It’s About the Constitution
The Constitution – Still Relevant
The Senate debate on collecting all our phone data has been interesting. Hopefully the American people have a better understanding of their rights and of the importance of the Congressional power to check the Executive branch.
Government Control of Water – An Update
On May 27, the Obama Administration announced it had… Read more »
John Wilkes, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee
I noted with interest last week that Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) took to the Senate floor to talk against the Patriot Act provisions that allow the National Security Agency (NSA) to gather data on all Americans.
As you know, I feel this is a violation of the United States Constitutional provisions against unlawful search. I have spoken… Read more »
Protecting Coal Miners
The Labor Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) has published a proposed Black Lung Benefits Act rule which, according to a press release, would give “…coal miners greater access to their health records and [require] coal miner owners to pay all benefits due in a claim before the award can be challenged through modification.” This… Read more »
Obamacare an “8 out of 10,” According to President Obama
As part of a recent wide-ranging interview with ABC News, President Obama was asked to rate “the success” of Obamacare on a scale of 1 to 10. I was shocked when he gave the health care law a rating of 8 out of 10.
The reasoning behind that very generous rating? President Obama said, “And the reason I don’t put it… Read more »
EPA: “Burning the Constitution”
Last week at an Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing, I was honored to hear testimony regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) so-called “Clean Power Plan” from legal experts including Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe. Tribe is a liberal, environmental, legal rock star. In fact, the POLITICO inside-the-beltway news journal… Read more »
Administration Overreach and the Second Amendment – An Update
In last week’s column, I wrote about the Obama Administration’s “framework” proposal to ban the manufacture and importation of the M855 or “green tip” bullet. Soon after writing that column, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) backed off its proposal following significant pressure from… Read more »
Fighting Human Trafficking
Last week, the House of Representatives passed 12 bills to combat the growing problem of human trafficking, particularly child sex trafficking. Human trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organized crime, and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world.
Tragically, it is happening right here in the United States. While… Read more »
The State of the Union
It is again the time of year during which the President delivers the State of the Union address. Accordingly, let’s review the condition of our nation and how it can be strengthened.
In the short term, the state of our nation could look much better. We have big issues to sort out. In the long term, I believe things will improve. I believe… Read more »
The ABLE Act
Much talk about Congress focuses on partisan conflict. But it is important to keep in mind that, though discord gets more attention, Democrats and Republicans can and do work together to get things done. Among my efforts are the bipartisan Drug Quality and Security Act (H.R. 3089) to clarify oversight of the compounding drug manufacturing system (which was… Read more »
