confederate states. Its unique shape is owed to the pre-established borders of other states, formed by geography and landmarks like the Ohio River along its western edges, as well as colonial settlements over land disputes. ...