The formula for achieving middle-class success is simple: Finish high school; don't have a child before the age of 20; and get married before having the child.

America traditionally represents the greatest possibility of someone's going from nothing to something. Why? In theory, if not practice, the government stays out of the way and lets individuals take risks and reap rewards or accept the consequences of failure. We call this capitalism - or, at least, we used to.

The No. 1 cause of preventable death for young black men is not auto accidents or accidental drowning, but homicide.

Once brave politicians and others explain the war on drugs' true cost, the American people will scream for a cease-fire. Bring the troops home, people will urge. Treat drugs as a health problem, not as a matter for the criminal justice system.

People value and spend their money more wisely when they acquire it by their own efforts - also known as work.