Uncommon Common Sense

When I was very young, Jimmy Carter was President. I don't remember much of his presidency, but I do remember the Iranian hostage crisis and skyrocketing gas prices. Someone created a Misery Index during the Carter years to try and measure the malaise that defined his stint as President. I never thought that we would see again in my lifetime any President who would rival or surpass Carter's ineptitude. Boy was I wrong. I grew up during the Cold War. We were taught in school what to do during a nuclear strike and learned such phrases as "mutually assured destruction" and "perestroika". During those days, the Russians shot down a Korean airliner. The world and President Reagan was outraged. That event brought us closer to nuclear war with the USSR than any other event during the Cold War. However, we had a leader in the White House. In fact, the Iranian hostages were released the day Reagan was inaugurated. The Cold War was won because President Reagan and M...

We are a nation of immigrants. We have come from all over the world to be part of this great melting pot. My ancestors came here legally--through the front door, as it were. We, as all other nations,  screened those who came across our borders legally. We used to welcome those who could be a contributing, constructive part of the fabric of our society. As our nation strengthened and prospered as a result of that influx, we were in a position to be a light among nations. We are also a nation of laws. Our nation was the first ever to be established upon a foundation of law. No person was to be above, below or exempt from it--from the President down to the poorest vagrant, the laws were established to be applied equally. Our Constitution was written to prevent the bureaucratic whims of a monarch or a government lackey. We now find ourselves in a situation where those two ideas are seemingly at odds. Most of us would agree that immigrants are an essential part of both our past and ...