My question for the "expert" would have been, "What date do I get my $2500 cut in insurance premiums that was promised to me?"

My favorite parts in all of this are 1) the expert said not to believe what you hear from the media but listen to what the government tells you instead, and 2) commenters who think the IRS has nothing to do with ObamaCare.

I liked the cop's reply - "I don't need to know who you are yet." In other words, I'll get your name downtown when I book you. He was totally unaffected by any implied threat. Good man.

Just one minor correction to the last paragraph of the column - the freedom you want to preserve is not the freedom to assemble but the freedom to "peaceably assemble."

Another "small" tax increase. When Heidi wanted a slush fund for affordable housing, her tax increase was referred to as "only" so many dollars. Maddening! Do we have to repeat the story of how to boil a frog alive again? And, thanks once more to the simple minded folks who voted for the latest multi-year SPLOST with no clue as to the full implications of their vote.

My ggg and gggg grandfathers fought together (father and son) throughout the Civil War and my gggg grandmother went to war with them. She gained some fame as a battlefield nurse, and part of her story can be read at the link given below near the end of the narrative under "R H Lucinda Horne." At the beginning of the war they were sharecroppers and obviously owned no slaves. I have never been able to believe that they suffered such sacrifices, agonies, pain and deprivations as they did through four years of war just because they wanted rich plantation owners to be able to own slaves. I believe they fought out of a sense of community. BTW, my ggg grandfather was wounded near Petersburg and later died of his wounds - over 20 years later! Had he not survived that long, you would not have to be reading my comment. Thank you Lord!

http://www.researchonline.net/sccw/history/14thhisk.htm

I heard that after recording "He Stopped Loving Her Today" he said, "Nobody will buy that morbid SOB." Now most say it is the definitive country song.

@ArcadeTom: Your "fix" is acceptable. I wasn't trying to reference an individual so much as an incident of rank speculation, premature judgements, media trials and the like. The problem of being tried in the press, meaning "press" in the broadest sense of the word nowadays, seems to be rampant.

Maybe it had nothing to do with this young man's death, but irresponsible speculation of facts not in evidence (Richard Jewell, Trayvon Martin, etc) needs to stop because, obviously, the American public isn't capable of discerning the difference.

28 years on probation! That'll show him we mean business!

@E.J.: Thanks EJ. I tried earlier today to post "In vino veritas" but the cyber gods wouldn't allow it. When the booze lowers the inhibitions, the true you is revealed.

@jrgarland: Don't get too cocky. It was a narrow comparison.

[quote][b]geronimo509[/b] - Legislators have abdicated their responsibility to make laws and instead draft general statutes that are then defined and enforced by idealogical bureaucrats.[/quote]

Excellent observation. The names of the bills that pass through Congress always sound noble and reasonable, but that ain't what we get when it's implemented.

@jrgarland: I enjoyed your column. I always do. I have likened your columns to the novels of James Michener with regard to the background research that goes into them. I also agree with your recommendation that states need to erect what bulwarks they can against federal fiscal irresponsibility. Of course, the problem with that is that state governments themselves are little or no more responsible than the federal government.

I use to revere the document and the genius of the men who hammered it together. But, over the years it has become painfully obvious that virtually anything can be ruled constitutional by the commerce clause, the general welfare clause, the President's election to enforce or not enforce this law or that, and by judges who rule a law constitutional even though he/she has to "reword" the government's own attorney's argument ("it's a tax, not a fee"). Now I regard the Constitution not as a remarkable document, but a remarkable historical document that served us well - for a while.

Be careful about conserving water. You may get another rate increase.

@dahreese: Overgeneralize much?

@proftom: Yes, Watchman did overgeneralize and I do get the point of the article. But it should concern us all that a large segment of the African-American community, as evidenced by the illegitimacy rate, drop out rate, crime rate, etc, seem to be throwing away the legacy passed on to them through the efforts, suffering, and sacrifice of Dr. King and the likes of John Lewis. I wish the leadership of the black community would more strongly and more frequently address those problems. The health and economic success of the black community not only affects their quality of life but also the well being of all society.

Mr. Galis writes probably the best, most well researched columns that appear in the ABH, but I'm not sure where he was going with this one. Is he simply enlightening us on the insurrectionist theory or arguing that it has no legitimacy? Legitimate or not, I know that segments of our society have "lines in the sand" that if crossed by the government they will use any means possible to resist even if that resistance is disorganized and doomed to failure. Whether or not there's one line in the sand that would cause a significant segment of our society to rebel, I don't know. But I often ask myself - would I have walked that trail of tears to Oklahoma or resisted? Would I have walked into that gas chamber or resisted? I don't know, but I hope I would have resisted by any means necessary.

You make a good point Myra, but it stopped being "our" education system years ago when we first accepted federal funds.

@cyou299: Then why didn't they make your points? Why didn't they point out how his opinion is a logical fallacy? Why didn't they point out that he over generalized from the example he cited? Instead of doing that they called him a self-important, superficial old fool. When a poster makes a personal attack like that, I assume they have no logical counter argument.

Typical. The first two responses to the op-ed piece are personal attacks on the author.

@kaleidoscope.junkie: My thought exactly. In comparison, some of the teachers accused in the Atlanta cheating scandal had million dollar bonds. Are you kidding me? There should be no bond, only a hasty trial and execution!

@gman129: You're right and to cite Newtown in support of the legislation is demagoguery.

I'm betting that it's going to be worse than this article suggests despite the study not being all inclusive of relevant factors.