A few weeks ago, congressional testimony was released detailing two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers claiming Hunter Biden had been given preferential treatment by the Justice Department. Soon after this was made public, Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy raised the possibility of the House beginning an impeachment inquiry into Attorney General Merrick Garland for his role in the […]

The U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will hold a hearing Tuesday on “Investigating the Proximal Origin of a Cover Up.” The recent Federal District Court injunction against government censorship of social media increases this hearing’s significance. The hearing will not decide if a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) started […]

Alabamians may have felt their wallets bulge a bit last month when the Legislature approved our bill that slices the sales tax on groceries in half and implements the single largest tax cut in state history.  Alabama was one of only three states that taxed groceries at the full rate – South Dakota and Mississippi […]

Even though it is not an election year, the Alabama political pot is heating up and beginning to boil as the summer heat settles into the Heart of Dixie. The 2024 candidates for some open state judicial posts have been stirring around all year, and also candidates for next year’s local elections are gearing up […]

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the hand of the oppressive British monarchy. Two days later, John Hancock, who was the President of Congress, sent letters to each colony and to General Washington announcing the Declaration. It was then read out loud to citizens in […]

To coincide with Independence Day, many foreign nationals will publicly renounce all loyalties to their country of origin, pledge their allegiance to the United States, and officially become U.S. citizens. Witnessing people from all walks of life and from every continent become citizens creates an infectious patriotism and offers a rare glimpse into the sacrifice […]

America celebrates 222 years of independence this July 4th. Our current political polarization makes many question whether Americans are still united in freedom. I think freedom is still widely embraced just two distinct visions. The leaders of America’s founding generation studied lessons from political theory and history concerning lost freedom. They were rooted in English […]

Every year, Americans – often youngsters – suffer serious eye injuries from fireworks on the Fourth of July. Young children lose their eyesight, changing the course of the rest of their lives due to lack of eye protection during this time of the year. Children and teenagers are nearly twice as likely to be injured […]

It likely won’t come as a shock to anyone who’s read the different articles in this series that politics plays a front-and-center role in my life.  Every single person I’ve interviewed for this series is, in one way or another, working directly in politics or wishing to do so in the future. This fact can […]

Every year, Congress is supposed to pass twelve appropriations bills to keep the government funded for the next fiscal year. These bills start off in one of the 12 Appropriations Subcommittees, head to the full committee, and then head to the House Floor. The Senate also has its own process, and eventually the House and […]

Economists debate whether typical Americans are better off now than 50 years ago. The debate concerns the reliability of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The Cost of Thriving Index (COTI) from American Compass and Oren Cass think tank contends that middle class prosperity is becoming unaffordable for American families. Cass gained attention with the publication […]

The 2023 legislative session proved to be another successful and productive one for the Alabama Senate Republicans. We effectively utilized all 30 legislative working days with 340 bills filed in the Senate. We welcomed four newly elected Republican senators at the start of the year and passed key legislation that will continue to make Alabama […]

The transfer portal is changing college sports, particularly in combination with Name, Image, and Licensing (NIL) deals. The portal also illustrates the role of philosophies of life and work in our decisions. College athletes (and students) have long transferred. Previously players transferring from one Division I (or FBS) program to another had to sit out […]

A year ago this week, the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in a landmark victory for the pro-life movement. The Supreme Court said in its decision: “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and […]

Sometimes overlooked and often unsung, Alabama’s community and technical colleges are on a roll. It is time they get the recognition they deserve as workhorses for the state’s economy. There are 24 community and technical colleges in the state, located on 50 campuses with more than 130 service locations. This means every Alabamian reading these […]

As the author Emily McKay providentially said, “when you’re lucky enough to catch lightning in a bottle, you put the lid on as fast as you can.” The Legislature caught proverbial lightning in a bottle with the passage of the Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act (Act 2023-365) sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins and championed […]

President Biden and his administration have repeatedly abused their power and failed to seek congressional approval to pass various pieces of its radical agenda. During President Biden’s first year in office, he created new rules and regulations that carry a price tag of more than $200 billion. For reference, this is more than four times […]

Renowned Alabama historian Dr. Wayne Flynt has chronicled and penned a marvelous book appropriately entitled “Afternoons with Harper Lee.” This gem is published by New South Books with editing by Randall Williams. It is receiving worldwide acclaim. If you are a fan of Harper Lee and her novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it is a […]

It doesn’t matter what side of the political aisle you find yourself on. Right, left, center, there’s one thing that I believe most Americans want, and that is the best for our country. One of the reasons for the division that we experience today is not being able to look at somebody who thinks differently […]

Right now, our national debt is $31 trillion. That’s larger than our entire economy. In fact, the ratio of our debt to our economy has never been higher. We spend more on interest on this debt than we spend on our veterans. And as debt and interest rates both go up, soon we’ll spend more on interest […]

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall recently summarized the problem of so-called “environmental, social, and governance (ESG)” investing well, telling a congressional committee that “[a]n unelected cabal of global elites is using ESG to hijack our capitalist  system, capture corporations, and threaten hard-earned dollars of American workers.” Or, as I recently said in an interview, “ESG […]

Adam Smith, the anchor of that group of inquisitive Scotsmen who spawned the Scottish Enlightenment and significantly changed the world, was born 300 years ago this month. The era of his birth was still primarily agrarian with superstition superseding science. He would alter this status by observing his community, pursuing the life of a scholar, […]

The easiest and most politically advantageous choice for my career is to vote against the Fiscal Responsibility Act, but I couldn’t put myself and my political future ahead of the needs of this country. I couldn’t say “no” to the biggest spending cut and the largest deficit reduction in U.S. history. In fact, this spending […]

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a debt ceiling compromise with President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Unsurprisingly, fiscally conservative Republicans are criticizing the Speaker. Economics helps understand the  challenges in attaining the best bargain possible under given circumstances. House Republicans’ Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 revealed their debt ceiling wish list. Items included […]