'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America

He doesn't utter discredited terms such as "stimulus" or "shovel-ready" anymore, but President Obama renewed his push Monday for at least $50 billion more in spending on roads and bridges as he introduced his pick for secretary of transportation.

As the federal government struggles with sequestration and governments at all levels also face the need to economize isn't it time to start awarding government contracts to the lowest bidder, rather than on the basis of skin color, national origin and sex?

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday announced its final list of 149 air traffic control facilities that will close nationwide due to the automatic federal spending cuts that kicked in earlier this month.

Leaders are supposed to solve problems. When confronted with challenges, they step forward with solutions. Yet as the deadline for sequestration looms, we are sadly faced with an administration that seems more focused on holding campaign rallies than finding smarter ways to identify cost savings and to continue growing our economy.

Security lines to the skycap, double the wait time, fewer flights -- and that will be on a good day.

The Obama administration amped up its offensive Sunday with Republicans over the $85 billion in across-the-board federal spending cuts scheduled to kick in Friday, releasing fresh warnings of a "real impact on people's lives" despite GOP claims the White House is exaggerating the potential ill effects.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood warned Sunday that furloughs will be imminent in his department if the across-the-board sequester spending cuts kick in Friday as scheduled.
Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

President Obama's apocalyptic predictions of the harm that would come to the country if the latest round of budget cuts kick in late next week are starting to wear thin among an unlikely group: the White House press corps.

President Obama is losing another trusted member of his Cabinet with the announcement Tuesday that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is leaving the administration.

Egypt's security deteriorated sharply Tuesday as violent clashes in Cairo and elsewhere raised questions about the ruling Islamist party's control of the country.

Obama administration officials struggled Wednesday to defend their initial statements that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is safe, while promising a transparent probe of mishaps involving the aircraft's batteries.

The battery that caught fire in the Japan Airlines 787 Dreamliner in Boston was not overcharged, but government investigators said Sunday there could still be problems with wiring or other charging components.

Lithium batteries that can leak corrosive fluid and start fires have emerged as the chief safety concern involving Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, a problem that apparently is far more serious than government or company officials acknowledged less than a week ago.

The government stepped in Friday to assure the public that Boeing's new 787 "Dreamliner" is safe to fly, even as it launched a comprehensive review to find out what caused a fire, a fuel leak and other worrisome incidents this week.
The top Republicans on the House and Senate transportation committees have demanded Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood explain why the FAA chose to close air traffic facilities, and not less essential services, as a way of coping with the sequester.
And we're taking it very seriously," Mr. LaHood said on CNN's "State of the Union."