Ronald Reagan communicated timeless truths about America— truths about freedom, limited government, hard work and opportunity—and these truths guided him while he was in office. A thinker and avid reader of history, Reagan was guided by the first principles of the American founding, especially the idea of ordered liberty in our nation’s charter—our enduring Constitution. In the opening paragraphs of his first inaugural address in 1981—much of which he personally drafted—President Reagan echoed the preamble of the Constitution, calling on “We the people” to do whatever needs to be done …
This is a guest post by Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) for our special blog series on 9/11. Ten years ago a group of evil, but extremely committed religious extremists hijacked four airliners and turned them into weapons. It is difficult to relive those moments when we watched in horror and disbelief as the towers fell, the Pentagon smoldered and a crater in Pennsylvania burned. That day, the world we lived in changed. As a member of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, the calamity of 9/11 influences my work daily …
If the pace of Gulf oil drilling permit awards does not increase, as many as 20 drilling rigs could soon leave the Gulf, a major investment bank announced. BER Capital Investments called the current rate of permitting unsustainable in a report released Wednesday. BER’s report noted that the slow pace of permitting is not due to political factors, instead blaming policies put in place in after the spill. They have directly contributed to the current backlog of permits. “Rather than being political, the [Gulf of Mexico] permitting drag is more …
The Obama Administration may unwisely decide to ignore the advice of its own military advisers and cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq down to 3,000 by the end of the year, according to press reports. Iraqi and U.S. officials are currently negotiating behind the scenes about how many of the roughly 45,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq will be allowed to stay past the December 31 deadline set by the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement. Senior commanders were reportedly “livid” at the increased risks that will be imposed …
Social Security took center stage at last night’s Republican presidential debate, emerging as a key issue among candidates at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Not since President Bush’s ill-fated attempt to reform the social insurance program in 2005 have Republicans talked this much about Social Security. Of course, it’s hard to ignore. Social Security is the largest federal program. It pays out $700 billion to about 60 million Americans. Leaving aside the political attacks from last night’s debate, the candidates on stage at least agreed that Social Security …
Basking in the glow from the $535 million fire left when Solyndra crashed and burned, the Department of Energy is ready to subsidize additional hundreds of millions in loans to solar energy companies. The logic of this latest round is stunning: One company supposedly needs the government subsidy because its cost of production is so low; the other company supposedly needs the government subsidy because the government is buying its product. Solyndra, of course, is the poster child turned object lesson. After the company received loan guarantees (that now must …
The politically connected solar firm that announced its impending bankruptcy last week was raided by federal agents this morning as part of a joint investigation between the FBI and the Energy Department Inspector General’s office. The company, Solyndra Inc., had received significant favorable treatment from the Obama administration. One of the company’s primary investors, Oklahoma oil man George Kaiser, was also a major donor to the Obama campaign – a fact that raised concerns of political favoritism in the $535 million loan the company received from the federal government. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on …
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is looking to make a point with his invitee list at the president’s address to the joint session of Congress on Thursday evening. He will be hosting 12 individuals of various private ventures in an effort to drive home the importance of the private sector in any effort to spur job creation. “The Speaker’s guests are all employers who have run into unnecessary Washington-made barriers as they’ve tried to create jobs,” a release from Boehner’s office noted. Among those attending is Gibson Guitars chief executive …
Today the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that the trade deficit for July fell by $6.8 billion. Exports increased by $6.2 billion and imports decreased by $500 million. Historically, decreasing trade deficits are often a sign of economic weakness. When workers are unemployed, they have less money to spend. As a result, fewer goods are imported and the trade deficit may decrease. For example, the U.S. trade deficit fell by more than 50 percent from 2007 to 2009 as our economy weakened and unemployment increased. The amount of freedom …
Two years ago, President Barack Obama was bold in his optimism for job growth in America, promising that his stimulus spending plans would create 3 million jobs by the end of 2010. It didn’t work, the Obama jobs deficit now stands at 6.7 million jobs, and tonight the President will present a jobs plan chock full of new promises. Unfortunately, that plan appears to be a retread of the same policies that have blocked job growth in America. The good news is that there is another way, and there are …
