By THE WASHINGTON TIMES - The Washington Times
An 18-month recession came to an official end in June 2009, according to a study released last week by the National Bureau of Economic Research. For good reason, few in the public believe it's over. With the economy stuck in neutral and unemployment locked at 9.6 percent, most see no choice but to keep cutting back because the future looks no brighter. Published September 24, 2010
By THE WASHINGTON TIMES - The Washington Times
New layers of centralized directives are the last thing needed in a time of deep economic uncertainty. However, the Obama administration continues to pile on new regulations, unwilling to let go of any opportunity to expand the government's reach into our lives. Published June 1, 2010
By Jerry Brito - The Washington Times
When was the last time Congress heeded a presidential commission's recommendations? Sen. Judd Gregg knows. Published May 28, 2010
President Obama placed a call to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero last week to express his support for Spain's effort "to strengthen its economy and build market confidence." For once, Mr. Obama is exactly right. Published May 17, 2010
Americans rightly appreciate the competitive, underdog spirit embodied by small-town, mom-and-pop businesses. By exploiting this popularity, politicians have turned the Small Business Administration (SBA) into a bloated, billion-dollar affirmative-action agency that discriminates against worthy companies, using your tax dollars. Published May 4, 2010
The postman won't even ring once on weekends. In a desperate attempt to trim costs, the U.S. Postal Service is cutting off your Saturday service. This move is too little, too late for one of the federal government's most bloated and incompetent bureaucracies. Published March 31, 2010
By
As exercises in bureau-cratic hairsplitting go, it is tough to beat the sheer audacity of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski's recent declaration, "I've been clear repeatedly that we're not going to regulate the Internet." In reality, between its recently released National Broadband Plan and proposed Net neutrality guidelines, that's exactly what the agency is planning to do. Published March 31, 2010
The headline above provides the exact amount of outstanding public debt as of Tuesday, according to the latest available figures from the U.S. Treasury. By the time you read this, that figure will have increased by $17,338,324,977. Published March 26, 2010
The U.S. Navy once enticed new recruits with the slogan "Join the Navy, see the world." Today, federal civilian employees enjoy the same perk without having to endure the rigors of boot camp or cramped shipboard accommodations. Published March 24, 2010
By
When it comes to our economy, where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket? That's a question worth answering before Congress reauthorizes legislation to boost government investment in science and technology and, in turn, manufacturing. Published March 23, 2010
House Republicans unilaterally decided last week to give up earmarks for at least one year. With this simple step, they demonstrated to voters that they deserve to win back the congressional majority. Now it's time for Senate Republicans to do the same. Published March 22, 2010
By
For nearly 80 years, contractors working on federally funded construction projects have been forced to pay their workers artificially inflated wages that rip off American taxpayers while lining the pockets of organized labor. The culprit is the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, which requires all workers on federal projects worth more than $2,000 to be paid the "prevailing wage," which typically means the local union wage. Published March 20, 2010
By
On the stimulus package's one-year anniversary on Feb. 17, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stated that taxpayers had "gotten their money's worth." However, it is difficult to understand how multimillion-dollar "stimulus" programs that research methamphetamine's effects on rats, build turtle crossings under highways, put up roadside signs to advertise stimulus programs and produce few long-term jobs are effective uses of taxpayer dollars. In Washington, $977,346 is being spent on a program that will provide just one job and give a few hundred BlackBerrys to smokers to help them kick the habit. Published March 15, 2010
They might talk a good game and say they feel your pain, but don't expect members of Congress to really understand the struggles of hardworking Americans in this recession. While the middle class is scrimping to get by, our spoiled political class enjoys up to $250 per day to cover food and other sundry expenses when traveling overseas. No, life isn't so tough on Capitol Hill. Published March 14, 2010
Cutting government waste and stimulating jobs involve "hard choices," if President Obama is to be believed. The choices are not so hard, however, when one is less concerned about preserving the status quo. Take the federal government's obsession with paperwork, surveys and forms. The Office of Management and Budget has 8,871 of these certified federal "collection instruments." As a result, we're stuck wasting 9,824,120,791 hours each year filling them out. Published March 9, 2010
When government grows, prosperity shrinks. So does freedom. With those powerfully simple truths in mind, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, Texas Republican, and Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, on March 3 introduced one of the most intriguing constitutional amendment proposals in years. Their Spending Limit Amendment merits great attention and with a few tweaks will deserve enthusiastic support. Published March 8, 2010
America's streets are congested, yet the Obama administration wants to make things worse. Although the economic recession and lack of jobs have reduced some of the pressure on the daily commute, Americans still wasted a grand total of 4.2 billion hours stuck in traffic last year, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. Published March 3, 2010
By
America's highway system is not delivering the high-quality transportation a competitive economy needs. Congestion gridlocks our urban expressways, costing Americans $76 billion per year in wasted time and fuel. The interstate highways, begun 50 years ago, are wearing out and will need repairs and reconstruction costing many hundreds of billions of dollars. Two national commissions have estimated that the shortfall in productive highway investment (federal, state and local) is in the vicinity of $60 billion to $90 billion per year. Published March 1, 2010
By
Barack Obama came to the presidency promising to be America's first post-partisan president. It is, therefore, ironic that one of his signature achievements has been to roll back one of the great bipartisan triumphs of the last two decades. Published February 26, 2010
Employment is up, wages are up, and job security is as firm as ever. Unfortunately, this is only true for federal government workers. Published February 23, 2010
Illustration by Dana Summers of the Tribune Media Services
All commentary submissions must be original and exclusive to The Washington Times. Standard length for op-eds is 600-800 words. Longer submissions are less likely to be accepted. Please allow us 72 hours to review your submission. If we have not contacted you within that period, you are free to submit it elsewhere. All op-eds are subject to editing for space, style and clarity.
Please complete the two forms below and email to commentary@washingtontimes.com
