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Visitors are finding America at its best

National Columnists

The World Cup is kicking off here in the United States and for the next five weeks will bring the rest of the planet to our doorstep. They are already arriving. Germans, Spaniards, Egyptians, Australians, every continent but Antarctica is showing up and something is happening that ought to make us pause. A German named Freddy came to Atlanta and made his way up to North Georgia, went tubing on the Chattahoochee, drove through Chattanooga and on to Auburn, Ala. He has been tweeting it all home in stunned, joyful disbelief. Auburn's eagle flies around the stadium. There was a ...

We cherry-pick past to grade present

National Columnists

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, America is in a pretty foul mood, and I understand why. For starters, Washington is broken, prices are high and rising, and AI is scaring the stuffing out of people. Understanding, however, is not synonymous with agreement. In other words, some complaints about America in 2026 have more empirical weight than others. Crime may be too high, but it's been going down for a while. Actually, let's start there because crime is a good example of how perceptions don't necessarily reflect reality. Since 2000, writes ...

Former VP's book is message for all Americans

National Columnists

Former Vice President Mike Pence is now promoting his new book, "What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the American Conscience." Distinct from most stuff appearing now for the nation's 250th birthday, Pence's book is targeted not at the nation as whole, but at the Republican Party in particular. Pence's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal discussing the book is headlined, "A Republican Time for Choosing." He uses the title of Ronald Reagan's famous speech delivered Oct. 27, 1964, at the Republican National Convention, which put Reagan on the national stage, and was his ...

Here to 'help' you

National Columnists

Politicians promise they'll "help" us. President Donald Trump says he'll "create the jobs and future you deserve." President Joe Biden liked to say, "Help is on the way." I prefer President Ronald Reagan's: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" An economy runs best when government gets out of the way and lets free market competition work. Economist Donald Boudreaux gets that, and it's why "The Triumph of Economic Freedom" is the title of his new book. Boudreaux explains in my new video: "The more ...

Critics dead wrong (again) on economy

National Columnists

Last week's blockbuster jobs report, with more than 265,000 jobs added when including upward employment revisions, was very welcome news to almost all Americans. The liberal Center for American Progress told us we were already in the danger zone, claiming that "the Trump administration's agenda has generated stagflation: slower growth and faster inflation." These are the same false claims made during Trump's first term, when some critics warned his policies would cause "a second Great Depression." Instead, incomes for American families soared in real terms by more than ...

Loneliness: People do need people

National Columnists

Ashley, North Dakota, is a small farming town where the local diet leans hard on sausage, deep-fried chicken and strudel. It has something of a medical center, but the nearest trauma hospital able to handle the most serious injuries is almost four hours away in Fargo. Yet the elders in McIntosh County, with Ashley as its county seat, frequently live into their 90s, and sometimes beyond. It had the highest proportion of people 85 and older in the country. Doesn't make sense until you see why it does. Stress levels are low. The farmers pursue a lifetime of physical exercise. ...