Column

George Orwell said, "But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought." Gore Vidal elaborated on that insight, saying, "As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate." And John Milton predicted, "When language in common use in any country becomes irregular and depraved, it is followed by their ruin and degradation."…

Watching last Thursday's debate between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders one might have thought a Republican had been in the White House for nearly eight years.

As the absurdity of our presidential nomination process adds daily to public cynicism about politics and government, it's encouraging to recognize that governing is not the responsibility of government alone.

In the many decades I have had the pleasure of covering the Clintons, I have developed several themes about them that have, over the years, been validated by fact. One theme is that there is a Clinton curse. 

Latin America's Zika virus is the latest undocumented immigrant to hit our shores, but have no fear. Self-appointed Zika Warrior Prince Charles Schumer has declared that he is here to stop it.

Just as radar warns of approaching storms, so does the flood of migrants entering Europe warn us of a deluge yet to come, not only for Europeans, if they continue to allow unrestricted immigration, but for the United States.

"As far as single payer, it works in Canada, it works incredibly well in Scotland." "I would press for universal health care. ... I would put forward a comprehensive health care program and fund it with an increase in corporate taxes." "We must have universal healthcare." – Donald Trump

Trump is right about one thing. The public is sick of traditional politicians who make promises but don't deliver, while driving up the debt and lining their pockets. But whose fault is that? Ultimately it's the voters' fault, because they are the ones who put them in office, demanding more from government than it can, or should, deliver and demanding too little of themselves. Welcome to the…

The crack media buzzed this week with the discovery of a totally front-page, news-breaking, breathtaking videotape GOP presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, CNN reported, was caught on camera confessing how he "sought 'world domination.'" Gasp! This is something voters need to know.

For anyone whose knowledge of history extends beyond the current season of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" or the latest instant replay of an NFL game, the four days of meetings involving Iran's president Hassan Rouhani, European leaders and businesses should remind people we have seen this show before.

Can you imagine what Cruz could get done if he were elected with a mandate to implement conservative ideas — the only antidote to the destructive path Obama has set us on? We've seen what we get with conservative lite, and it doesn't work.

Some credit Albert Einstein, others credit Benjamin Franklin, with the observation that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting different results." Whomever we credit, he was absolutely right. A perfect example of that insanity is education in general and particularly black education.

Electing a president, especially in a dangerous world, is important work. Anger and emotion should not govern the choice. Considered judgment should. Trump appeals to the former, but not the latter.

Because the crime rate is zero, the potholes are all fixed and homelessness has been completely eradicated, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio now has time to focus on what really matters to Big Apple taxpayers: Racial quotas in Hollywood.