by Bob Barr | Oct 24, 2023 | Daily Caller Article |
Daily Caller A recent, nonpartisan poll of 2,008 registered voters, conducted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, concludes what many Americans already know, which is that our two-party political system is a chaotic mess. Far more disturbing, however, are the survey’s findings that a significant percentage of voters consider that violence, suspension of democratic norms and states seceding from our union, all are acceptable alternatives to our current troubles. These troubling findings certainly can, at least in part, be attributed to pronounced ignorance that has for at least a decade, characterized many Americans’ understanding of the structure of our national government. For example, a 2014 survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that more than one-third of adults surveyed could not name a single one of the three branches of our government. Coupled with historic lows in the public’s trust in government, such a disturbing level of civic cluelessness makes the most recent finding by the University of Virginia even more troubling. Having so many voters remaining fundamentally ignorant about how our government operates, while at the same time having little or no trust in that government, and with some forty percent considering it “acceptable to use violence to stop” those in the opposing political party “from achieving their goals,” is a recipe for disaster. If voters engaged directly with political leaders and parties, there might be at least some check on these disturbing trends, but, as the Pew Research Center has discovered, the vast majority of Americans get their news the easy way, from “digital devices,” which are by definition more subjective, less transparent and more easily...
by Bob Barr | Oct 19, 2023 | Townhall Article |
Townhall Since taking office early in 2021, President Joe Biden frequently has used the term “inflection point” as a way to add gravitas to whatever issue he is speaking about. In fact, he has used it so often its meaning, or whatever it is supposed to mean, has been significantly diluted. His current visit to Israel, however, which neither Biden nor his media team has described as an “inflection point,” could accurately be seen as such a juncture for Biden and for the Middle East. In none of the instances in which Biden has employed such rhetoric has he explained exactly what he means by the use of the term. In such linguistic laxity, the president perhaps presumes the reader or listener knows that the term “inflection point” (when not used in its technical, differential geometry context) is defined by dictionary guru Merriam-Webster, as “a moment when significant change occurs or may occur.” In his October 15th “60 Minutes” interview with Scott Pelley, Biden declared that his principal motivation for seeking a second term despite his advanced age and the myriad domestic problems he continues to face, was because “[t]h world is at an inflection point.” Two days later, America’s commander-in-chief was en route to Tel Aviv – smack dab in the middle of a burgeoning and already extremely bloody war between our close ally Israel and Hamas, one of that country’s most militant adversaries. What takes place in that region over the coming days, weeks, and months, may very well turn out to be a point at which “significant change occurs.” By all public assessments, the Jewish State is...
by Bob Barr | Oct 5, 2023 | Townhall Article |
Townhall A four-page piece of legislation that protects federal funds for school archery and hunting programs from being cut by federal bureaucrats illustrates the many perverse effects of giving Uncle Sam control over America’s education system. The nearly 60-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) is the multi-headed hydra that provides virtually unlimited ways by which U.S. Department of Education bureaucrats can directly and indirectly control all manner of programs in schools across the country. The reach of these tentacles is lengthened whenever an unrelated piece of legislation applies – or can be interpreted to apply – to schools. This is exactly what Miguel Cardona, President Biden’s Education Secretary, did after his boss in 2022 signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), a knee-jerk legislative response to the tragic mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, that same year. The BSCA contained a number of gun control measures, such as funding incentives for so-called “Red Flag Laws,” but did not prohibit use of federal education funds for such school programs as archery and hunter safety courses. It did, however, include language intended to prevent federal funds from being used to provide any “dangerous weapon” (that is, a firearm) or “training in the use of a dangerous weapon” in schools. This provision was intended to stop moves by some schools to arm teachers, resource officers, and administrators as a way to protect against criminal shooters at schools. Cardona’s Department, however, saw an opportunity to expand the restrictive language in the BSCA, and ran with it. Last July, the Education Department issued one of its dreaded “guidance letters” declaring that...
by Bob Barr | Oct 3, 2023 | Townhall Article |
Daily Caller The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is supposed to protect the public from unfair and deceptive business practices, such as “collusion.” But, what happens if the collusion is being perpetrated by government regulators themselves? Unfortunately, this is precisely what the Biden Administration’s FTC appears to be doing, led by avowed anti-free market advocate Lina Kahn. The regulatory agency Ms. Kahn heads is working to actively break up companies and industries that are operating lawfully in the marketplace, for what clearly appear to be ideological considerations rather than legitimate, honest concerns for consumer welfare. The handwriting for this abuse actually was on the wall as early as 2021, when it became apparent that the FTC was rescinding the long-standing “consumer welfare” standard it had employed since the 1970s, according to which the Commission would not intervene in or seek to regulate businesses or sectors of the economy unless the American people’s interests were being harmed. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Having jettisoned that standard, Kahn is now using her power to attack industries disfavored by her boss, President Joe Biden. Their targets now include prescription drug prices, and consumers may soon feel the results of this new game of regulatory abuse in higher prices at the pharmacy counter. Specifically, Khan is going after “pharmacy benefit managers” or PBMs. These groups are hired by health plan sponsors, including the federal government, insurance companies and employers to go head-to-head with drug companies at the negotiating table to secure lower drug costs for consumers. PBMs have been demonstrably effective at lowering prescription drug costs, as noted in a July 2022 study by Casey B. Mulligan (President Trump’s...
by Bob Barr | Sep 26, 2023 | Daily Caller Article |
Daily Caller Last week, the House Judiciary Committee demonstrated once again that the GOP does not know how to conduct effective oversight of the Executive Branch. The occasion was the appearance of Attorney General Merrick Garland before the Committee for an entire day, at the end of which nothing of value was revealed. Oversight, along with the appropriations power and passing substantive legislation, is one of the three great responsibilities of the Legislative Branch. It has the power to employ congressional committees to question witnesses and gather evidence supposed to ensure that the president and all executive officers, departments and agencies, are operating within the law and consistent with the intent embodied in legislation passed by the Congress. It is, unfortunately, the one power possessed by the Congress that is the least understood and the most often squandered. The Judiciary Committee hearing on September 20th was billed expressly as “Oversight of the Department of Justice,” but the Republican members demonstrated little interest in actual oversight of the massive Department, which includes the FBI, ATF, every United States Attorney in the country and our government’s immigration and border control agencies. Instead, they took the opportunity to beat up on Garland over one matter — Hunter Biden. To be sure, the failure of the Justice Department to seriously investigate or prosecute the “First Son” for what appear to have been numerous, and serious violations of federal law, is a matter deserving of oversight. Additionally, the failure by this Administration to carry out the myriad powers of the Justice Department fairly and transparently, constitutes a political failure that is fair game for the...
