Townhall Review | Commentaries

Investors, the business press and just ordinary citizens concerned about their 401(k) accounts are beginning to get worried about inflation. For most of my career, I’ve been talking conservative leaders down from dire predictions of imminent inflation. But now, I think that inflation is a very real short and mid-term risk.

Last year the Trump administration borrowed $3.3 trillion—yes, with “t”—to fund Covid relief and various stimuli. At the end of the year, almost another trillion was agreed to, and now the new president is proposing an additional almost $2 trillion.

So far, almost all of this new spending has been financed out of the central bank’s creation of new monetary base. In other words, we “printed” the money we spent.

Inflation is too much money chasing too few goods. The fed is giving us too much money and the low-growth Biden economy will provide too few goods.

Americans ought to be concerned.

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During his presidential campaign last year, and as recently as in his Inaugural Address, President Biden promised to work together with Republicans to solve our country’s biggest problems.

He’s already broken that promise.

President Biden is relying on party-line support to pass a $1.9 trillion spending bonanza that includes hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out liberal states like New York, Illinois, and California. This despite the fact that ten Republican Senators presented him with an alternative approach that would have addressed the health and economic challenges created by COVID-19. It was a good faith offer that could have been the start of negotiations over a compromise bill. But Biden rejected the GOP offer out of hand and chose to work only with Democrats.

Now, “Biden World” is reportedly planning to run negative ads against Republicans who don’t vote for Biden’s spending package. It’s a long way from the bipartisanship the president promised.

What a shame.

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Few politicians have received the level of adulation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over the course of this pandemic. National media painted him as a hero, Hollywood gave him an Emmy for his press conferences, and his publisher released Cuomo’s self-congratulatory book hailing his own leadership. All of this idolization deliberately distracted from a deadly secret: Cuomo’s policy forcing nursing homes to admit COVID-19 positive patients resulted in thousands of deaths, and Cuomo’s administration hid it for months to avoid potential prosecution.

Now that this secret has been exposed, the New York legislature has no choice but to demand accountability from Governor Cuomo. Thousands of elderly New Yorkers died as a result Cuomo’s policies—his own top aide has admitted as much. Legacy media outlets should also be held accountable. They lionized Cuomo even while questions about this policy and its deadly effects were being asked.

The nation should demand more from our public servants than entertainment awards and deception.

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Amy Jacobson and guest host Paul Vallas talk with screenwriter Andrew Klavan about the increasing attacks on conservative opinion from the right.

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Rush Limbaugh died this week at the age of 70.

To say he was a giant in our industry of talk radio is an exercise in understatement.

When I talk about the format of talk radio on my own program, I have often said that “Rush Limbaugh built the mall. Everyone else just has a storefront in it,” and I was true then—I’m true now.

I’m grateful for my own storefront, but I’m particularly grateful to Rush for building the superstructure of our medium.

There’s no question: talk radio is more needed now than ever.

I’ve been doing talk radio since 1990. Two years earlier than that, Rush Limbaugh had started his syndicated show—and he was already a monster hit. He, a giant in the industry, helped me out—a newbie—cutting promos for me. He was one of the great gentlemen in the business—and he never stopped being a professional’s professional.

Rush Limbaugh will be greatly missed. But the mall that he built is alive and fuller than ever. And for that, we should all be grateful.

Rest in peace, Rush.

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When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. With no new ideas to address poverty in the wake of the pandemic, left wing politicians are once again calling for tax increases, claiming it’s a matter of “fairness.”

Where were these “pro-fairness” legislators last year, when it was fine to shop at Costco or Wal-Mart, but small businesses were shuttered.

And what about the injustice to our children? Many students haven’t been inside a classroom for almost a year. It’s estimated that existing achievement gaps will be worsened by 15-20 percent because of school shutdowns.

Virtually every major policy chosen to address the pandemic has only empowered government and weakened the individual rights of Americans.

It’s ironic that under the guise of “fairness,” politicians would seek to advance measures that will only expand government still further.

Truly, that’s not fair.

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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of two churches in California that were challenging orders coming from California’s Governor Gavin Newsom—orders that effectively shut down all indoor worship services for churches and other religious congregations in California.

The 6-3 decision is huge in its impact.

The big change came from the Chief Justice, John G. Roberts Jr. In May of last year, when we were looking at a church in Nevada, the court turned down its appeal by a vote of 5 to 4—with the Chief Justice among the five votes.

So: What caused the Chief Justice of the United States to change his mind now?

With reference to deference toward the states, he said, “deference, though broad, has its limits.”

That limit must have been crossed somewhere between May of last year and February 5 this year, when the Chief Justice changed his mind.

What it adds up to is a big win for religious liberty.

We need to celebrate it.

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If you’re a parent or a grandparent of school-aged children, I am sure you’ve been tracking with the fact that:

One: School-aged children are safe if they return to school.

And two:

President Biden was elected with a promise to get our kids back into school.

The Associated Press came out with a story this week that amounts to little more than fake news—the real sort of fake news.

The headline was simple: “Union approves deal with Chicago schools to return to class.”

That sounds great, but it’s five paragraphs in when we learn—and I quote—“No plans have been set for high school students, who will continue with online learning.”

The headline ought to have been: Union approves deal with Chicago schools not to return to class.

Chicago is like L.A., which is like New York City—cities with enormously powerful public employee unions—unions that virtually run their Democratic parties, which do indeed run their cities. The teacher unions are operating with a concern for their pensions and with an effort to keep their members at home.

Our young ones are paying the price.

Reopen the schools and reopen them now.

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As Americans celebrate Presidents’ Day this weekend, we recall the best of our leaders who used their gifts and overcame their flaws to secure liberty and freedom for our nation. None were perfect; yet each of those we honor contributed something vital to our nation and made us who we are today.

Unfortunately, too many want to erase these towering figures of American history from public life. School boards and municipalities have stripped facilities of names such as Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Monroe, and Roosevelt for offending contemporary sensibilities. This historical nihilism fails to recognize that these leaders deserve recognition not because they were perfect, but because they transcended their limitations and those of their times to advance the cause of liberty.

Rather than scorn these presidents in arrogant presumption of our own moral perfection, we should allow their courage and wisdom to inspire us to continue their mission in the cause of freedom.

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“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

That’s Article II, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution—which gives Congress the authority to impeach and remove officials. But, note the actual words, “shall be removed…upon impeachment…and conviction.” This includes the authority to remove a president. But you can’t remove a president from an office if he is no longer in the office.

Like most Americans, I was appalled by the violent rioting at the Capitol. I also believe President Trump’s speech was reckless. But Congress cannot impeach, convict and then remove from office a private citizen.

Censure could have been more bi-partisan, and actually legal.

The use of impeachment as a tool for political retribution against a president who is out of office is a horrible precedent.

The bottom line: Congress should not fight lawlessness with more lawlessness.

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