Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

It has been estimated that the average American gains seven pounds during the holiday season. No wonder! There is a constant stream of delectable goodies that tempt us at preholiday parties. No Christmas would be complete without the annual cookie bake. Candy canes and fudge abound. Fruits and nuts go into Christmas stockings as well as the traditional cake. Then, there is the big feast on December 25.

A Christmas without all that food is hard to imagine. However, those who lived through the Great Depression know that, during the 1930s, many people in this country were without adequate nutrition. They went to bed hungry — not just on Christmas — but all though the year.

It is no accident that the Senate, playing on this old fear, passed the depression-era farm subsidy reauthorization bill as most of us were busy stuffing our faces. Read the rest of this entry »

The difference between a statesman and a politician is that the former looks to the next generation, and the latter to the next election. English Proverb

The United States of American was established by statesmen – men who put the welfare of the citizenry above that of their own. There are very few statesmen among today’s political leaders, even fewer among those who seek the office of president. Last week’s Republican presidential debate was a case in point. Read the rest of this entry »

If Rudy Giuliani is the Republican presidential nominee, I will follow James Dobson and walk away from the Republican Party rather than vote for a promise breaking, serial philandering, pro-gay rights, pro-abortion rights, anti-gun liberal who happened to be at the right place at the right time on 9-11.

If my vote for a third party candidate or not casting a vote for president helps elect Hillary or another liberal Democrat, so be it! Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue held a prayer vigil in front of the state’s capitol to ask God for rain. The media had a field day. He was the subject of much ridicule and scorn – for a day. The next day it rained.

It wasn’t what folks in the south would call a “gully washer.” However, the media coverage dried up a lot faster than the parched earth. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the time to watch your representatives in Washington. If you will pay attention to these people for the remaining weeks this year, you could save your country billions of dollars and knock thousands off your tax bill for years to come.

The new fiscal year began on October 1 and the new Democrat-led Congress is just now getting around to passing the 12 appropriations bills that make up the federal budget.

Congress traditionally is late with this essential task, but this is its worst performance in the last twenty years. The biggest problem is all the rhetoric that was expended by Democrats on how they were going to get a handle on runaway spending — especially those wasteful pork barrel projects that ballooned during the last12 years under Republican rule. All that hot air is now hitting the fan and the blowback has greedy politicians of both political stripes running for cover. Read the rest of this entry »