It’s true. Republicans didn’t do much last year to stop gun crimes. It’s also true that they never said they would, while Democrats spent 2017 double-dealing over gun violence. If the Democratic Party truly seeks justice for gun crime victims it needs to be fair and just about how it wants the law to be enforced. Instead, the party stood by while members refused to speak out … [Read more...] about Justice for Gun Crime Victims Won’t Come From Democrats
Current Events
Not too long ago current events in the news consisted of two words: impeachment and Ukraine.
How quickly things change. Now there are still only two words in the news. They both start with a "c." They refer to a pandemic disease instead of a Washington scandal, but they are still all about politics.
Current events drive politics. The reverse is also true. This is sadly apparent now as tackling a public health crisis takes second place to leveraging political opportunity from Americans deaths and a historic economic upheaval that put the world's greatest economy on hold. This is a textbook case of turning a piece of history into a political saleable commodity.
When we want to know the facts behind current events there is truth to be had. The problem is that the truth is seldom as entertaining, or in this case distressing as the fake news and distorted rhetoric fed to the public by politicians and media outlets with ulterior motives that have nothing to do with providing reliable information.
Whenever possible posts in Civil Candor’s current events category rely on information from reputable government agencies to drill down to the truth behind what we read in the news. Failing that, it’s always good to know what voices in the House and Senate have to say and what they intend to do because that’s where the policies that shape our response to current events comes from. The information to put historical events in perspective is always out there. The hard part is finding it.
Biggest Failure of 2017? 10 Political Catastrophes to Remember
In most walks of life failure is a bad thing. The one exception is failure in politics. When government trips up it can be a good thing. From that perspective it’s hard to choose the biggest failure of 2017. Many political catastrophes played out to our benefit. A few hurt us. Republicans were the big winners but don’t give them too much credit. Strength in numbers doesn’t mean … [Read more...] about Biggest Failure of 2017? 10 Political Catastrophes to Remember
Hateful is the Democratic Buzzword for 2017
Hateful was the winning buzzword for Democrats in 2017. Party members used it liberally and usually in conjunction with another word: Trump. A lot of hateful from one congresswoman This was a year where we heard about “hateful Executive Orders,”1 “hateful rhetoric, policies, and actions,”2 and “hateful policies that do not reflect our widely-shared values as a nation.”3 … [Read more...] about Hateful is the Democratic Buzzword for 2017
Soda Pop Tax, Hollywood Harassment Define Democratic Hubris
Illinois and California have a lot of things in common. Many are not good, although we are told we must believe they are necessary and good for us. Both states tax too much so they can spend too much. They confuse the need to collect money with the values they try to force on their residents. This is how Cook County got a soda pop tax that caused a lot of embarrassment this … [Read more...] about Soda Pop Tax, Hollywood Harassment Define Democratic Hubris
Amazing Things We Learned from Politics in Just One Week
We had a lot on our plate this week. Even the threat of nuclear war from Pyongyang faded away thanks to a humanitarian crisis, tax reform, health care reform, and disrespectful football players who helped make this a memorable week in politics. Where to start with the amazing things we learned? Let’s begin with an evolving disaster in Puerto Rico and go from there. Amazing … [Read more...] about Amazing Things We Learned from Politics in Just One Week