After a hiatus during the Trump years, Republicans are back in the mood for fiscal probity. It's very strange not to seriously pursue a deeply held goal when you have unified control of Washington, then to insist on trying to achieve much of it in one fell swoop when you barely have control of one chamber of Congress...

If you follow policy debates long enough, arguments you never thought you'd hear can become key components of the two parties' policy platforms. That's certainly the case when it comes to some Republicans and their new "never touch Social Security and Medicare" position...

I've never been a huge fan of hot chocolate. For some reason, I don't enjoy cauterizing the inside of my mouth after being duped by the deceptively-tepid whipped cream or marshmallow topping. These days, I mainly have hot chocolate when my three teenage daughters, who I'm pretty sure started drinking coffee as toddlers, invite me and my credit card to join them in the drive-thru of one of our roughly 200 local coffee shops. ...

Most people don't lie awake at night worried about the national debt. Unfortunately, that includes President Joe Biden and the spendaholic Democrats in Congress. They should be worried. Frankly, so should you, no matter what your politics. Economics is a science, and numerous studies by world-class economists confirm that when a nation's debt gets too high, it pushes the economy into decline. Inflation soars, jobs become scarcer and mortgage rates to buy a home are unaffordable. Ouch...

As tensions about raising the nation's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling build, the headline that should be flashing in front of every American is that our country is not working. Nothing is going to get fixed -- really fixed -- until we come clean about this basic, sad and distressing fact...

There's an understandable compulsion in the media and among Democrats to emphasize the differences between Joe Biden's classified documents scandal and Donald Trump's. The two cases are different in many important respects. The most significant is obviously that the former president refused to cooperate with the National Archives and Justice Department until a search of his home was deemed necessary. ...

Reparation: The act or process of mending or restoring; making amends or atonement, offering expiation, extinguishing a guilt, giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury. The majority of slaves came from African victors of inter-ethnic wars between tribes who would have killed them until they found they could sell them to the slave traders. ...

As I sit here writing this letter, I am still shaken from the shooting that took place less than a block away from my apartment Friday in broad daylight. I continue to use my voice to support those like myself who have been impacted by the senseless gun violence that continues to happen in BIPOC Communities on a daily basis...

To Pastor Hurtgen's column from Jan. 14-15, I say "Amen." I have been a lifelong user of the Cape Public Library; my husband and I attend many events there, we stop in to check out books at least once a week, and we financially support the Friends of the Library. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department reported some good news earlier this month. K-9 Yuki received donated body armor thanks to a generous donation. The dog received a bullet and stab protective vest through Vested Interest in K9s Inc., a not-for-profit whose mission is to provide similar vests for K9 law enforcement all over the country. This particular vest was made possible thanks to support from Leah Beale of Oklahoma City...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stands accused of a long parade of horribles to which has now been added a new count -- allegedly opposing the teaching of African American history. Florida rejected the College Board's pilot Advanced Placement African American Studies course, and the decision has been treated in progressive quarters like the curricular equivalent of George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door...

Fascism works by the slow erosion of the normal. Keep pushing outrageous, anti-democratic, anti-free society dangerous nonsense like this until enough people just hold it as more "harmless" radical extremist hysterics that are merely performative ... ...

Left-wing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recently praised a visiting President Joe Biden: "Just imagine: There are 40 million Mexicans in the United States -- 40 million who were born here in Mexico, (or) who are the children of people who were born in Mexico!"...

This year marks the 50th anniversary since Roe v. Wade. Obviously, this year people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life with a new focus, as the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade, the decision that made legal abortion the law of the land, last year...

January 22 marks the 50th anniversary since the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. This somber anniversary provides so many Missourians the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to fighting for the unborn. 2022 was a momentous year for those of us who believe life is a precious miracle from God...

Aaron Horrell and Barb Bailey of Painted Wren Art Gallery in Cape Girardeau are back at it with another Paint for a Cause project. And this time they have teamed up with Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship (MVTH), a not-for-profit in Oak Ridge that offers therapeutic horseback riding...

Is Davos over yet? Is it safe to turn on our TVs without being scolded by formerly important environmentalists like old Al Gore or creepy young climate warriors like Greta Thunberg? Not quite (as of writing this column). All the virtuous public talk about stopping climate change, saving the planet and putting the dirty fossil fuel industry out of existence at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland officially won't end till Friday, Jan. 20...

Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, pro-life Americans attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands marched, as they have marched since 1973. But this year, it was different. This year, the march took place, for the first time, in an America where Roe v. Wade is no longer the law of the land...

The long and tedious battle for House speaker ended with the GOP arguably more focused on fiscal responsibility and cutting spending. To accomplish this, Republicans are demanding spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Asking for some future fiscal discipline before allowing Uncle Sam to borrow yet more money is well worth it, but carelessly chosen goals could derail the whole enterprise...

I got a note from my son's teacher saying he was not "meeting classroom expectations." He's in the first grade. The offense? Talking out of turn. My husband gave me that all-too-familiar look when I told him. You know, the look that means, "He gets it from you."...

America may not want a Trump-Biden rematch, but Donald Trump and Joe Biden sure do. A CNN poll late last year showed that 6 in 10 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want a different GOP nominee in 2024, and a roughly similar proportion of Democrats hope for a nominee other than Biden...

For several years now, I've been told that the old consensus of fiscal conservatism and limited government was dead. So, you might think I'm delighted by the sudden rebirth of tea party-style budget-cutting zeal on display in the GOP's brinkmanship over the debt ceiling...

SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence was the S. Truett Cathy honoree for the True Inspiration Awards last month, a nationwide honor that came with a $350,000 grant. The organization knew it was to receive one of the awards, which was to come with a $30,000 grant to support the construction of a sensory garden, but the surprise announcement and additional dollars means the organization will be able to do much more good...

Hey Rebecca! You overlooked possibly the best glazed doughnuts in our area at Jackson Donuts! Try some, they are the best I've found. Certainly deserve a spot in your top five. Giving money routinely to corporate farms and ranches isn't socialism. It is welfare from the wealthy to the wealthy. That simple...

My sister-in-law, a nurse on Cape Cod, wants to visit New York City and is struggling to find an affordable hotel. If she were a Venezuelan migrant who had just arrived in the Big Apple on a bus from the southern border, she'd have a shot at a room at the four-star Row hotel, steps from Times Square. Or a room at a SpringHill Suites by Marriott, a Holiday Inn Express or a Comfort Inn. Free of charge...

More than 500 people attended the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Friday night where business and education leaders were celebrated. Julie Rushing received the R.A. Fulenwider Award. Among her contributions, Rushing has been a leader in the local Feed My Starving Children food-packing effort with New McKendree United Methodist Church and other area churches...

Copernicus surely had no idea when he got the Scientific Revolution underway in the 16th century that an unintended effect would be empowering agenda-driven bullies and fanatics. Of course, science is a pillar of modern life for which we should be deeply grateful. It has given us longer and healthier lives, incredible material abundance, and abilities that were unfathomable a few generations ago...

Have you ever been on a roller coaster and felt like your stomach was falling out of your body? That's the closest Gina can get to describing what it was like to see her unborn son, Jeremiah, on a sonogram for the first time. She was 17 and living with her grandmother. Jeremiah's father was facing criminal charges because of her age. Deciding not to have an abortion was "scary" -- because it was choosing not to make it all "go away," she says...

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith has quickly made a name for himself in the House of Representatives. Now, the Salem, Missouri, native is one of the most powerful members in Congress. Smith, 42, was recently named chairman of the influential Ways and Means Committee. ...

Don't worry, America. Big Media will never let Joe Biden get away with illegally taking classified documents from the White House in 2016 and stashing them at his office and in his garage next to his Corvette. The ace reporters at liberal places like the New York Times, CNN and NBC are already digging deep into the facts of Biden's mishandling of classified documents...

After 15 failed attempts, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy finally secured the House speakership. Many worry that the concessions McCarthy made to secure his victory -- especially commitments to restrain government spending -- make the upcoming prospect of raising the debt ceiling perilous. Indeed, some fear that Republicans will refuse to raise the limit if it isn't paired with restraints on spending...

Amid the post-mortems of the four-day, 15-vote marathon to elect Kevin McCarthy House speaker, I remind readers of the headline of my Nov. 30 column, "Kevin McCarthy, a Republican Leader for Complex Times." I thought then that captured our reality, and I think the process that followed confirmed it...

Republicans looked like they were heading for a no-win debacle on the House floor in their fight over speaker. Instead, Kevin McCarthy got over the top, achieving a long-held ambition after a daunting feat of political endurance, and his opponents got nearly every assurance and rule change they were seeking...

I listen to audiobooks and podcasts with headphones on while I clean. My son taps me on the shoulder to interrupt if he needs something. It's as simple as a pause button for my full attention. I reason that this is better than blaring whatever I want to listen to through the Echo...

The Mexican drug cartels are killing off our friends and family members with fentanyl manufactured in superlabs south of the border and smuggled into the U.S. President Joe Biden could care less. Biden is in Mexico claiming he's seeking the Mexican government's help to stop the carnage. Truth is, the trip is a dog and pony show. Photo-ops, empty promises and such will be followed by rapid backsliding...

Kevin McCarthy's epic struggle to become speaker of the House produced a lot of memorable images, but the most unforgettable was probably of Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., being physically restrained from going after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after Gaetz ensured McCarthy's 14th failure to get the gavel...

Monday is observed as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Several events will take place in the coming days to celebrate the civil rights leader. A donation drive will be held from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the Osage Centre and Shawnee Park Center. Non-perishable food items, winter clothes, toiletries and blankets will be accepted. Donations will be given to schools and organizations such as First Call for Help and The People's Shelter...

Whoever decided that TCU was rated No. 4 apparently doesn't know much of anything. Georgia should had played a team they fear and respect that should had been Alabama not TCU. There would have been a different final score one way or another. The City of Cape needs to send the leaf truck to pick up all of the missed leaves in the northeast side of town encompassing north of Second Street and east of highway 177. ...

President Ronald Reagan once said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." He was exactly right. Government bureaucrats love to claim that the red tape they put in place is supposed to be for the greater good. ...