Elections and Voting

Restoring Civility To Public Discourse

Posted by Chris Berry on November 17, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Writing and Blogging

Now that the election season is finally over, I would like to think that we might restore some semblance of civility to our discourse. Elections tend to bring out the worst in us, turning otherwise reasonable people into strident partisans and rabid attack dogs. Language and behavior that we would never tolerate under ordinary circumstances [...]

Election Has Left Me Feeling Blue

Posted by Chris Berry on November 7, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

Even though I have voted Republican for my entire life, I’ve never really identified with the policy positions of either major party. While I have developed a more pragmatic view of government as I get older, my ideological leanings tend to be libertarian. My support for the Republican party to date has been based entirely [...]

Do The Election Results Indicate Tolerance Or Hypocrisy?

Posted by Chris Berry on November 6, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Rights and Wrongs

While the election of our first black president is a historic event that would seem to indicate we are becoming more tolerant as a society, the passage of ballot initiatives in 3 states banning same-sex marriage tells a very different story. Voters in California, Florida and Arizona all passed constitutional amendments that define marriage as [...]

Democrats Should Be Careful What They Wish For On Election Day

Posted by Chris Berry on November 4, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

Politicians from both major parties make a habit of claiming credit for any fortunate occurrence during their time in office, and of denying responsibility for anything that goes wrong. Since President Clinton had the good fortune to preside over a period of unprecedented prosperity, it’s only natural that the Democrats take credit for the strength [...]

Obama Would Be Wise To Follow Clinton Example

Posted by Chris Berry on November 3, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

It doesn’t take a crystal ball at this point to predict the outcome of tomorrows election. Absent a minor miracle, Senator Obama will become the next President of the United States. What his election really means in terms of the expressed political sentiment of the voters requires closer examination.
Even the most diehard GOP loyalists [...]

Another Lost Opportunity For The Silent Majority

Posted by Chris Berry on October 31, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

As we enter the final days of the longest presidential campaign season in history, polls indicate that the race is tightening. In spite of the last minute waffling of a handful of voters, the reality is that the GOP will need a miracle to pull off a victory. McCain’s projected defeat represents another lost opportunity [...]

Stevens Conviction Is Only The Tip Of The Iceberg

Posted by Chris Berry on October 28, 2008 in Elections and Voting

Now that Senator Ted Stevens has been found guilty of lying about gifts from oil industry executives, it will be interesting to see whether federal prosecutors will finally go after his son. As the longest serving Republican in Senate history, the 84 year old Stevens is the poster boy for political corruption. While other politicians [...]

The Trouble With The Fair Tax

Posted by Chris Berry on October 21, 2008 in Death and Taxes, Elections and Voting

Every few years a proposal is put forward to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, or to scrap the entire federal tax code and start from scratch. The plans that have received the most consideration in recent memory were the Flat Tax proposal put forth by Steve Forbes, and more recently, the Fair Tax, which was [...]

The John Galt Plan 50 Years Later

Posted by Chris Berry on October 9, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

I’ve always had a perverse admiration for the philosophy of Ayn Rand, in spite of the fact that her unwavering belief in pure economic Darwinism would be considered draconian by most diehard libertarians. She was not a great writer, but she had an uncanny ability to demonstrate the folly of large scale government interference with [...]

Voter Registration Should Not Be A Partisan Process

Posted by Chris Berry on October 8, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

I am not ordinarily in favor of Federal laws designed to supersede the authority of the States, but several recent controversies regarding voter registration procedures point to the need for uniform standards when conducting national elections. When choosing candidates for our highest offices, we should not rely on a patchwork of State and local rules [...]

It’s Election Day, Not Election Month

Posted by Chris Berry on October 3, 2008 in Elections and Voting

Early voting for the November 4th election began in several states this week, and the number of people voting by absentee ballot is expected to reach record levels this year. High voter turnout is a sign of a healthy democracy, but is it really a good idea to turn election day into election month? Should [...]

Revisiting The Oregon Plan: The Future Of Healthcare In America?

Posted by Chris Berry on September 8, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Healthcare

Americans seem to have a difficult time coming to terms with the notion that our resources are finite. This is made obvious by the fact that we choose nine-passenger SUVs for our daily commutes, and by the incredibly naïve manner in which citizens and politicians alike debate healthcare policy. An alarming percentage of Americans seem [...]

Why Energy Independence Really Matters

Posted by Chris Berry on August 14, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Energy and Environmental Issues

After sitting on their hands for the last 35 years, American politicians have finally taken up the call for energy independence. Sadly, it was not a recognition of the true national security significance of the issue, but a short-term spike in the price of gasoline during an election year that finally spurred them to action. [...]

Beware Of Falling Oil Prices

Posted by Chris Berry on August 5, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Energy and Environmental Issues

Over the past couple of weeks, oil prices have been falling as rapidly as they climbed just a few months back. As I write this, oil is trading below $120.00 per barrel for the first time since early May, down nearly $30.00 from the all time high just a month ago. While we may all [...]

Help! I’m Becoming A Liberal

Posted by Chris Berry on June 3, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

My wife and I have always been at opposite ends of the political spectrum, but when she read my post last week on same-sex marriage, her first reaction was that I was beginning to sound like a progressive. Anyone who knows me well would laugh out loud at the mere suggestion. While I don’t identify [...]