This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a discussion with authors and radio hosts Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt. While the Sunday talk highlighted faith and culture over politics, Prager did share his oft-quoted maxim, "the bigger the government, the smaller the citizen."

We had to replace our 12-year-old washer and dryer a while back.“What a compelling lead sentence, Jon! I can’t wait to see how this cliffhanger ends!” Don’t worry, I’ll get to the point soon.

Chicken, Alaska is a tiny community 30 miles west of the Canadian border and about 300 miles east from Fairbanks. With an official population of 7, Chicken has no electrical service, telephones or central plumbing.

I remember the Old Age — the time Before Obama. We had cruel rulers who were so focused on wars and greed that they never shared a vital secret with their subjects. These latter-day Neros and Caligulae never once told the dessicated masses about a simple, life-giving treasure. The treasure of Water.It was a dark time. A thirsty time.

Craig Daliessio isn’t by nature an angry man. But recent events have brought him to the end of his rope.“The past five years have just worn me down,” he told me over the phone. He couldn’t help but write about his experience.After years of economic struggle, the loss of his home, and failure to find steady employment, Daliessio shared “An Open Letter to Barack Obama,” which is spreading quickly on blogs and social media.

Speaker John Boehner is trying to push a new phrase into the political lexicon. No, it’s not “twerking.” 

The civil rights issue of our era is improving America’s schools. It is essential that all kids, rich and poor, have the chance to achieve the American dream.To work toward that end, Gov. Robert Bentley recently signed the Alabama Accountability Act. The school choice package allows families with children attending failing schools to receive tax credits to help pay for attendance at a different public school or private school.

The 1970s were awful and not just because of the fashion. The decade of Nixon, Ford and Carter was plagued with skyrocketing oil prices, hours-long lines at gas stations, and ubiquitous warnings of environmental catastrophe.

A SWAT team broke through the gates of a small Arlington, Texas farm and led a massive 10-hour search of the property. The residents were handcuffed and held at gunpoint while they watched more than 10 tons of their property hauled off in trucks.What dangerous contraband required this massive governmental response? It wasn’t illegal explosives, stolen vehicles or drugs, but rather organic blackberry bushes, okra plants, and sunflowers.

Two months back, dozens of Democratic congressmen participated in the SNAP Challenge. The PR stunt — sorry, “awareness-raising exercise” — sought to promote the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and demonstrate how difficult is to eat healthy on the average weekly allotment of $31.50.