Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. - baltimoresun.com

Our limitless debt

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:00:00 -0400

We continue to rack up millions each minute, but there are glimmers of hope on the horizon

The U.S. debt clock is rapidly approaching $16 trillion. This year's federal deficit is in excess of $1.3 billion. These are staggering sums, mind-numbing in their sheer size. And for the 99.9 percent of us who were not math majors, almost impossible to get one's brain around. But comprehend it we must, as the deficit and what to do about it remain central to the outcome of Campaign 2012.

In D.C. schools, Obama chooses unions over kids

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:00:00 -0400

President zeroes out funding for popular voucher program

Just when you thought the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program for poor, predominantly minority kids was fully protected from politics, here comes the Obama administration with another broadside.

Key demographics of the 2012 campaign: youth, women and Hispanics

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:00:00 -0400

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. sees GOP opportunities in areas where Democrats claim an advantage

Campaign 2012 is now joined. The darts heretofore traded between the Obama and Romney camps now have extra-sharp tips. And it's going to stay this way through to Nov. 2. Most pundits predict a "razor close" and "particularly ugly" campaign. I concur.

Student-athletes need a degree, not a paycheck

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 6 May 2012 08:00:00 -0400

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. says paying college athletes is asking for trouble

Many of you know I was fortunate to play high school football at Gilman and college football at Princeton. What most of you do not know is that I worked as a graduate assistant on the Wake Forest football staff to pay for my room and board during law school. These experiences instilled in me a strong sense of the appropriate role of academics and athletics in our secondary schools and colleges. So it should come as no surprise that I have a strong opinion as to the increasingly aggressive calls to pay college athletes in revenue-producing sports.

Do we have what it takes to beat al-Qaida?

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:01:00 -0400

Our appetite for war is limited, but our enemies' is not

Does the U.S. (and the West) possess the internal fortitude to pay the required price to defeat contemporary enemies such asal-Qaidaand its progeny?

Democrats' insulting play for the 'women's vote'

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0400

Back-and-forth misses the point that gender should not be considered a predictor of political views

The all-out battle for women's votes has begun in earnest, with the respective presidential campaigns each seeking to take advantage of real (and perceived) mistakes by the opposition and its acolytes.

Ehrlich: Maryland will reject same-sex marriage

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:48:00 -0400

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. says gays deserve respect, but not the right to redefine society's most important institution

Maryland's present flirtation with gay marriage is only the latest chapter in a long-running culture war. In the "Free State's" case, it will ultimately come down to the people through a ballot initiative. A likely result: a coalition of Catholics, African-Americans, Hispanics and conservatives from both sides of the aisle send the measure to a decisive defeat. (Such a result would make Maryland the 32nd state to defeat a gay marriage referendum.) Opponents of all stripes will be tested in unique ways. First and foremost will be how to go about stating an opposing opinion without the usual "ism" and "phobic" charges from the secular left. It's not so easy — being on the cultural defensive never is.

Obamacare and birth control: Women's health isn't the issue

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 8 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0400

Liberals in the administration are trying to overturn a previously untouchable cornerstone of the abortion debate

My 16-year career in two legislatures (eight in the Maryland General Assembly and eight in Congress) included many debates on the most divisive issues of our time: Capital punishment, affirmative action, war and peace, impeachment, entitlement reform and abortion rights were guaranteed to generate partisan strife and emotional debate.

A death-knell for employer-funded insurance

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0400

Ehrlich says Obamacare will impose great costs on society

The Supreme Court directed a harsh spotlight on Obamacare this past week, but the problems with the law go far beyond the constitutionality of the "individual mandate." One of the great unknowns generated by the passage of Obamacare goes directly to the heart of health care choice: the notion that increased employer costs and regulatory burdens would cause employers to simply pay fines (and send their newly insurance-deprived employees to state-run exchanges) rather than continue employer-subsidized insurance. That some of the largest American companies would consider such a move has caused plenty of Democratic heartburn. In one scenario, AT&T estimated its health care costs would drop from $2.4 billion to $600 million if the company eliminated employee coverage and paid the government-mandated fine instead.

Obamacare: the 2,300-page monstrosity

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 08:00:00 -0400

As Supreme Court takes of health reform, even the president's supporters are running away from it

The most important six hours of recent American history will start to unfold on Monday. That day, the Supreme Court begins three days of oral argument on the legal challenge to President Barack Obama's health care reform law ("Obamacare").