Conservatism

Republicans and the EPA

by Laurence M. Vance June 11, 2014

Republicans are upset with Barack Obama — again. This time it is over the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations to limit carbon emissions from power plants. According to the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill, The EPA already regulates sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, mercury, and particle pollution from power plants, but not carbon emissions, which account for roughly one-third ...

Conservatives and Chocolate Milk

by Laurence M. Vance May 22, 2014

Lawmakers in the state of Connecticut recently passed legislation to ban chocolate milk from the state’s public schools. The milk ban was included in a bill to make “minor revisions” to the state’s education statutes that unanimously passed both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly on the final night of the legislative session. Milk served in ...

Class Theory, Part 1: Modern Conservative Class Analysis

by Anthony Gregory May 1, 2014

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Since the 2008 financial collapse, class rhetoric has arisen on both prevalent sides of the U.S. political spectrum. The grassroots “base” in both the Republican and Democratic party has become animated by a new or invigorated perception of class struggle. The politicians in each party have echoed these ...

The Conservative Phony War

by Laurence M. Vance April 29, 2014

“There is something phony about this war,” said U.S. Sen. William Borah (R-Idaho) about the relative lack of military action by the Allies during the early months of World War II after Germany invaded Poland. “You would think that Britain and France would do what they are going to do now while Germany and Russia are still busy in ...

Why Should Republicans Object to Obama’s New Budget?

by Laurence M. Vance March 26, 2014

Barack Obama earlier this month unveiled his $3.9 trillion budget plan for fiscal year 2015. “It is a road map for creating jobs with good wages and expanding opportunity for Americans,” said the president. Although the Constitution doesn’t mention a federal budget, and it is ultimately up to Congress — not the president — to decide how much ...

Where Is the Conservative Outrage over the IRS?

by Laurence M. Vance June 13, 2013

The ongoing scandal concerning the IRS’s targeting conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status shows just how close conservatives are to liberals and how far they are from libertarians. It has come to light that the IRS singled out conservative organizations that included the words “Tea Party” or “patriot” in their applications for 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, ...

Conservatives Are Clueless

by Laurence M. Vance May 30, 2013

All eyes are on the Supreme Court as it gets ready to issue its decisions in the cases of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the challenge to California’s Proposition 8, and United States v. Windsor, the challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court heard oral arguments on both cases in late March. The intense media focus on these cases ...

Republicans versus the Constitution

by Laurence M. Vance January 16, 2013

The new Congress, the nation’s 113th, was officially sworn in at 2:09 p.m. on January 4. The Republicans lost two seats in the Senate, giving the Democrats an even larger majority of 53 to 45 (plus the two Independents, who will caucus with the Democrats), and 7 in the House, where they hold a smaller majority than before of ...

Republicans and the Debt Limit

by Laurence M. Vance January 10, 2013

It’s official: The U. S. government has reached its debt limit. According to the Daily Treasury Statement for December 31, 2012, total public debt increased to $16.432 trillion, exceeding the debt limit of $16.394 trillion. The debt subject to limit, $16.393 trillion, was about as close as it could get without going over. This is a far cry ...

The Conservative Blind Spot

by Laurence M. Vance December 5, 2012

It was just a few months ago that conservatives came to the defense of the Christian-owned Chick-fil-A restaurant chain after its president, Dan Cathy, said the company was “guilty as charged” in its opposition to same-sex marriage. Now it is the Christian-owned Hobby Lobby Stores and its fight against Obamacare. Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., from its humble beginnings in ...

Conservatives and Medical Freedom

by Laurence M. Vance October 30, 2012

If there is one thing that Republicans all over the country who are running for House and Senate seats in the upcoming election have in common, it is their opposition to Obamacare. A litmus test of their conservative bona fides is their commitment to repealing Obamacare. Although the House of Representatives has voted to repeal Obamacare (the Patient Protection and ...

The Problem with Conservative Plans to Save Social Security

by Laurence M. Vance September 24, 2012

The largest expenditure of the federal government is Social Security. According to the most recent annual report of the Social Security Board of Trustees, in 2011 $725 billion in Social Security benefits were paid to 55 million Americans, plus other expenses of $11 billion. The three major entitlement programs — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — account for almost half ...