The following is a summary of the October, 2011, issue of The St. Croix Review.
In the Editorial "Upsides" Angus MacDonald writes about happiness.
Mark Hendrickson, in "Gold's Meteoric Rise," explains the rise of gold signals the plunge of the dollar and our economy; in "The Limits to Bernanke's Power," he believes it will be very difficult to avoid higher interest rates, making economic recovery difficult; in "Big Deal or No Big Deal?" he analyses the results of the debt-ceiling deal in August; in "Solutions for the 'Tax Gap,'" he says the primary reason people cheat when paying taxes is our political system is perceived to be "immoral, dishonest, and corrupt"; in "Bernanke and the Potemkin Economy," he explains why he terms Fed Chairman Bernanke an "inflationist" and how growth as measured by GDP during the Obama administration has been illusory.
Herbert London, in "From Coming Boom to the Coming Gloom," compares our economy today with that preceding the Reagan revolution, and believes the weight of government spending today imperils our liberty as never before; in "The Walls That Divide Europe," he writes of the pernicious effects of "no go zones" where non-Muslims may not enter; in "A Palestinian State? What Does the Evidence Suggest," he shows how U.S. taxpayers contribute to funds the Palestinian Authority uses to support terrorists; in "Venice: A City of Dreams," he says that "getting lost in Venice is one of the great joys in life."
Allan Brownfeld, in "How America Goes to War: Rediscovering the Dangers of an All-Powerful Executive," shows how both parties of have been guilty, when given the opportunity, of pushing an ever-expanding power; in "Dramatic Decline in Public Education Leads to Renewed Push for Voucher Programs," he writes fewer and fewer high school graduates are prepared for college or a career, and one-fourth can't pass the entrance exam for the Army; in "The Supreme Court's Strange Embrace of Violent Video Games for Children" he writes the warping brutality of the games, the exploitation of children by adults, and the requirements of civilization require the reconsideration of this case.
Paul Kengor, in "Could You Survive Another Great Depression?" , relates how his Grandparents survived the Great Depression - by relying on themselves - and considers how unprepared today's Americans are; in "Two Negotiators: Obama Vs. Reagan," he compares Obama's tantrum during the debt ceiling debate with Reagan's masterly accomplishments; in "No Contest: The Reagan Stimulus Vs. Obama's," he writes Obama's version poorly compares with Reagan's success and leadership; in "It's the Spending, Stupid: A Crucial Historical Look at Federal Government Spending" he documents the relationship from 1965 between ever-increasing federal spending, recessions, and deficits; in "The Secret Memo That Predicted the Soviet Collapse," he reveals a now-declassified memo by Herb Meyer detailing the economic and demographic nightmare that brought down the USSR.
In "Science Getting Settled . . . the Reality of Global Warming," Lawrence Solomon writes that evidence points to cosmic rays and the sun as the cause of global warming. He relates how alarmists have rallied to suppress the evidence for over a decade. Suppression is ongoing.
In "The Need to Restructure the Department of Defense," Earl Tilford shows how to reform a sacrosanct bureaucracy.
Haven Bradford Gow cites modern-day examples of honor in "Sports Should Build Good Character."
Jason R. Edwards, in "The Bedroom in the Classroom," shows the lunacy of California lawmakers in mandating the inclusion in social-science textbooks of the significant contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans for students K-12.
Jigs Gardner, in "Letters from a Conservative Farmer: The Simple Life, Continued," shows the transformative effects of handling animals and tools, and he writes a loving tribute to his wife.
In "The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln," Jigs Gardner writes of his fascination from childhood with Lincoln, reviews Michael Burlingame's excellent book on Lincoln, and probes the strength and eloquence of this great man.
Fayette Durlin and Peter Jenkin, in "Conservative Magazines: Timeliness," says that publications are timely if they convey a sense of urgency to passing events. They discuss the EPA and harmful regulations, and look at Commentary, The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, and The New York Times.
Robert C. Whitten reviews Climate Gate, by Brain Sussman and Climate Coup, by Patrick Michaels, two books that undermine the science of man-caused, catastrophic global warming.
