Once in a lifetime there comes a legislator so great that he transcends ideologies, political parties and personalities. Such a man was Jesse A. Helms, Jr. (R-NC). His greatness is beyond words. His opponents called him mean. He was one of the ...

There are now thousands of bureaucrats on the government payroll who produce very little. According to Clinton the baby-boomers are retiring, we must train people to take their place. Why? We managed just fine for more than 200 years without academies to train bureaucrats. Clinton already has offered a bill to create the United States Public Service Academy. A Democratic Congress would pass such a bill.

Ever since Al From founded the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) it has been a voice of reason within the Democratic Party. William J. Clinton was its Chairman when he won the Presidency in 1992. Clinton stated that he would be a moderate voice within the Democratic Party. The Republicans gained control of Congress in 1994; Clinton stayed true to his word. Given the Democratic context, there is no doubt that the DLC was a positive influence.

I believe that the Democrats, most likely with Senator Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY) as the nominee, will win. The Republicans, regardless of who they nominate, will lose because of the war in Iraq. Voters want to punish the Republicans for Iraq. I also believe the Republicans will lose seats in the Senate. Their incumbent candidates are weak and they have few, if any, potential challengers to Democrats who may be successful. The House of Representatives is different.

On May 30, the Los Angeles Times and the Kansas City Star ran an op-ed by Bart Jones that was so effusive in its praise of Chavez it would be difficult to distinguish from his official propaganda. The problem with the mainstream media in America is that it is so enchanted by radical left-wing politics it can barely bring itself to condemn the actions of a dictator who so brazenly violates the freedom of the press. Of course, in America the media frequently equates Christian conservatives with fascist dictatorships and accuse them of trying to censor the press and eradicating all of our constitutional freedoms. But the truth is that an authoritarian streak exists all in leftist politics. Because of this, the media refuses, with few exceptions, to portray Chavez honestly, even when he violates its most sacred freedom.

There was no talk-radio as we know it today until the Reagan Administration. The Federal Communications Commission repealed the so-called Fairness Doctrine. The reason stations did not have much talk-radio was because of the doctrine. For instance, if I appeared on a radio program and expressed strong views on a topic, someone of a different point of view could appear at the station and air time would have to be made available to them. In fact, if there were six different points of view time would need to be made available to all of them. The left does not like the fact that conservatives dominate talk-radio…

Homosexuals picture themselves as on the defensive. They claim they are discriminated against. In fact, they are on the offensive. Their lobby has evolved into one of the more powerful lobbies in the country. They are dangerous, not because what they believe is wrong, but because they put fear in the hearts of legislators of both parties. And they deliver.

I once asked Igor Gaidar why Russia was receiving such bad coverage. He said that the Soviets had spent millions to infiltrate the Western media, “€œJust because the Soviets went away, it doesn”€™t mean these reporters have gone away. They are still there.”€ I have no idea if that is the reason Russia gets such a bad rap. Perhaps some reporters are not Communist plants but were sympathetic to the Soviet Union and resent what has taken its place. I have met so many reporters who looked to the Soviet Union as a remarkable model. They blame the West for its collapse.

Does the public demand trash talk or not? If truly the public is sick and tired of garbage, or if the public is sick and tired of the way our culture has been destroyed by our toleration of sick and indecent humor, of evil films, of attacks on religion and on and on then we are into a different era. Usually the clock does not turn back. My guess is shock jocks will tiptoe into the bad old evil era again. At first they will be cautious. Then if the public doesn”€™t object they will go further and further until we will be back where we were. There presently is no DJ who would say of a black championship basketball team what Imus said. And it will take some time before anyone will. I hope and pray I am wrong. If I am I will gladly apologize here and elsewhere. I fear I am not. I have seen the disintegration of our culture step by step….

I watched what was advertised as the first Democratic debate of the political season. MSNBC carried a 90-minute question and answer session wherein all eight announced Democratic candidates for President answered questions from NBC anchor Brian Williams. Williams was fair but he did not lob tough questions at the candidates. For example, Williams might have asked why each of the candidates flew in to Columbia, South Carolina by private jet instead of by commercial airlines “€“ global warming and all that, you know. For what it is worth, here is my evaluation of how each candidate performed.

They are back, just when you thought it was safe. I mean the Feminazi crowd. And guess what they have in store for you? Why, they intend to re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment in both Houses of Congress. The original fight should have been over in 1977 but then Congress gave the ladies (please forgive that term in this context) another several years to complete ratification. So you thought the fight was over by 1982? No, not at all. This time the authors of the ERA assure us that they will have no time limit for ratification. And there you have it: ERA forever.

The new majority in Congress said it was different from the old majority and that multi-million dollar bridges to nowhere and money for frivolous projects would be a thing of the past. This is what they said and are on record saying on television and in newspapers all across the country barely two months ago yet their self-declared moratorium on earmarks seems to be falling apart already.