Cal Thomas
Columns by Cal Thomas
Bryce Harper and loyalty
President Harry Truman once said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." That truism can now be applied to baseball players, notably Bryce Harper. Published March 6, 2019
For Trump and Netanyahu, policies matter more than personal flaws
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing indictment on charges of fraud, corruption, breach of trust and bribery. He's also running for re-election, and with less than six weeks until ballots are scheduled to be cast in Israel, some have raised suspicions of a political hit, not unlike the various hearings and investigations ensnaring President Trump. Published March 4, 2019
Kudos to Dianne Feinstein
Here's a sentence I never thought I would write: Dianne Feinstein was right. Published February 27, 2019
Why people are moving out of high-tax states to Florida and elsewhere
While most attention has been focused on immigrants trying to enter the United States over America's southern border, there is legal migration taking place that has been largely ignored, though it may have at least as much economic and political impact as the other. Published February 25, 2019
Why the purging of evil must not be delayed
One might think that after denying the evidence of Adolf Hitler's rise and objectives that resulted in World War I, Europeans might be more attuned to modern threats. Published February 20, 2019
Assumptions about collusion and presidential powers abound
Here is the problem for Trump critics. They began with the wrong premise. They believed that Hillary Clinton should have won the 2016 presidential election. Then they deluded themselves by embracing the notion that Mr. Trump was illegitimate, unstable, stupid and an offense to everything they consider normal. Published February 18, 2019
The unfathomable behavior of leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention
My first reaction upon hearing that hundreds of leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention had sexually abused as many as 700 people in 400 churches, including victims as young as 3, was "how could they?" It was the same reaction I had when news of predatory priests in the Roman Catholic Church, and the cover-up that followed the sexual abuse allegations, surfaced. Published February 13, 2019
Going green once seemed extreme, but it’s now accepted
Kermit the Frog was wrong. It is now easy to be "green." The evidence is the "Green New Deal," which CNN describes as a " 10-year 'economic mobilization' that would phase out fossil fuel use and overhaul the nation's infrastructure while building whole new layers into the existing social safety net." The 14-page resolution was proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, and Sen. Ed Markey, Masschusetts Democrat. Published February 11, 2019
The state of what union?
Eloquence is not a characteristic associated with President Donald Trump, but in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, the president not only rose to the occasion, he also delivered a message that was beautifully crafted by his speechwriters, a speech devoid of much of the divisive and combative language that has characterized his first two years in office. It was also well-delivered and well-received, if not by every member of Congress, then by 76 percent of those who watched it, according to a CBS News instant poll. Published February 6, 2019
Late-term abortions legislated in New York, attempted in Virginia is updated form of child sacrifice
The uproar over New York State's Reproductive Health Act, which allows late-term abortions performed by "health-care practitioners" when the "patient is within 24 weeks from the commencement of pregnancy, or there is an absence of fetal viability or the abortion is necessary to protect the patient's life or health" should come as no surprise. Published February 4, 2019
What became of country before party?
One of the few advantages of changing addresses is that you sometimes discover long-forgotten items. Published January 30, 2019
Something is required to stem the tide of illegal immigration
The first thing that needs to be said about President Trump's decision to sign a measure re-opening part of the federal government without getting money for the wall he demanded is that his experience as a New York businessman was no help. Perhaps he failed to recognize that Democrats are the party of government and no one guards the power, cost and perks of government better than they do. Published January 28, 2019
The media drools over new female members of Congress
The major media have gone gaga over the number of women newly elected to Congress and those announcing their run for the White House in 2020, with more female candidates likely to follow suit. Published January 23, 2019
Donald Trump’s State of the Union options
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has given President Trump an opportunity to change the dynamic of the State of the Union address, an event that has become predictable and often boring. It has featured members of Congress popping up and down like whack-a-moles, interrupting the president with applause if they agree with him, or stone silence if they don't. Published January 21, 2019
Democrats take a break from Washington to see ‘Hamilton’ and cleanup
More than 109 lobbyists and 39 Democratic members of Congress attended a "winter retreat" last weekend in Puerto Rico, ostensibly to help raise funds for damage caused by hurricane Maria in 2017, reports Fox News. The fun in the sun was enhanced by a limited run of the Broadway hit "Hamilton," starring its creator, lead actor, and Democratic partisan, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Published January 16, 2019
Democrats outdo one another in calls for higher taxes
When you receive your paycheck and look at the withholding for federal, state and sometimes city taxes, along with Social Security and Medicare, you probably don't think you're underpaying governments and want them to take more. Published January 14, 2019
The Trump speech and the response
Despite advance billing that President Trump's border wall speech would break news and contain new information, it was mostly familiar rhetoric: Criminals and drugs, rapists and murderers are coming to America and the wall is the only way to stop them. Published January 9, 2019
‘What’s the point of a carbon tax rebate?’
The Irish government is proposing rebates to a carbon tax it recently imposed to households that comply with what it considers "low-carbon lifestyles." The rebate, according to Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, might be in the form of a check, an increase in welfare benefits or a tax credit for people who live the way the government thinks they should. Published January 7, 2019
Decision time on Brexit
To Brexit, or not to Brexit, that is the question (apologies to Shakespeare). The answer to whether the U.K. will pull out of the European Union as a majority of voters favored in a 2016 referendum will be decided this month. Maybe. Published January 2, 2019
What’s the point of speaking English if it can’t be properly spoken and understood?
"Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?" asked Professor Henry Higgins in the musical "My Fair Lady." It's a good question for Americans, especially millennials. Published December 31, 2018
