Free Republic

Last night there were two State of the Union addresses, and they offered radically different visions for America's future. One vision endorsed smaller government, permanent tax cuts, and individual liberty. The other approach offered a much more statist and paternalistic future for America, one where every possible problem, no matter how small, requires federal government action. These two descriptions refer not to two addresses — one being George W. Bush's State of Union 2006 address and the other the Democratic response. Rather, these completely inconsistent messages were both part of the president's address. Speaking from a free-market script, the president...

The biggest loser of the year in Texas politics were the Democrats in the Texas House. It has nothing to do with fleeing to Ardmore. The reason the House Democrats get the raspberry is because they never adjusted to their role as the minority party. Here is what I mean. The Texas House works best when the left and the right form coalitions and hammer out compromises somewhere near the center. About 25 percent of the House this year are freshmen. Their perception of the Legislative process was largely fashioned by clueless party ideologues. They had no doubt heard about...