The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Jennifer Harper — Published April 15, 2013 Comments
"This Tax Day, 55 percent of Americans regard the income taxes they have to pay as fair, the lowest percentage Gallup has measured since 2001," reports Jeffrey Jones, an analyst with the veteran pollster, which has been gauging the sentiment for more than six decades. Now, that was a different time. From 1943 through 1945 - the patriotic years of World War II - few Americans complained about their taxes, with an average of 87 percent of Americans saying their taxes were fair. That's a 32-point gap when compared with today. The partisan divide on the issue also has become pronounced: 66 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of liberals believe their taxes are fair, compared to 49 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of conservatives. Gallup also finds half of Americans say their income taxes are "too high," with most of the rest (45 percent) saying they are about ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 15, 2013 Comments
Former presidential hopeful and ever cheerful "9-9-9" guy Herman Cain is not done yet. He's in the nation's capitol Monday to discuss "how to collectively expose the damaging effects of the current administration on the black community, the effects of which are worse than the national negative impact of bad policy," a source says. Among those who will meet with Mr. King at a historic hotel a block from the White House: Dr. Benjamin Carson, talk radio host Armstrong Williams, National Black Chamber of Commerce president Harry Alford, former Cincinnati Mayor Ken Blackwell, Christian Cultural Center founder A. R. Bernard, Congress of Racial Equality spokesman Niger Innis, pro-life activist Alveda King and conservative analyst Star Parker. There's already been a meeting of the minds, however. Mr. Cain and Mr. Williams was very much in evidence at a fundraiser for Dr. Carson's "Scholars Fund" on Sunday at the Georgetown home of ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 12, 2013 Comments
Our national thoughts about illegal immigrants are a complex set of sentiments indeed. We value their work ethics and contributions to America within reason, but are wary of the potential cost of their health care or welfare in tax payer money. We have empathy for their situation, but prefer our visitors to speak English. And very few Americans trust the border. Only 1 percent — yes, that's a one — think the U.S. border with Mexico is "totally secure," this according to a new NBC News/Wall Street journal poll released Thursday. Another 17 percent say the border is "mostly" secure. The rest of the respondents think the border is simply an open door, or they don't know what to think. Not much confidence in lawmakers, either. Though Democrats have a slight lead in the competence factor, a full third of us say that neither political party can handle the complexities ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 11, 2013 Comments
As gun reform legislation rages through the halls of Congress and the White House, hunters and gun enthusiasts confront bare shelves and buying restrictions on supplies, even as retailers and manufacturers race to keep up with demand. Wal-Mart limits buyers to three boxes when ammunition is available, and Cabela's is limiting online orders to one box per day of the popular .22 long shells increasingly used as cheap ammo for target rifles and pistols, reports Forbes, which is tracking the trend. A newly enacted Connecticut law now includes a $35 permit to buy ammo that requires a background check and is good for five years - unless the legislature shortens the term and increases the fee as a new source of tax revenue. "But why the national shortage? Here's my theory: Bullets are easy to store, non-perishable, and they hold their value or even increase in times of crisis. So ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 10, 2013 Comments
On cue, a gaggle of dramatic folk will pretend they've been shot in slow motion, raise their arms, sink to the sidewalk. Someone will chalk their outline on the concrete, just like a crime scene. It's all been choreographed by a Broadway performer, say organizers of an upcoming demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial to "create a visual reflection of the destruction caused by gun violence." Or something like that. "Artists have a responsibility to create work that elicits a response. Artists have the power to initiate empathy and introspection - a first step toward changing attitudes," said Lorin Latarro, a Broadway choreographer and performer, who is leading the big show. Tourists should be intrigued, no doubt. Maintenance folks and law enforcement, perhaps, not so much. About 100 artists will gather at the Memorial's reflecting pool on Sunday to leave a mark, "literally," the dancer explains. "At a singular moment, the ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 10, 2013 Comments
Though the whole world seemed to witness Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal two years ago, the former New York congressman still spent $100,000 on a recent voter poll gauging his chances in the Manhattan mayoral race. Has he done enough penance? Could Mr. Weiner actually compete against four other established candidates? "The question is why Weiner is so eager to enter a race that seems so tough for him to win. There is the matter of the $4.3 million in the Anthony Weiner for Mayor war chest (plus about $1.5 million in public matching funds if he runs in 2013), which would make him one of the better-financed candidates in the race," an unnamed political advisor told the New York Times magazine in a gaudy but thorough interview with Mr. Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin, published Wednesday. But there may be reasons to run that have nothing to do with ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 9, 2013 Comments
The 2014 campaign is getting ugly and fast, in the grim aftermath of a security breach that pits Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell against Mother Jones magazine, which managed to get access to the senator's private campaign conversations and publish them on Tuesday. "Secret recordings, private conversations leaked, reports of bugs - these Watergate-era tactics have no place in our campaigns," declares Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, and chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "I am glad to read Sen. McConnell's campaign is working with the Department of Justice and the FBI to find answers, but as the investigation continues, I am calling upon the Democratic National Committee, the DSCC, Kentucky Democratic State Party and left-leaning 501(C)(3) and (4) organizations like Mother Jones, Think Progress, American Bridge, Organizing For Action, and any other relevant political organizations to state for the record that they had nothing to do with these ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 9, 2013 Comments
There were some distinct shortcomings and lack of respect in press coverage marking the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But on the flip side, there's a new scholarship to honor her, just created by the nation's leading conservative organization. And about that shoddy news coverage of the late Baroness Thatcher. "This was a women who changed the world. And here we get journalists who are talking about her purse, her hairstyle or whether she flirted with Ronald Reagan. This treatment really is noting more than lazy shorthand, if not a complete intellectual deficit," historian and Reagan biographer Craig Shirley tells The Washington Times. "There is a time for seriousness and purpose. And the death of Margaret Thatcher warrants that seriousness and purpose. But this also happened when President Reagan died. During the Reagan funeral, there were commentators who were saying, 'Oh, he was just a nice guy ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 8, 2013 Comments
He wears his uniform beautifully, and he's got undeniable charisma. That would be "Pfc. Chesty XIV", a young English bulldog who made his first official appearance as a U.S. Marine when he received his eagle, globe and anchor emblems in a ceremony at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. on Monday. Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, pinned the coveted emblems on the canine's collar, accompanied by Sgt. Maj. Micheal P. Barrett, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, during the ceremony at the Corps' oldest post. A certain top dog looked on with much interest. "Sgt. Chesty XIII," the current mascot, eyed his young charge; Marines from each of the seven companies at the Barracks cheered the young pup on. All have high expectations for the Corps' newest "devil dog." The ceremony marked the conclusion of recruit training and a basic indoctrination for the youthful but very ready Chesty ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 8, 2013 Comments
Is marijuana a dangerous gateway drug or harmless diversion? The argument has gone on for years. A new, large scale study, however, suggests some alarming news. "Individuals who use marijuana recreationally are more likely to misuse other drugs, including pain-controlling, but potentially addictive narcotics, sedatives and other prescription medications, than individuals who do not use marijuana," says a new national study by Quest Diagnostics, the world's largest medical testing lab. The study also found that while marijuana was the most frequently abused drug of patients tested, individuals who used prescribed marijuana were not more likely to misuse other drugs than non-marijuana users. The company's conclusion goes right to the source: the study is based on an analysis of 227,402 de-identified urinelab-test results of patients, age 10 years and older, of both genders in 49 states and the District of Columbia performed by the company's clinical laboratories in 2011-12. The results ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 8, 2013 Comments
And what did the leaders of the free World have to say about Baroness Margaret Thatcher? "One respected her more than any other world leader. One gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And another celebrated Meryl Streep's portrayal of her on film," says Eric Ostermeier, author of Smart Politics, a research site at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Her career as Prime Minister spanned 11 years, 6 months, and 24 days, through three presidencies: Jimmy Carter (20 months), Ronald Reagan (eight years), and George H.W. Bush (22 months), he notes. Near the end of his second term, Reagan called Prime Minister Thatcher "the statesman in the world that I have met that I respect the most," also noting, "In the critical hour, Margaret Thatcher and the people of Great Britain stood fast in freedom's defense and upheld all the noblest of your island nation's traditions; ...
by Douglas Ernst — Published April 5, 2013 Comments
CNN's Jake Tapper has a message for President Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: Learn about guns before you try and ban them. During a segment Thursday on "The Lead with Jake Tapper," the host responded to a flub made by Mr. Obama during a recent fund-raiser in San Francisco while speaking about the Sandy Hook shootings. Mr. Tapper quoted the president as saying, "It is possible for us to create common sense gun safety measures that respect the traditions of gun ownership in the country, and hunters and sportsman, but also make sure that we don't have 20 children in a classroom gunned down by a semi-automatic weapon — by a fully automatic weapon in that case." Mr. Tapper corrected Mr. Obama, pointing out that the weapons used in the Newtown, Conn., massacre were semi-automatic. He also reminded his audience about an interview on ABC's "Nightline" just ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 5, 2013 Comments
The old hippies would be pleased. A new Pew Research Center survey heralds this headline: "For the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue, a majority of Americans favor legalizing the use of marijuana. A new national survey finds that 52 percent say that the use of marijuana should be made legal." And as the old hippies would say, "groovy." But wait. The Grand Old Party does not stand for Grand Old Potheads. The poll also found that 37 percent of Republicans, and only 29 percent of conservative Republicans, say pot should be legal, compared to 59 percent of Democrats and 73 percent of liberal Democrats. "Republicans and Democrats have similar views on enforcing marijuana laws: 57 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of Democrats say that the federal government should not enforce federal marijuana laws in states that permit its use. Substantial majorities of ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 4, 2013 Comments
It has been more than three decades. When Ed Feulner became president of The Heritage Foundation some 36 years ago, it was a different world indeed. There was no din of the internet or talk radio, no cable channels, no social media. Conservative voices were few, but they were succinct, thoughtful and resonant. Mr. Feulner left his office Monday, handing over the keys to the castle to incoming president Jim DeMint with good cheer. And a succinct, thoughtful and resonant farewell address. "Remain optimistic about the future. Yes, progressives are on the offensive, aggressively trying to remake our country using a Euro-socialist mold. But this is why we must now redouble our efforts, not lessen or abandon them," Mr. Feulner said. "I know that as a patriot, you will do all within your power to ensure that our society will take back the reins from Big Government. I know that ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published April 3, 2013 Comments
Now that the Associated Press has banned the phrase "illegal immigrants" from the lexicon of all good journalists, some enterprising researchers have combed through history to determine how much the phrase has surfaced in the White House. The answer: plenty. President Obama, in fact, has used the term "illegal immigrant" 28 times during his presidency, beginning on his 51st day in office and as recently as late January of this year says Eric Ostermeier, director of Smart Politics, a research group at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The last time Mr. Obama uttered the words "illegal immigrants" was on Jan. 29 during an appearance at a Las Vegas high school. "First, we strengthened security at the borders so that we could finally stem the tide of illegal immigrants," M. Obama told his audience. "Now, with the AP giving the president further cover to use other phrases, ...
