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There’s value in having a college degree

National Columnists

The debate regarding the value of a college degree has resurfaced in the news recently. With tuition continuing to increase at universities and colleges across the country, many people have, as a political reporter described, “grown sour on one of the longtime key ingredients of the American dream.” A recent news poll was cited of 1,000 registered voters in which 33% said they believe college is “worth the cost” because a degree provides more opportunities for better-paying jobs. Sixty-three percent stated that they felt a college degree “was not worth the cost” due to ...

Film tax credits, tariffs have common thread

National Columnists

Across America, officials promise to engineer the right economic outcomes by intervening in the market in just the right ways. Most people know that under Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the idea has exploded. Less appreciated is how enthusiastically governors and state legislators are embracing their own versions. They repeat the same claims: With the right mix of subsidies, protection and political direction, one government or another can revive strategic industries and deliver durable economic strength. The results tell a different story. Wherever it’s found, industrial ...

Hold onto Ruthie’s in your hometown

National Columnists

All that remained of Ruthie’s Diner on Jan. 21 was charred, ice-encased rubble — the aftermath of firefighters’ desperate efforts to extinguish the blaze that ultimately consumed the modest eatery at Ligonier, Pennsylvania, which for more than 70 years had served locals and the travelers, anglers and hunters heading east along the Lincoln Highway Several locals pulled into the parking lot and simply stared, at a loss for words as they watched a community mainstay reduced to charred ruins, thin smoke still rising from the ashes. Ruthie’s was the kind of place where everyone ...

America is not Iran, thank goodness

National Columnists

Over the past month, two governments faced widespread protests. One responded with mass killings. The other, under popular pressure, appears to be backing down. On Dec. 28, a collapse in the value of Iranian currency sparked demonstrations among shopkeepers in Tehran which then spread across the country. While it began as a protest against economic conditions, the goal soon turned to overthrowing the authoritarian regime that has ruled Iran for almost half a century. The government responded with murderous suppression. Estimates go as high as 36,000 people killed, about equal to the ...

Is Osama Bin Laden getting his wish?

National Columnists

Before our failure to prevent 9/11, which led to wars in Iraq and America’s longest war ever in Afghanistan, America was able to pay its bills. We had a balanced budget, thanks to former President Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress. So, I ask, is Osama bin Laden actually winning today in his quest to bankrupt America? Here is a fact: We have had to borrow money to pay the nation’s bills for the entire 21st century. When we cannot pay our bills, this means we are in a financial crisis, no matter how you sugarcoat it. For 25 years our politicians, both Democrats and ...

Consistency matters: Moral clarity requires it

National Columnists

As I read the commentary surrounding the latest deadly shooting in Minnesota, I see something deeper than disagreement over facts or law. I see a nation struggling to reconcile rights, authority, fear and accountability in moments when events move faster than judgment. Let’s begin with the Constitution and the Second Amendment. The right to bear arms is not granted by government; it is recognized as preexisting. Its historical purpose includes guarding against tyranny. But that truth does not cancel another: Constitutional rights were never meant to suspend moral responsibility or ...