Weekly Columns
Most Americans agree that our country must do more to achieve energy independence and to produce cleaner sources of energy. There are steps we need to implement over time to change the way we use energy and reduce our use of some types of carbon-based fuels. But if a radical proposal being organized by the President and liberals in Congress becomes law, American families and businesses will see tax hikes, skyrocketing energy costs and fewer jobs.
Our nation's troubled financial industry has spurred calls for greater transparency, tougher accounting rules and greater oversight by federal regulatory agencies. Given what we now know about the irresponsible - and sometimes criminal - behavior of the executives of many of these institutions, such calls are justified. But there is another, larger, more powerful and less transparent institution that continues to operate in relative secrecy, and that is the Federal Reserve.
During the past two weeks I hosted a series of town halls throughout the Fourth District. These meetings were an important opportunity for me to listen, take questions and provide answers directly to my constituents. While the questions were diverse, a sizable number of them revolved around policies that the President has proposed or implemented since taking office. Many Oklahomans are deeply concerned over the President's out of control spending, as well as with his apparent neglect of our nation's military.
The nation's capitol has recently been caught up in controversy surrounding Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and American International Group (AIG). In what many are calling "bonus-gate," it was revealed that after receiving an additional thirty billion dollars in government bail out funds, AIG awarded 169 million dollars in bonuses to their top executives. The public outrage over this caused the liberals in Congress to run for cover and sent the administration's spin machine into overdrive.
Democrats in Congress recently introduced the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bill more accurately described as "card check" legislation. The bill is a payback for years of big labor lobbying from unions and labor activists' groups. Those groups have taken their case to Capitol Hill claiming that card check legislation is necessary to protect workers' free choice of whether or not to join a union. In truth, card check will strip away the secret ballot in workplace organizing elections and stifle job creation.
Coming on the heels of a $789 billion stimulus package, and a $410 billion Omnibus spending bill, President Obama has now presented the nation with the largest federal budget in our nation's history. The staggering $3.5 trillion budget proposal will raise taxes, grow the size of government and increase our deficits over the next ten years.
In late January, the Democrat Members of the House of Representatives brought forth a so-called stimulus bill with a price tag of nearly $820 billion dollars. I voted against this legislation, as did each and every other Republican Member of Congress. While our economy is certainly in need of stimulation, most economists agree that the best way to achieve this is by cutting taxes and making investments in our infrastructure -including our armed forces.
The last several weeks have seen a whirlwind of Presidential appointments and Senate confirmations to many of the federal government's top posts. While most of the President's nominations have survived the scrutiny, several others have turned belly-up during the process. Three individuals in particular, Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer and Tim Geithner, have all been tainted by tax problems during the appointment process.
We are facing a global recession and a federal response is needed. But the so-called stimulus package that was recently passed busts the federal budget while doing next-to-nothing to truly stimulate our economy. Congress just spent 300 percent more on this legislation than was spent in all of World War II, and a staggering 1200 percent more than was spent during the New Deal. And while the legislation will create some government jobs, it does so at an outrageous expense to the taxpayer. In fact, for every job this stimulus package will create, the government will spend nearly $250,000.
Recently I returned from an official trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. I was honored to spend time with men and women from our Armed Forces and listen to their experiences serving overseas during wartime. And after having those conversations, meeting with foreign leaders and visiting our military bases, it is clear to me that sustainable progress has been made in Iraq. In fact, it has set the stage for a significant drawdown of troops in the months to come. But in Afghanistan, on the other hand, we are facing complex challenges and an elusive enemy.