Essays
a political agenda without hypocrisy
Essays
Gender, Marriage and the Rule of Law
By Jeffrey E. Poehlmann (published on February 21, 2004)
The topic of same-sex marriage has guaranteed itself a place in the pantheon of hot button issues poised for the pressing in the political grandstanding of our current election year. Some have sensibly treated this as an issue for the courts and not constitutional amendments, though now there is a renewed fury to protect the sanctity of an institution from something that poses it no real threat.
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The Half-Life of Fear
By Kevin I. Makice (published on February 22, 2003)
A Spanish proverb, made famous by director Baz Luhrmann a decade ago, warns that a life lived in fear is a life half lived. Whether applied to rebellious ballroom dancers, middle-aged computer programmers or skittish politicians, the message is equally valid — Fear begets sorrow.
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Church & State Revisited
By Jeffrey E. Poehlmann (published on February 25, 2001)
God has never been elected to serve in Washington, but some feel He should be there anyway. By affixing his signature to an executive order to create the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, President G.W. Bush has offered his opening statement on the debate. Government funding of services managed by faith-based organizations is not entirely out of step with the Constitution, but the implementation of those services threatens to cross the line between religion and politics.
The Old College Try
By Kevin I. Makice (published on November 19, 2000)
For many supporters of emerging political parties, the 2000 Presidential election ended on schedule. Ralph Nader easily defeated Pat Buchanan, Harry Browne, et al in the battle of also-rans. No recount was necessitated. But with their dead heat in Florida, the Democrats and Republicans have opened the nation’s eyes to problems with the Electoral College … and inadvertently sparked acceptance of a potential reform critical to paving the way for more significant third-party participation on Election Day.
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In My God We Trust
By Kevin I. Makice (published on July 8, 1999)
Religion — a very personal element to living — has intruded on social policy to an alarming degree. Community is at work when social conscience, in expressing individual preferences, shuns certain actions and ways of living. It is horrifying, however, when those individual preferences work their way into the rule of law. Three recent examples of this religion-as-policy movement are particularly chilling: the Ten Commandments rider; our Congressional obsession with flag burning; and government endorsement of religion-based social services.
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Assembly-line Education is No Choice
By Kevin I. Makice (published on May 1, 1999)
True, more options are made available — to some people — through education voucher programs. For example, middle-class parents considering pulling their kids from a public school will not be as hamstrung by the prohibitive costs of doing so. Since no voucher package also mandates transportation, nutrition or even admissions standards, however, there are no guarantees that a choice will be reciprocated. For that reason and more, vouchers are not a good “choice.”
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Setting Priorities In Education
By Jeffrey E. Poehlmann (published on March 31, 1999)
There is no question that the success of a society’s future hinges upon the education of its children. A strong, defined and state supported educational system can be used for good or ill, for it determines the direction of future leaders. What we look toward today is a way to incorporate state controls over structure and quality without impinging upon freedom of thought and diversity of opinion.
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Left Wanting a Voice for the Everyman
By Jeffrey E. Poehlmann (published on January 1, 1999)
A recent convening of “conservatives” in the Phoenix dessert on what many are calling an annual examination of their identity has left me asking myself an old question: Why do we label our politicians, ourselves, as conservative or liberal rather than humanitarian?
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Skirting the Limits of Campaign Finance Reform
By Jeffrey E. Poehlmann (published on December 15, 1998)
Serious presidential candidates will have to raise at least $22 million — approximately $50,000 per day — over the next two years. Unless the laws change dramatically before the 2004 election it may be all but impossible to compete in a national race without access to nearly inexhaustible funds.
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Empathy in Politics
By Kevin I. Makice (published on December 1, 1998)
Without much resistance, we propagate the notion that tax-and-spend liberals and neo-nazi conservatives are universal constants. Liberals aren’t all anti-business. Not all conservatives attack civil rights. But in the political realm, we accept these isolated cognitive sets as fact. Empathy is an alien concept for politics, but it is needed to achieve true understanding.
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