Yesterday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R–FL) held the second hearing in the two-part “Why Taiwan Still Matters” series. These hearings, the first full committee hearings on Taiwan in 25 years, are a laudable step toward reminding the Obama Administration of Taiwan’s value as a partner and the American obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Recent steps taken by the Obama Administration have threatened to diminish that relationship. Most notably, the Administration denied Taiwan’s longstanding request for 66 F-16C/Ds, opting instead to retrofit and upgrade Taiwan’s aging …
Give two U.S. Senators credit for trying to do something about the smoke-and-mirrors games in Washington. The “Honest Budget Act” by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) goes to the heart of public distrust of Congress, namely the dishonest budget gimmicks and accounting tricks. The public is rebelling because too many “budget cuts” have turned out to be spending increases or, at best, promises that a future Congress will curtail spending. By no means does the senators’ legislation fix all the problems, but it’s definitely a good start. They …
My recent post explained why President Obama’s newly proposed $447 billion spending package aimed at boosting total demand is doomed to fail. Some commenters offered a challenge to that assertion. The basis for assessing the spending package: Economic growth is determined by the supply side of the economy, beginning with productivity and labor supply. Recessions result from an external shock (for example, rapidly rising oil prices) combined with a structural distortion produced by a significant public policy (for example, encouraging rapid increases in home ownership by reducing loan requirements), that …
The House Rules Committee advanced three proposals Wednesday that may help curb a growing problem for the nation’s economy: stagnant job growth in the technology sector. The three pending free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and Korea are up for full House approval next week. Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also said that the Senate will vote on the agreements next week as well. 115, 800 U.S. hi-tech industry jobs were lost in 2010-the second straight year of decline for the industry- according to a report released by …
Stand aside, citizen-protestors. The Occupy Wall Street movement is about to get professional help. New York City labor unions have decided to join the demonstrations. Members of the Service Employees International Union and the United Federation of Teachers, among other unions, will soon be marching with the protestors. Why is the union movement making common cause with disgruntled students? Because these protests are useful vehicles. Unions can use them to marshal support for special-interest policies that benefit them. Take a look at some of the protestors’ “demands”: Restoration of the …
Imagine a world where you constantly fear for your family’s survival. Yesterday, your 14-year-old son was kidnapped and forced into the army. Your 17-year-old daughter vanished last month, and you know she’s been raped, sold, and possibly killed. A knock hammers the front door, and you cringe as officers call out for your spouse, who’s guilty of criticizing the ruling regime. Welcome to Burma. Stories like these are not isolated incidents. Burma’s oppressive military regime systematically prevents democratic reform, commits “severe human rights abuses,” and was again designated one of …
Today the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in what the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is calling “the most important religious liberty case in twenty years.” Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC involves a lawsuit between a church and one of its teachers who was required to teach religion, lead prayer, and fulfill other important religious duties at the school operated by the church. The church sought to resolve a dispute with the teacher using an internal resolution procedure informed by the church’s religious beliefs. The teacher refused …
Arguably more than any other armed conflict, the events of September 11, 2001, tested the President’s constitutional authority to wage war on behalf of the country. Whether the issue was the capture and treatment of detainees, interrogation techniques, surveillance, the Geneva Conventions, wiretapping, Guantanamo, or the role of the courts during wartime, this conflict unleashed a public debate regarding the role of the President during wartime. Who ensures America’s national security? Does the Constitution, as John Yoo argues, give the President “the primary direction of national security decisions, with Congress …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. Ambrose: Federal law will get you even if you watch out – Jay Ambrose, Scripps Howard News Service Issa: Postal Service Must Cut Workers – Newsmax Wires Russia Pledges to Resist Western-Led Regime Change After Syria Veto in UN – Henry Meyer, Bloomberg Lure overseas cash back into the US – Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe The ‘magic button’ of economics doesn’t work – Jay Bookman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Palestinian Authority …
As the Super Committee—tasked by Congress to find at least $1.5 trillion in savings from the federal budget—continues it’s work, many are worried about the implications their actions (or inactions) may have for our national security. Erin Van de Voorde set the scene last month: The situation looks bleak. The military faces hundreds of billions of dollars in defense cuts while being involved in three military engagements. On the horizon is the new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—a.k.a. the “Super Committee”—and the possibility of a $1 trillion “trigger” that would …
