Armstrong Williams

The bounty of simplicity

The chilly winds of change blowing across the global economic landscape this fall have tested our threadbare garments to the point of fraying. Many of our fellow travelers find themselves losing hope that things will ever get any better. Some of us may feel at times as if there is no choice but to stop in our tracks and forsake ourselves to the fate of the dry and dusty bones littering the ground all around us. However, despite facing a bleak landscape at present, the human spirit always has a choice. Instead of giving up the ghost, we can choose to reaffirm our faith. In fact, surviving these trying times demands of us that we give thanks and praise.

November 24, 2008

The impossible dream

It is a waste of taxpayer money to bail out Detroit's Big Three auto companies. These companies have been in secular decline for at least two generations. Their automobiles have been less fuel efficient, of lower quality, less inspiring and more expensive than the automobiles of foreign-owned competitors.

November 17, 2008

Don’t retreat, GOP

Bruises are still tender from the Democrat drubbing Republicans took on Tuesday. The bad news is there's plenty more where that came from, only this time from within.

November 10, 2008

WILLIAMS: Losing sight

The presidential debates of 1960 ushered in a newfound awareness of image - this time the personal one on camera due to the mercurial rise of televisions. Those who simply listened to the debate reported a win for Nixon, whereas those who viewed the program declared Kennedy the champion. As tomorrow's ballot battle will finally declare a winner, politicians and the media continue to cater to a culture that truly embodies the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words," making it ever more important for the candidate's PR team to sell their nominee's image. It will come as no surprise that Sen. Barack Obama trumps the other in marketability. But should looking presidential and fitting in with pop culture qualify you to lead the world's most powerful nation in a time of economic turmoil?

November 3, 2008

WILLIAMS: Barack Obama, the Teflon man

John McCain must be one of the most frustrated men on earth these days. In a little more than a week, the country will head to the ballot box and decide who will be its next president. Yet Republicans can't seem to close this stubborn five- to seven-point gap in the polls, let alone in key battleground states. In previous election cycles, Republicans slept a bit easier. Democrats would open double-digit leads through the late summer months, only to see them close to low-single digits and even within the margins of error during the final autumn days of October. But the footrace Mr. McCain was banking on hasn´t materialized. Why?

October 27, 2008

WILLIAMS: McCain forced to play defense

Sometimes the right candidate comes along at the wrong time. They have just the amount of wisdom and experience, gained over a lifetime of dedicated service to their country. They have placed party over principle, sacrificing short term political gains and making a clear demonstration of putting the American people ahead of their own career advancement. John McCain is such a good man; but unfortunately, this may not be his season of triumph.

October 20, 2008

WILLIAMS: Obama’s dubious plans

Every four years or so, American voters go to the polls to choose political leaders who enact public policies that shape and direct our nation's economy. Yet, the vast majority of Americans lack an analytical framework required to adequately evaluate the true impact that these policy decisions will have. While Americans may understand how much money they will get up front from tax relief or government assistance, the broader impact of the policies comes from the way they influence certain types of economic behavior in the future.

October 13, 2008

WILLIAMS: Refuges of crime and terror

"BK." Theletters are an acronym for "Black Killer." In Mr. Espinoza's case, the "B" was crossed out. The crossed out "B" means that he has killed black people. For assassins like Mr. Espinoza, part of their gang initiation is to go out and randomly gun down someone who is black.

October 6, 2008

ARMSTRONG: How politicians created U.S. mortgage mess

1) encouraging homeownership for all Americans regardless of whether they can afford the costs; 2) over-regulation of the financial community. Both policies have turned into a deceptively sweet bubble of air in the veins of the economy.

September 29, 2008

WILLIAMS: Revisiting abortion

Although the abortion debate has largely been cast in terms of a woman's right to choose whether or not to give birth to a fetus, based on a set of lifestyle and health-related factors, the alarming number of abortions performed each year suggests a different story altogether. With well over a million abortions performed annually in the United States alone, more than 50 million abortions performed in America since the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision 35 years ago, it might appear that abortion has become little more than a routine medical procedure, undertaken little or no real consideration of its true consequences.

September 23, 2008

WILLIAMS: Catch as catch can

Sen. Barack Obama's triumph over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries will undoubtedly go down as one of the most shocking upsets in American electoral history.

September 15, 2008

WILLIAMS: Time to debate government’s role

Now that the conventions are behind us and the political season is in full swing, the American voters are faced with the question of what role they wish their government to play over the next four or more years. On the one hand, Democrats are proposing a government that gets involved in our lives by lending a hand out, or a leg up. Republicans offer a government that sets and enforces the rules, but otherwise gets out of our way as we pursue our own aspirations. One wonders, though, whether such a fundamental choice truly encompasses America's ideals.

September 8, 2008