About a month ago, in this space, I told you The New York Times had rigged a poll about Americans wanting to pay higher taxes to fund government-run health care. The Times poll said 57 percent were willing to pay more tax and 37 percent were not willing to do so. But what the Times did not tell its readers was that 48 percent of those polled voted for Barack Obama. Only 25 percent supported John McCain. Of course the poll results would skew left.

Now we have another media deceit. The most recent edition of Newsweek magazine includes a nasty hatchet job on Sarah Palin by a guy named Rick Perlstein. The piece is presented as hard news -- not an opinion column -- and basically says that the governor is a moron who is supported by dimwitted conservatives at odds with smart Republicans. Perlstein also submits that I and other Fox News people lead the dumb GOP folks.

Anyone reading the story would think that a Newsweek correspondent put it together -- the magazine has a staff of trained journalists to do its reporting and analysis. But Perlstein is not a Newsweek correspondent and is identified only as an author at the end of the piece. Strange. Read On

INJUSTICES TO MEN Did you know that a family court can order a man to reimburse the government for the welfare money, falsely labeled "child support," that was paid to the mother of a child to whom he is not related? Did you know that, if he doesn't pay, a judge can sentence him to debtor's prison without ever letting him have a jury trial?

Did you know that debtor's prisons (putting men in prison because they can't pay a debt) were abolished in the United States before we abolished slavery, but that they exist today to punish men who are too poor to pay what is falsely called "child support"? Read On

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY The question, “Are you a glass half full or half empty kind of person?” is often used to determine if a person is an optimist or a pessimist. It can be found on personality tests, in job interviews, or on awkward first dates. It also applies to the world of politics. When it comes down to it, there are two general groups of thinkers: those who remain pessimistic about the world (the half-empty glasses), and those who maintain a sense of optimism (the half-full glasses). Upon further reflection, I might be so bold as to venture that those two groups generally correlate to liberal political ideology and conservative political ideology, respectively. Take, for instance, the attitude towards productivity. Conservatives tend to view life through a lens of optimism. Individuals should feel a sense of responsibility to be proactive, work hard, and fulfill their God-given potential. Instead of sitting back and waiting for others to provide for them, they can pursue the liberating thrill of reaping the fruits of their own labor. Any young person beginning his or her career understands this — there is an immense sense of pride that comes from receiving a paycheck that you worked for, that was earned by your own efforts and not simply handed to you by your parents. Read On

WITHOUT A VISION These timeless words from the Bible have inspired mankind throughout the ages, reminding us of the necessity to think about the future and our role in it. As a parent, it's easy to forget the vision part as we are caught up in the "tyranny of the urgent" and the day-to-day challenges of raising children. Many overwhelmed parents institute a bunch of rules and routines to help get through each day. But don't mistake having a list of "dos" and "don'ts" for parenting - it's more like policing. Having rules without telling our children what they mean in context of their future can leave them feeling frustrated and angry. Worse still, living a legalistic life can result in emptiness. Yes, your children should obey you just because you "said so", but parenting also involves inspiring them to do so. Today's culture teaches our kids to live for the moment, to fulfill selfish desires and cravings, and says very little about who - not just what - they should become. No one is inspiring and encouraging our children to become adults whose lives are marked by strong moral character, goodness, truth and joy. We need to set the vision clearly before them - and you can't do that with just a set of rules. Read On

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