NCPA Commentaries by Pete du Pont

Governor Pete du Pont is a Board Member of the National Center for Policy Analysis. He writes a regular column for OpinionJournal.com, the online news service of The Wall Street Journal.

Pete du Pont has served as Governor of Delaware, U.S. Congressman (R-DE), and former candidate for President of the United States (1988). Gov. du Pont formerly hosted a nationally-syndicated radio commentary and appeared on several editions of the PBS Firing Line debates with William F. Buckley, Jr.

  • Aug 20, 2003

    American Dream Alive and Well

    One of the most over-used rhetorical devices in politics is the class warfare argument that tax cuts only benefit the rich. Fortunately, this tired, socialist rhetoric is losing its charm because most Americans aren't inclined to believe that socking it to the rich will solve all their problems.
  • Jul 21, 2003

    Out of Balance

    The Bush administration announced last week that the budget deficit would be $455 billion this year, and even more in the next fiscal year. Budget Director Joshua Bolten argues that "a balanced budget is not a higher priority than winning the global war on terror, protecting the American homeland, or restoring economic growth and job creation."
  • Jun 10, 2003

    You Can't Outlaw Failure

    Ten years ago the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan published an illuminating and unpopular analysis of American social conscience. "Defining Deviancy Down" explained how America had accepted high rates of violent crime and illegitimacy, rationalizing them as socially acceptable rather than doing anything to lower them. He noted that urban elites increasingly extolled rather than criticized broken families, notwithstanding studies showing a high correlation between single-parent families and educational failure.
  • May 28, 2003

    Foolish Mandates Would Make for an Unsound Energy Bill

    Few issues have as direct a bearing on peoples' well-being as energy policy. A bad energy policy can hamper economic growth and cost American workers jobs.
  • May 13, 2003

    Gephardt's Health Plan: Throwing Good Money After Bad

    As the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, Rep. Dick Gephardt recently unveiled a plan to expand federal subsidies to provide near-universal health coverage for Americans.
  • May 05, 2003

    Two Decades of Mediocrity

    Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the release of "A Nation at Risk," the devastating 1983 report on the state of education in America. We all remember its key conclusion, that the "intellectual, moral and spiritual strength of our people" were threatened by a failing education system.
  • Apr 16, 2003

    Cooking with Gas: Natural Gas and National Energy Policy

    National energy policy is a more prominent issue now than at any time since the "energy crisis" of the 1970s.


  • Apr 04, 2003

    From Bad to Diverse

    Is racial discrimination in the selection of applicants to attend colleges and law schools acceptable--and constitutional--if its purpose is to achieve diversity in the student body?
  • Mar 19, 2003

    Klaus' rule promising for Europe and beyond

    New president's election comes at crucial juncture as EU and Iraq hold world's attention.
  • Mar 14, 2003

    Getting Serious

    Protests against war in Iraq have been raging all across America and England as well as Continental Europe. Passionate peace protests are nothing new; we saw them in 1933 when the British Oxford Union declared it would "in no circumstances fight for its King and country," against the Vietnam War in the 1970s, and in 1983 against NATO's proposal to install Pershing missiles to defend Western Europe against Soviet Russia.