David Harsanyi

“A cultural shift is not always an ideological one - or at least not always the one you imagine. Our norms are always evolving.”

“The Founding Fathers worried that 'some common impulse of passion' might lead many to subvert the rights of the few. It's a rational fear, one that is played out endlessly.”

“A religion without rules or God isn't sustainable.”

“My parents both defected from communist Hungary and were what most people would today call libertarian. I grew up with a general distaste for taxation and any policy that intruded on our lives.”

“Simplification of the tax code would not only unlock dormant economic potential, but, in the process, it would blunt the preferred weapon of social engineers, who reward favored industries, punish success and distort economic incentives.”

“Faith helps many people make sense of the world around them. Faith gives them a spiritual connection to something larger.”

“Admittedly, I possess virtually no expertise in science. That puts me in exactly the same position as most dogmatic environmentalists who want to craft public policy around global warming fears.”

“For Philistines like me, the mysteries of Washington can be both perplexing and wondrous.”

“You will notice that the Occupy Wall Street crowds - and the progressives who support them - focus on bringing the wealthy down to earth rather than lifting the 99 percent. They have a nearly religious belief that too much wealth is fundamentally immoral and unhealthy for society.”

“You'll often hear the left lecture about the importance of dissent in a free society.”

“As with most people, my ideology and my attitudes about life were informed by parents and family.”

“If the wealthy get wealthier, no one has to become one penny poorer.”

“It's difficult for democracy to function properly under the most favorable circumstances, but it has no chance at all when millions of voters are divorced from objective reality and incapable of understanding what is going on in Washington.”

“Common Core, the initiative that claims to more accurately measure K-12 student knowledge in English and math, also encourages children to step up their 'critical thinking.'”

“Living most of my life in New York, I witnessed plenty of nanny state laws. Later, I lived in D.C. for a bit and saw even more. I assumed when I got to Colorado, the Wild West, there would be a rejection of such intrusive legislation. I was wrong.”

“Every decade or so, Hollywood has an epiphany. It turns out faith-based audiences enjoy going to the movies, too.”

“It would probably strike the average politician as absurd to argue that the best way to fix the economy is to stop trying to 'fix it.'”

“A boatload of government money is indeed a gift. Unless, I suppose, you're one of the saps paying for the cargo.”

“I believe that the war on drugs is a tragically misplaced use of resources - an immoral venture that produces far more suffering than it alleviates.”

“Broaden the tax base, close loopholes and flatten the tax rates - all of which would bring more revenue stability and certitude to projections as well as make filing a comparable breeze.”