Weekly Columns

Headlines may be proclaiming the passage of "financial reform" legislation, but the policies approved in the House of Representatives on June 30 are far too inadequate to deserve the label "reform." Instead of true reform, congressional Democrats did what they always do: expand government bureaucracy, increase tax burdens and then make the media rounds to declare success.

Every year since 1974, the House of Representatives has passed a budget resolution. No matter which party was in power or whether the economy was booming or struggling, the House has never failed to pass a budget blueprint setting spending limits for the year. Until now. For the first time in decades, Democratic leaders announced, House members will not get to vote on a budget plan.

The White House budget director inadvertently made a very revealing statement recently when he admitted that it would be "fruitless" for the Obama administration to push for immediate spending cuts because such a request would "go nowhere" in the Democratic-controlled Congress. In a speech to a left-wing think tank, Peter Orszag stated "we have very low probability of success" in cutting spending. Of course, the idea of the Obama White House actually proposing budget cuts is pure fairytale, considering President Obama continues to press for more and more government spending.

Last week marked a sad milestone: 50 days since the explosion on British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon rig triggered the oil spill that is still gushing out of control. Sadly, almost two months into the disaster, precisely zero progress has been made in stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Recent developments on the Korean peninsula provide a stark reminder that – even in the post-Cold War era – peaceful nations remain vulnerable to the threat of conventional military attack. An international investigation has confirmed that North Korea is responsible for an unprovoked torpedo strike that sank a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors.

If the Democratic majority's latest stimulus legislation is good for the economy, why have the nation's leading job creators opposed it? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce stated, "We have no choice but to oppose this legislation as drafted because it is a job killer." The National Association of Home Builders agrees, warning in a letter to Congress that "thousands of real estate construction jobs will be lost" if the bill passes.

Arizona lawmakers are under fire for daring to attempt what the Obama administration has failed to do: enforce immigration laws. The state's new law simply grants law enforcement officials the authority to investigate the status of individuals suspected of being in the country illegally. But from the reaction of Washington liberals, you would think that Arizona had declared martial law rather than outline a process for their state to enforce federal laws already on the books.

Last summer, House Democrats passed a "climate change" bill that, for all practical purpose, is nothing more than a national energy tax. I opposed the legislation because it was sure to result in increased utility costs for families and punishing taxes on the energy industry that would be particularly damaging for energy-producing states like Oklahoma.