Tyranny of Bureaucracy
In his 1980s comedy routine, Yakov Smirnoff celebrated America’s free society and equality before the law, joking: “In America you can always find a party. In Russia, Party always finds you! In America, you break … Read More
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Indebted
“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life,” counseled Faber College’s Dean Wormer in “Animal House.” For the collegiate class of 2013 — until next year the most indebted ever – add … Read More
A Valentine Wish: Repair the State of Our Unions
“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage,” goes the rhyme. Unfortunately, in large swaths of American society, this rhyme is playing in reverse, with dire consequences for lower-income … Read More
Julia’s War on Feminism
When Gloria Steinem popularized the saying “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”, I wasn’t old enough to wear a bra, never mind burn it. However, thanks to that feminist credo … Read More
The Green Wizard: Natural Gas Not Renewables
As if accompanying Dorothy en route to the Emerald City of Oz, Americans seek a green wizard to fulfill our hearts’ desires — a world powered by renewable energies like solar, wind and bio-fuels. Bedazzled … Read More
Realizing Dreams — If Not Now, When?
As I write my column for publication on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, I’m reminded of this joke: Upon hearing his rabbi memorialize soldiers who had died in service, a little boy asked soberly, … Read More
Class Warfare Divisive and Un-American
In a Russian joke, there are two friendly farmers, Boris and Ivan. Both are prosperous, though Boris owns chickens and Ivan doesn’t. When a genie offers Ivan anything he desires, he ponders his wish and … Read More
On Israel, Americans Aren’t Mad Hatters
When Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke before Congress in May, some were dismayed by his bipartisan standing ovations — more than any U.S. president since Kennedy. To Europeans who rank Israel with Iran and North … Read More