We continue to be in the toughest economic time since the Great Depression. Has our federal government, and more particularly Congress, been part of the solution or part of the problem?

The answer is unquestionably that they have been part of the problem. Let’s take a look this week at the financial institutions in America.

The big boys — you know, the large banks and the large, mostly Wall Street, financial institutions — received a bailout from you and me. President Bush and Congress lent the big boys billions of our taxpayer dollars in an ill-advised and unfair policy. Read More»

People all over this great nation are fed up with politics as usual. The status quo is not working.

Washington and Congress continue to kick the can down the road. They are unwilling to put the welfare of our country above their Washington beltway mentality and their manipulation of power. Washington is filled with career politicians and full-time lobbyists whose only concern is to look after their own welfare. The politicians make laws that take away our liberties and govern our choices, and then they have the audacity to make themselves exempt from those very laws. Read More»

This week I will cover a number of subjects in a briefer format. They are my ideas about government and how it should be run. Enjoy.



Congressional pay raises

There is no doubt members of Congress are compensated very well. When you include the perks of office, lavish treatment by lobbyists and a retirement system that begins after six years of service, it is a great place to work.
Read More»

This week I will cover a number of subjects in a briefer format. They are my ideas about government and how it should be run. Enjoy.



Congressional pay raises

There is no doubt members of Congress are compensated very well. When you include the perks of office, lavish treatment by lobbyists and a retirement system that begins after six years of service, it is a great place to work.
Read More»

A few weeks ago the Fayette County Republican Party hosted both me and Mr. Westmoreland. I was asked to speak first and the main thrust of my talk was that our Congress is broken.

I asked the 75 or so people in attendance if anyone could name a single action by Congress that has either made the environment for their business better or made them feel more secure in their job. Not a single person could think of anything.

I also asked Reagan’s classic question, if anyone was better off today than they were four years ago. Only one person raised his hand. Read More»

This [past] week a 36-year incumbent, Senator Richard Luger of Indiana, was easily defeated in the Republican primary. An incumbent Republican also lost in Ohio, and another incumbent Democrat lost in Pennsylvania.

To sum it up, 2012 has been a very bad year for establishment politicians in Congress so far. All over the country we see incumbent after incumbent defeated in primary elections

What’s behind this national trend to replace long-time leaders in Congress? Read More»

Like the passage in the classic “Tale of Two Cities,” it has been the best of times and the worst of times for our past decade in Afghanistan.

We all remember 9/11 and the horrific attack against the United States by al Qaida. President Bush took swift and decisive action, sending first the CIA and Special Operations forces to Afghanistan. And later sending conventional forces with the expressed mission to destroy al Qaida and remove the Taliban from power. Read More»

Is it fair to indict every congressman with the sins of the institution? Is it fair to expect leadership in an institution that supposedly is made up of leaders from around America? Is it fair to expect our congressman to be different from his peers?

The answer to all three questions is yes.

Last week I wrote about the near record low public opinion ratings of Congress. Just to review, only 13 percent of the country thinks that Congress is doing a good job — 13 percent!

At a time when we need responsible leadership the most, that’s a troubling statistic. Read More»

The United States is about to be functionally bankrupt in two to three years according to Congressman Paul Ryan. How can this happen? Why isn’t the President and Congress doing anything about this horrible situation? Before we answer those questions let us review a few facts.

The current national debt just passed $15.7 trillion. Seven-plus years ago when the current Third District Congressman took office it was less than half that amount.

The projected deficit this year is $1.3 trillion. Again, seven-plus years ago it was less than half that amount. Read More»

Debates have a long and storied history in the politics of America. We have all watched debates and they often help us form our opinions of candidates. Certainly presidential debates are the ones history remembers most often.

The first presidential debate I remember as a young child was the Kennedy/Nixon debate of 1960. Many presidential historians have written that those who saw the debate on television thought Kennedy won. Those who listened to the debate on radio thought Nixon won. The debate was pivotal in the outcome of the election that year. Read More»