Weekly Columns
"We do not consider whether the Act embodies sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation's elected leaders."
President Obama's decision to unilaterally kill the Keystone pipeline project is not the only government action to stifle energy production and job creation. Every day, federal policies create obstacles to the energy independence America needs to achieve for both our national security and economic recovery.
Ronald Reagan's famous statement that "a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this Earth" remains frustratingly true. Although Congress has finally begun to cut billions in recognition of the growing threat posed by the massive national debt, many spending programs persist for no justifiable reason. So many budget items continue to be funded due to sheer inertia or political self-interest -- not because they successfully fulfill a worthwhile government function.
Month after month, Americans continue to be pummeled with bad economic news. The dismal employment reports and sobering economic outlooks released in the past few days maintain the unfortunate trend.
The Department of Health and Human Services recorded a curious line item recently. The health care agency reported spending $20 million in taxpayer money on a contract with public relations firm Porter Novelli to design a national multimedia campaign to promote the Affordable Care Act, more commonly called Obamacare.
More than one year after the congressional investigation into "Operation Fast and Furious" began, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice continue to obstruct all efforts to bring accountability to those responsible for the disastrous gun-walking operation that left one Border Patrol agent dead and put hundreds of weapons in the hands of dangerous Mexican drug cartels.
It's becoming difficult to tell the difference between Greece and the U.S. Senate.
Washington, D.C., is not known as a beacon of honesty and candor. So it's almost shocking to see the House pass a budget bill as thoroughly straightforward and grounded in reality as the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act.
Just like the budget resolution passed by House Republicans in March, this budget measure does not deny the severity of our debt problem and does not pretend that there are quick, easy fixes. It is impossible to reduce our $16 trillion debt unless every aspect of the federal budget is on the table -- from social programs to defense to entitlement spending.
Today's parents face a prospect rare in American history: the possibility that our children and grandchildren will inherit an America with less opportunity and prosperity than previous generations enjoyed. Integral to the American Dream is the assumption that each generation will enjoy a higher standard of living and economic opportunity than their parents did. However, the economic downturn and unsustainable government debt levels have combined to create troubling economic trends that point to an uncertain future for today's young people.
The Medicare and Social Security Trustees just released their annual reports, and the findings are predictably sobering. According to the latest calculations, Medicare will go bankrupt in 2024. Social Security will run out of money in 2033 -- three years earlier than last year's report projected.
Those dates may have seemed comfortably distant during the '80s and '90s, but in 2012 we can no longer deny that dire consequences are coming -- and soon -- if we don't take action to save these programs.