The following is a summary of the February/March 2014 issue of the St. Croix Review:
Barry MacDonald, in "Charles Krauthammer - A Bulwark for Freedom," describes the dominating influence of a political commentator.
Mark Hendrickson, in "The Excessive Meanness and Injustice of Obama's Healthcare Law," puts President Obama in the company of Lenin and Marx as leftists who cannot be happy and are driven to impose their will on others; in "Do Americans Disrespect Congress or Themselves?" he blames American voters seeking favors from government for the shabby behavior of Congress; in "100 Years Later, the Federal Reserve Has Failed at Everything It's Tried," he writes that the Fed is an unaccountable, unconstitutional, rogue, agency - wielding arbitrary power immune from our system of checks and balances; in "One of the Most Powerful Christmas Lessons," he writes that Christ valued charity, but firmly rejected using force to compel others to do good; in "A Miracle of Coincidence," he relates phenomenal events that point to a benevolent power.
Allan Brownfeld, in "Government and Wall Street: A Revolving Door with Ill Effects," show how lobbyists and corporations are turning Washington D.C. into a vortex, drawing the nation's wealth to itself; in "Will Bill de Blasio Reverse Twenty Years of Progress in New York City?" he cites the mean, erroneous, extremely disrespectful rhetoric at the inauguration ceremony of the new mayor of New York City, and is much disquieted; in "Government's Recent Performance Bolsters Skepticism About Its Role in Society," he looks at the recent pratfalls of the Obama Administration from an historical perspective; in "When It Comes to Intelligence: How Much Government Is Enough?" he reveals the astoundingly wide scope of surveillance the U.S. government is doing on U.S. citizens, and the above-the-law mentality of intelligence officers; in "Reconciliation Rather Than Revenge, Assessing the Legacy of Nelson Mandela," he writes of the accomplishments of Nelson Mandela and South Africa.
Herbert London, in "Class Warfare," writes that an emotional narrative about the downtrodden trumps demonstrations of failed policies in public perceptions; in "Weakness Begets Challenges," he shows the many areas where aggressors hostile to freedom are gaining strength, due to the Obama administrations inaction; in "U.S.-Iran Deal on Nuclear Weapons," he lists six reasons why this deal is bad for the U.S. and our allies; in "Chinese Air Defense Zone," he describes an aggressive move by the Chinese to dominate the Pacific and to diminish American influence; in "The Nelson Mandela Legacy," he remarks on Mandela's Communist associates.
Paul Kengor, in "Who Killed the Kennedys? Ronald Reagan's Answer," uncovers forgotten Reagan speeches to find the obvious suspects; in "Mister Rogers vs. the Unity Tree," he tells a heart-warming story about the power of a welcoming presence; in "Bad Sports: Virtue & Vice at the Ballpark," he reminds us that virtue has to be taught from one generation to the next, or it is lost; in "The Progressive Income Tax Turned 100," he writes about the Democrats' central economic doctrine.
In "'The Conservative Mind' Turns Sixty," Tim Goeglein reviews the formative book by Russell Kirk that did so much to set the modern conservative movement on its course.
Twila Brase, in "The Obamacare Surveillance System," provides a detailed report on the vast data grab and police-like powers of enforcement granted the IRS in the Obamacare law.
Jigs Gardner, in "Sow Walk," presents a charming aspect of nature and farming.
Jigs Gardner, in "Two Years Before the Mast," reviews Richard Dana's account of working as a common American sailor in 1835-36.
In "Lies and Consequences," Fayette Durlin and Peter Jenkin show how damaging the lies told about the John Kennedy assassination were to American politics.
In "Affordable Healthcare? Leave Healthcare to the Free Market," Tracy Miller writes about the difficulty of providing high-quality healthcare to people with chronic illnesses, and he points to a solution.
