Our Sacred Honor

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for the length of this post. It has been a long time since I have had ample time to organize my thoughts on any political issues and as such, I may tend to ramble a bit more in this post than I had intended. However, I feel that the issue discussed here is something that is certainly worth at least a cursory glance and consideration. I hope my attempts to express my thoughts are at least mildly stimulating, albeit exhaustive. – Evan PC: CNN             Every election year has its share of challenges and disappointments. I want to make sure I am clear on that point before I go any further, because I feel it is something that many individuals tend to forget in the midst of the bloodbath that arises as we enter Q3 of a general election year. Elections are messy. They’re brutal. They’re full of misdirection, lies, and attack ads. Good ideas are discussed. Bad ideas are discussed. Democrats blame Republicans for our ...

The development of the global economy is perhaps one of the most controversial topics in economics, while also the most inevitable. Very few economists would argue that resisting globalization is a wise idea, or even possible. However, there are definite advantages and disadvantages to a global economy. This blog simply weighs the positives and negatives of how globalization has impacted the United States and the international market as a whole in regards to specialization of economies, protectionism, and international trade.                The American system was designed around an understanding of the free market – where supply and demand determine the prices of various good and services. This allows scarce resources to flow to their most efficient uses, since capitalist producers will not continue to waste valuable resources on failed experiments, if there is no economic incentive. As competition increas...

Many conservatives are quick to spout criticism of “feminists” and how the push modern drive for women’s rights has damaged the nation. However, in my experience, true feminists and conservative republicans really share many core beliefs, and the movement itself was rooted in a fundamental understanding of the principles upon which our nation was founded. It has certainly been corrupted in recent years, but I would argue that true feminism is a strong ally to the Republican Party, and a vital component to winning the cultural war before us today. The Merriam Webster dictionary offers a few interesting definitions for "Feminism" that will help illustrate my primary thesis: 1: The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. 2: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests. Both of these definitions offer some insight into the basis of the "feminist movement" - I would blend these definitions to something akin to...

Well, I've been waiting for something that frustrated me enough to evoke a blog post, and then, I was supplied with an appropriate topic, as the 2014 election year kicks into high gear. The GOP has sunk very, very low, in my mind, in recent days. If you've been following political news recently, you know what I'm referring to, if not, let me explain. A short time ago, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was beat out by Dave Brat , who ran as the favorite for the anti-establishment Tea Party movement, within the GOP. This sudden defeat for the GOP Leader stunned many political pundits who had expected much greater success for Cantor in years to come - never expecting that the Tea Party would be able to amass so much support again, after such a dismal record, in recent months. However, many more conservative commentators were far less surprised, claiming the GOP establishment has not been overly attentive to the frustrations of constituents, focusing instead on political ...

I really, really, really hate the mainstream media. Oh wait, maybe I should be a bit more specific about why I'm saying this at this particular moment. By now, you've either heard extensively  about the Santa Barbara killings last week, or you're already so disillusioned with the "news" that you no longer pay attention. Allow me to summarize -- a spoiled 22-year-old boy, with a warped perception of life and women, wrote a 137 page "manifesto" declaring his frustration with life and with women who wouldn't accept his advances (The media coined him the "virgin killer", as though this is some shameful label to be worn by an unmarried 22-year-old. But I digress...) . He then proceeded to stab 3 college students, and gun down another 3, while evading cops and running over cyclists with his car. He then took his own life before cops could arrest him. Oh, and this kid had been getting therapy since he was 8 years old - and his parents had pr...

In case the above title is a stumper for you, let me briefly explain what I mean by "federalism." The term refers to a organization of government into two separate categories - the central government or "federal" government that has sovereignty over the nation as a whole, and the "subordinate" or state institutions that govern the individual states within the nation. In the United States, federalism was designed to provide a strong check to the powers of both the state and federal government - by allowing for dual sovereignty, with conflicting interests between the overlapping government forcing the governments to compromise. Now, for some of you, it was not the first term that was the stumper - but the phrase taken as a whole. This is where I would like to focus my time today. What does federalism look like in contemporary America? Or more to the point, does it even exist, today? This question was brought to my mind recently as my school debate club p...