We all know that God works in mysterious ways. Last weekend, two friends and I were deeply moved when we saw a theatrical production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” This is the famous and popular tale of the transformation and redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge from a rasping, grasping old miser into a lovable, generous old man who, late in life, becomes determined to make amends for all his extreme selfishness and his public denunciations of charity. After tossing and turning in bed on...

This week saw a new twist in what has become a D.C. Christmas tradition. I am not referring to the lighting of the White House Christmas tree but to passage of a “continuing resolution” (CR) funding the government and thus avoiding a Christmastime government shutdown. It took the production of three separate CRs before one passed in the Senate after midnight Friday night and was then signed by President Joe Biden. A reason an earlier CR failed to obtain congressional approval was that...