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Another depressing story out of Afghanistan — U.S. troops taking gruesome photos of themselves with bodies, and body parts, of enemy insurgents. And it comes only a short few months after an uproar over a similar case, well, actually a worse incident because some of those images showed GIs urinating on Taliban corpses. The troops…

After playing (price) tag for more than a year, Apple Inc., the iconic symbol of Generation Y, recently blew past Exxon Mobil Corp. and is riding the wave of success following the release of its new iPad. With its market capitalization pegged at more than $550 billion, the technology giant achieved the uncontested title of…

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Brett apologizes and explains how he almost got punched in the face, and kicked out of his home Alive and Centrist. FAA and Drones: A Bad Match. Japan’s Challenge. IRS Loses: what’s good for the gander is good for the goose. The IRS is bound by its own stipulation. Inside the IRS: When the IRS…

During the presidential campaign, Cabinet departments are wide targets for candidates touting efficiency and fiscal responsibility. This makes for a nice sound bite, but how badly are these departments performing? It is high time to have a top-to-bottom review of all Cabinet-level departments to determine the purpose, mission and efficacy of the organization. Every Cabinet…

Florida’s now-infamous “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law may not, in the end, protect the man who killed an unarmed teenager in a shooting last month that has sparked national outrage. That would be the most just outcome, given the mounting evidence that George Zimmerman followed and confronted 17-year-old Trayvon Martin before shooting him as he…

For centuries, the best and brightest from around the world have come to America seeking a better life and economic opportunity. They come to study in our universities and work at our companies. We take this “brain drain” to the United States for granted, but times are changing and other countries are catching on to…

It wasn’t that long ago that American parents were gripped with Tiger Mother anxiety. Did we over praise our kids in the name of promoting self-esteem? Were we forfeiting an Ivy League future for them if we didn’t force them to practice endless hours of violin or rip up birthday cards that weren’t perfect? Were…

The nation’s top military official concedes that President Barack Obama’s plan to cut the Pentagon’s budget will leave the United States with a force that assumes more risk and is slower to respond to emergencies. Last month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told the…

Run to the extreme in the primary, move to the center in the fall: That’s expected. But moving from the cartoon world the Republican presidential candidates have constructed back into three dimensions might prove more difficult. In their debate Wednesday night, the remaining candidates seemed to be continuing their drift from reality — the reality…

DETROIT — For the past week, much of the focus of the Republican presidential race has centered on the consequences Mitt Romney will face if he loses Michigan’s primary. After a debate in Arizona on Wednesday, the question should be: What will happen if he wins his home state? Polls in Michigan show a tight…

My wife Marlene and I were watching the news the other night and we were listening to a report of mandated procedures against the will of women in various States. Marlene was so upset about what she was hearing that I decided to address this subject here on my show. Honey, this opinion is dedicated…

Catholic bishops, evangelical pastors and Republican presidential candidates have been decrying the Obama administration’s war on religious liberty. Amid all the uproar, it’s easy to overlook something equally important: the administration’s many battles for religious liberty. The president has gotten deserved criticism for trying to force Catholic colleges and hospitals to buy insurance coverage for…

THE $26 billion foreclosure settlement deal announced this month arrived in the final throes of Hollywood’s annual awards season. It also arrived too late for my neighbor, a screenwriter and director who moved out of her two-bedroom house the week before last, after her bank foreclosed on the property. There had been no “For Sale”…

December 30, 2011 – Politics, Money and You!
Subject: December 30: Shrewd ways to use your home as a tax shelter