Townhall Review | Commentaries

The New York Times recently launched a major propaganda campaign under the guise of journalism. What they call “The 1619 Project” begins with this claim: “In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation.”

Two problems right there in that first sentence: First: Slavery is not the foundation of American capitalism.

Second: Slavery is the opposite of capitalism. Pro-slavery writers attacked capitalist economics because they recognized that capitalism is the enemy of slavery—calling it the “dismal science.”

Simply put: American wealth is not based on slavery. Quite the opposite.

Slavery slowed innovation to the degree that that slave states were much poorer than non-slave states in the North.

Capitalism starts with the idea that human beings create property, not that they are property. Only when we ended slavery did we surpass China as the largest economy in the world.

Don’t be fooled. Socialism equals slavery. Capitalism equals Freedom.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

USA Today trumpeted the good news about abortion with a big frontpage headline, proclaiming: “Abortion Rate at Its Lowest Rate Since Roe.” New figures from the Allen Guttmacher Institute show that the number of abortions continued to trend sharply downward—representing just half the number tabulated in 1990, despite population growth of some 80 million!

Yes, this reflects more women using birth control effectively, but it also reveals the influence of the pro-life movement in its efforts to discourage abortion and to save as many babies as possible. Whatever your political or religious affiliation, nearly everybody acknowledges that a sharp decline in abortions is great news. So why do Democrats persist in pushing policies to encourage more abortions—including taxpayer funding? That question exposes the lack of logic in what has become the increasingly strident, pro-abortion position of the American left.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has picked Robert O’Brien to serve as his National Security Adviser, and he couldn’t have made a better choice for such an important job.

I have known and worked with Robert for years. He is a man of high integrity who has a deep understanding of the national security challenges facing our country. O’Brien is cool under pressure and highly capable of dealing with the thorniest global issues. He is committed to keeping Americans safe, rebuilding our military, and working to promote President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy at a critical time.

Robert takes the job at a time when there are significant national security challenges around the world. But Americans should take comfort in knowing that Robert O’Brien will be counseling President Trump on the best way to address these challenges.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump has performed something of a miracle: he’s transformed the Democrats into free traders.

It wasn’t always like this: in fact, for years the Democrats were the party of protectionism. But now, solely because Trump is engaged in a trade war with China, several Democratic candidates for president have become crusaders for free trade.

In the last Democratic debate, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Beto O’Rourke advocated for the trade policies that used to be the domain of the Republican party. Harris said it bluntly: I’m “not a protectionist.”

Let’s be clear: the only reason this is happening is because of the Trump administration’s attitude towards China. A few years ago, the Democratic party was clearly moving towards protectionism.

This is simply the latest stage in Trump derangement syndrome: Trump is evil, therefore everything he does must be opposed.

So: Even if only for a day, Democrats are free-traders now.

But I’m not buying it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The rights of free speech and free exercise… are not limited to soft murmurings behind the doors of a person’s home or church...

These guarantees protect the right of every American to express their beliefs in public. This includes the right to create and sell words, paintings, and art that express a person’s sincere religious beliefs.”

So said the majority of the Arizona Supreme Court earlier this week.

With this win, artistic printers Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski of Phoenix were freed up to conduct their business according to their deeply held convictions.

SOGI policies we’ve seen elsewhere were turned on these two who had—respectfully—opted not to create wedding invitations for same-sex weddings.

Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom stepped in—and religious liberty prevailed.

This is a big win for First Amendment freedom.

We should never have to murmur our convictions.

We should never be compelled to express views at odds with those convictions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States Senate confirmed President Trump’s 150th judicial nominee last week, marking what Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina called a “historic milestone.”

Indeed, of all the accomplishments that President Trump and Republicans in the Senate will be remembered for, none may be as significant as the remaking of the federal judiciary. President Trump has nominated, and the Senate has confirmed, judges who will respect the rule of law and interpret the Constitution faithfully.

Amongst Trump’s nominees who have been confirmed are two Supreme Court justices; 43 Appeals Court judges; and over 100 District Court judges. These numbers are staggering. But perhaps even more noteworthy is the number of judges who are young enough to serve on their respective courts for a very long time. President Trump hasn’t just altered the federal judiciary temporarily, but has remade it in a way that will have staying power for decades to come. That’s an accomplishment that he—and Senate Republicans—should be proud of.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk about a bombshell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economic question which people ask me most often these days is whether the media can talk the economy into a recession.

For months I’ve been warning that economic growth was slowing down. Now it’s undeniable: The economy has slowed … and people are trying to figure out where to place the blame.

This is going to be kind of hard for me to say, but for once, I don't think the media is to blame. This slowdown is not driven by falling consumer confidence, the sort of thing that the media can influence.

No, this slowdown is driven by a slowdown in big-ticket capital spending: factories, power plants, gigantic earth movers, ships, planes, etc. which are not performing well. Decisions about those items are made by serious analysts with serious spreadsheets, not by watching cable pundits.

There’s no need to point a finger at the media on this one.

Want to move the needle back to boom again? Stop the policy uncertainty.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protests have continued in Hong Kong, even as the territory’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam formally withdrew from consideration the bill that would have allowed residents of Hong Kong to be extradited to China for criminal trial.

Yet, just a day earlier, China’s President Xi reiterated his call—as the Wall Street Journal reported—“for a determined fight to overcome any risk or challenge that endangers Communist Party leadership or harms China’s sovereignty and security.”

So, who to believe? What should we expect from Beijing regarding Hong Kong? The only certainty is that the People’s Republic of China is playing the proverbial “long game.”

In response, we need a long-haul policy of containment and coexistence, speaking firmly but without provocation.

Beijing is developing another 100-year strategy.

Our response will require doing more than words. It will require ships and submarines, missiles and planes, and a cyber- and space force.

Is the United States really serious?

Xi is watching what we build, not what we say.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the Bible—and its teaching about marriage and the family—now hateful?

Some today seem to think so.

When NFL quarterback Drew Brees promoted Bring Your Bible to School day in partnership with Focus on the Family, activists in the LGBTQ world struck back hard.

They accused Brees of partnering with a “hate” group that does harm to homosexuals.

The attack on Brees was gratuitous—a cheap shot deserving a penalty. And Brees should not backtrack here. Teaching that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman isn’t hateful. Neither is helping people believe anything Scripture teaches about sexual sin. This is what virtue and health look like, actually.

It’s right to support marriage, the traditional family, and the sexes. Focus on the Family is doing great work. They can take their hits.

People of religious conviction everywhere must have the courage to stand firm in the pocket.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.