Everyone who listened to the Presidential debates probably recognizes this phrase. Several times, both Obama and McCain used it in reference to issues on which they disagreed. Once or twice when McCain spoke, I saw a little glimmer of clarity on the real fundamental difference between the parties. (more…)

It’s entirely possible that you’re reading this before November 4, 2008, but the likelihood is that you’re reading this after. Regardless, you will vote in an election sometime in the future, so the message is the same. The electoral system — nay, the whole political system — in the United States is broken. (more…)

As a general rule, planning your class load for next semester is stressful. There are requirements to fill, time conflicts to worry about, and logging in at 10:00 pm with 1,000 other people (full disclosure: the author logs in at 9:30). With all of that said, you still have to avoid any class that starts at 8:00 AM and any class with a professor who says “uh” way too many times. (more…)

With just under a month to go before the election, the Straight Talk Express rolled through Bethlehem, PA on October 8th, making a campaign stop for a rally at Stabler Arena. (more…)

Education plays a critical role in every nation’s development. Just as leaders today make decisions based upon their past education, the leaders of tomorrow will formulate their actions based on what they learn today. Our future depends on the education of today to produce a well-informed and educated generation. (more…)

In the current state of affairs, the results of the presidential elections are essentially a shoe-in for Senator Barack Obama. Unless some significant and unforeseen news is reported, either severely negative to Senator Obama or highly positive to Senator McCain, Senator Barack Obama will win the United States Presidential election with a comfortable margin to spare. (more…)

A colleague of mine wrote last month about why he, as a Christian, feels obligated to vote for Barack Obama. To me, this notion is not only delusional but downright scary. I feel that I need to respond to this notion as well as list the almost countless other reasons Barack Obama would do great damage to this country. He is not even qualified to be President of this great nation. (more…)

“Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason.” —Benjamin Franklin

G.K. Chesterton is perhaps the greatest forgotten intellectual from the early twentieth century. (more…)

Traditionally, Democrats claim to support tolerance, but, from the looks of the mainstream media, can’t seem to stand the conservative viewpoint. Excluding Fox News, there are two conservative anchors on television: John Stossel of ABC and Glenn Beck of CNN Headline News. Since Beck is moving to Fox News in the spring, soon Stossel will stand alone. Although Fox News was determined to have the most balanced election coverage by the bipartisan Center for Media and Public Affairs , it is regularly bashed by liberal pundits from Keith Olberman to Katie Couric. They see it as being the network of the far-right fringe, with Bill O’Reilly leading the sheep off a cliff. Not only is this blatantly false, but they also practice the exact tactics that they unsuccessfully blast Fox News for. At least Fox News has had guests like Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Rosie O’Donnell, and other members of the liberal fringe. When was the last time you saw Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter on MSNBC? Bernard Goldberg, political commentator and former 28-year member of CBS News, has elaborated on this topic in all four of his New York Times bestselling books.

Prior to a few weeks ago, I had never really had any real world experience with the intolerance of the left. All that changed when, against my better judgment, I attended a party hosted by staunch Democrats. I wasn’t expecting much, especially since it was only an hour after the first presidential debate. The party pretty much went without a hitch for the first few hours. But as the party started to wind down, I got into a discussion with someone who lived in the house and was an obvious Obama supporter. I knew it would be a fun debate. He was quick to say Obama won the debate. I disagreed, but he couldn’t stand it. After a few exchanges, he proceeded to call me a name so awful I can’t repeat it here. Then he kicked me out. Obviously, I really got to him. And the Left preaches tolerance?

While the Right cannot be given a free pass on tolerance, the Left has made a sport out of their intolerance to conservative values. Keith Olberman believes a “race riot” will occur if Obama loses the presidential election. Liberals in the mainstream media also ignore the huge stories that showcase the successes of Conservative policies and practices. For example, it has just come to my attention that earlier this year US soldiers removed some 550 tons of Uranium from Iraq. So, when Liberals say that Iraq did not have any weapons of mass destruction, they really mean 550 tons. None of this surprises me; it happens all the time. Fox News is the closest thing to unbiased news reporting there is. The Liberals can have their faltering ratings and crazy soapbox-mounting guests. I’ll take the number one name in news.

With the election season now in full swing and Sarah Palin still being assaulted in the media and even by the Women’s Center on Lehigh’s campus, I thought it would be time to set the record straight on just who Sarah Palin is and what she stands for. Hopefully, I will also put to rest some myths along the way.

Sarah Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1964. Her family moved to Alaska shortly thereafter. She attended Wasilla High School, where she was head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and point guard of the school’s state championship basketball team. In 1984, she finished third in the Miss Alaska pageant and won Miss Congeniality. She also won a college scholarship. In 1987, she graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in communications-journalism. She married Todd Palin the next year. Todd works in the oil industry on the North Slope and owns a small commercial fishing business.

Sarah entered politics in 1992 with a run for Wasilla City Council. She says she decided to run because she was afraid the new sales tax revenue would not be spent wisely. She won the race and immediately killed a measure to close Wasilla’s bars two hours earlier. She did this even though she was a member of a church that was against the drinking of alcohol. After winning a reelection bid in 1995, Sarah decided to run for mayor in 1996. She defeated a three-term incumbent mayor on a platform of cutting wasteful spending and lowering taxes. One of her first acts as mayor was to cut her own salary. She cut property taxes in the city by 75%, and made many city improvements while cutting unneeded spending. In 1999, she defeated the same opponent with a whopping 74% of the vote and was subsequently elected president of Alaska’s Conference of Mayors.

In 2002, Sarah sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, but lost. Governor Frank Murkowski appointed Palin the chairperson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Committee. She resigned from the committee in 2004, citing a lack of ethics among fellow Republican members. She filed formal complaints against two fellow Republicans, one of whom was the state party chair. The governor did not take her complaints seriously, so in 2006 she decided to run against him. She defeated the incumbent governor from her own party in the primary and then beat a former governor in the general election. Both of the men against whom Palin filed the original complaint were found guilty and subsequently fined. She became the first female and youngest governor in Alaska’s history. She is also the first Alaskan governor to be born after Alaska became a state. Governor Palin’s first legislative action was to push through a bipartisan ethics reform bill. She put the state jet on eBay and later sold it privately because she did not need it. She championed the oil and natural gas pipeline and secured the funding and permissions required to link the pipeline through Canada to the lower 48 states. In two submitted budgets, Governor Palin has cut $523 million in spending from the Alaska construction budget alone. In 2008, revenues to the state of Alaska doubled to $10 billion and there is no state sales tax or income tax. Also, citizens of the state of Alaska each received $1200 last year as a share of oil revenues from the state.

Governor Palin is a reformer, traditionalist, and conservative. She is committed to doing what she believes to be right, and does so regardless of who she angers along the way. She has stepped on the toes of Democrats and Republicans alike in Alaska, to the benefit of the people she represents. However, not everyone likes her. This month, her approval rating fell to 82%, which happens to be only four times as high as the approval rating for Congress. She stands for lower taxes, less spending, and energy independence. Who would know more about energy policy than the governor of the state that produces 20% of our energy? She is the most qualified person in public office today to talk about how to solve our energy crisis. Sarah Palin supports the surge; her oldest son deployed to Iraq just last week. She is solidly pro-life, having chosen to give birth to a child she knew would have Down syndrome.

At least now we know where the Women’s Center’s priorities lie. They lie not with the advancement of women, but with the advancement of liberalism. If a venue like the Women’s Center cannot support a woman with as impressive a resume as Palin’s, I question the need for their existence. Obviously, Governor Palin should be judged on the issues just like every other candidate. If that was happening, then I would still question the need for the Women’s Center, as their goals will have been accomplished. It is ironic that it took a chauvinistic Republican male (sense the sarcasm) to defend the female vice-Presidential nominee from attacks incurred at the Women’s Center. It took a sexist conservative to defend the only woman in the race based on her merits, qualifications, and views on the issues. Maybe I should run the Women’s Center; women would get a fairer shake.

Myths about Sarah Palin

Myth #1: Sarah Palin tried to censor books in the public library.

Answer: There was never any request made to remove any books from the library, it was a simple inquiry by then-mayor Palin to the librarian.

Myth #2: Sarah Palin improperly took a $58 per diem allowance while she lived at home.

Answer: While the legislature is not in session; Governor Palin works from her office in Anchorage. Instead of taking the allowance for hotels as well, she drives 50 miles to her home in Wasilla. She is well within her rights to take the travel allowance. Her gubernatorial expenses are only 80% of those of the previous governor.

Myth #3: Sarah Palin actually did support the “bridge to nowhere”.

Answer: While Governor Palin did run for governor supporting the bridge, she was responsible for killing the bridge once she became governor. An anti-Ted Stevens, Democratic website actually credits Palin with stopping Stevens’ pork project.

Myth #4: Governor Palin is too inexperienced, and therefore unqualified to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Answer: Sarah Palin held elected office five years before Barack Obama. She has more executive experience than Barack Obama and Joe Biden combined. In fact, she has more executive experience than Barack Obama has legislative experience. She has run a town, a state energy commission, a state with a $10 billion budget, and a small business with her husband. Barack Obama has run for President for two years. It’s quite sad that the Republicans’ vice-Presidential nominee is more qualified than the Democrats’ Presidential nominee. True, she does not have foreign policy experience. Of course, neither did Presidents Roosevelt, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, or Bush, to name a few. Since foreign policy is John McCain’s strong suit, and he is the one who will be President, I am not too worried about the lack of foreign experience.