THE WASHINGTON TIMES

EDITORIAL: On Capitol Hill there’s no goodwill

Christmas lights usually signal a season of goodwill. But in Washington, they're more like the check-engine light on a dashboard, warning that time to fix the nation's finances is running out. Before the holidays give way to a new year, critical decisions on tax reform and budget levels must be made. The capital Christmas rush features a deathly struggle between congressional Republicans and their Democratic nemeses. Failure to reach a resolution would produce the sort of gloom that suffuses Charles Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.

November 28, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Oil platforms produce food, too

Did anyone else notice that President Trump recently opened up 76 million acres to offshore drilling ("Trump administration to offer 76M acres for offshore drilling, largest lease sale in U.S. history," Web, Oct. 24)?

November 28, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Protest commissioner, not anthem

I'm an NFL fan but I'm no fan of Commissioner Roger Goodell or the NFL hierarchy. Let's just say I'm paying attention and I think someone needs to explain to these protesting players that Mr. Goodell himself is their worst enemy.

November 28, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Ink-test refusal suspicious

Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota has said Alabama senatorial candidate Judge Roy Moore should dropout of the race due to the charges of sexual misconduct being leveled against him by four accusers — charges that are 40-odd years old. Mr. Thune has said Mr. Moore would be distracted by an investigation by the Senate Ethics Commission. But if Congress reveals the names of the 264 members of the House and Senate and staff against whom there have been charges of sexual or other misconduct since the mid-1990s, would Mr. Thune argue they should all resign their positions because investigations would distract them from their duties? I would hope not, because there is nothing more central to American justice than due process of law, which includes the right to question one's accusers and present one's witnesses.

November 28, 2017

EDITORIAL: Booming oil and gas production makes holiday season bright

Black Friday is the holy grail of retail, but there's no day that the nation's cup doesn't runneth over with black gold. American oil and natural gas are flowing like rivers, poised to power the nation's economy to new prosperity. Having just given thanks for the nation's bounty, Americans are rushing into a high-octane season of gift-giving, with every reason to anticipate more prosperity in 2018.

November 27, 2017

EDITORIAL: Extending ‘temporary’ refuge status hinders Haiti’s recovery

How long is "temporary?" Like the answer to so many of life's questions, it depends. The man who sits down on a red-hot stove, "temporary" seating will be a very short time. "Temporary" applied to a government program can mean a very long time. The temporary buildings built on the National Mall to accommodate the federal bureaucracy during World War II, for instance, were not razed until the Nixon administration did it more than two decades later.

November 27, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Stop opioid abuse where it starts

"FDA pushes companies to develop opioids that resist abuse" (Web, Nov. 21) is extremely timely because President Trump just declared a public-health emergency over the opioid crisis. As a master-of-public-health candidate and a health provider, my perspective is that this wouldn't help much in solving the current opioid crisis.

November 27, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Accusers should take polygraphs

As women are coming forth in droves to claim they were sexually harassed by politicians, corporate chiefs, celebrities and other well-known individuals, in most instances, it is too late to pursue any criminal charges due to the passing of the statute of limitations. Civil suits might also be barred.

November 27, 2017

EDITORIAL: British scientists find fried foods may contribute to cooling the planet

Finally, a weapon against global warming that everyone can applaud. The mighty cheeseburger, with pickles and even a splash of mayo with the mustard, may be what we've been waiting for.

November 26, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Givers win in long run

In the cartoon "Peanuts," Lucy once said to Charlie Brown, "We are put here to serve others." Charlie responded, "Then what are the others here for?" At times life seems unfair. For a season, givers may find themselves surrounded by takers. Givers can feel unjustly used, yet in the final analysis, takers will never know the fulfillment of giving.

November 26, 2017

EDITORIAL: The American Bar Association is unqualified to fairly evaluate judicial nominees

Sen. Harry Reid's legacy as a Democratic majority leader is that he eliminated the Senate tradition of requiring two-thirds of the senators to confirm judicial appointees, making it easier for President Obama to pack the courts with liberal activist judges.

November 26, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: PLO still hasn’t changed

The 1993 Oslo accords recognized the Palestinian Liberation Organization as the sole representative of the Arabs of Palestine ("US puts Palestinians on notice: DC office may be shuttered," Web, Nov. 17). This terrorist group was supposed to change its spots, but it has not.

November 26, 2017

EDITORIAL: Angela Merkel failed to forge a coalition

The reckoning is at hand for Angela Merkel in Germany. None of the political parties came close to winning a majority in the September voting, and trying to put together a workable coalition has given Frau Merkel — and Europe — a headache the size of a continent.

November 23, 2017

EDITORIAL: Democrats and Republicans both ‘pack’ the judiciary

When what goes around comes around, only the quick and nimble escape a painful smackdown. The Democrats in California have had remarkable success over the years packing the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals with judges who have small appreciation for the Constitution as it was written, and now that may be changing.

November 23, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Presidency is not God

Former Vice President Joe Biden recently told Oprah Winfrey that in the last presidential election cycle he wasn't ready for the office. He asked, in quite biblical-sounding terms, "[W]as I prepared to be able to give my whole heart, my whole soul and all my attention to the endeavor? I knew I wasn't." In Mathew 22 Christ tells us, "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind."

November 23, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Congress not upholding oaths

When congressional GOP members were elected in 2016, the entire Republican Party celebrated. Yet now these same people are considered traitors by many. Is that a little harsh? Readers can decide for themselves. I looked up the Merriam-Webster definition of a traitor, and here it is: "One who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty." I think that says it all.

November 23, 2017

EDITORIAL: Shoving the Clintons down the memory hole is Democratic strategy

Republicans and other conservatives who are tempted to indulge excessive Schadenfreude over the woes of Charlie Rose, Al Franken and their sordid fellows, taking delight in their pain and humiliation, should remember Iron Law of Politics No. 3, that nothing recedes like success. Giving too many hoots and hollers at turkeys over this holiday season is great fun, but the universal truth about worms is that they eventually turn.

November 21, 2017

EDITORIAL: New immigration policy opponents undermine the law

Fidelity is scarce in Donald Trump's Washington, except among the not so loyal opposition. Whether owing to compassion or incompetence, the Trump administration one year on has failed to replace holdovers, leaving in place Barack Obama's people who are dedicated to obstruction and delay of the new era. In some federal departments, the greatest danger a bureaucrat faces is a paper cut. But about immigration, it's whether the laws enacted to protect the American people will be enforced.

November 21, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Look for torment in killers’ pasts?

Whenever a large-scale atrocity is committed, society ought to look beyond the perpetrator's act and toward his motivation for committing the act, however abhorrent. This should be done with the goal of hopefully learning enough to prevent a future recurrence by another societal monster. Otherwise the great suffering that has been caused is essentially without positive purpose.

November 21, 2017

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Left resents Trump’s success

Why do the Democrats want to impeach President Trump? Is it because he wants to keep America free, strong and safe? Or could it be that his presidency has caused the stock market to boom, businesses to come back to our shores and job numbers to rise?

November 21, 2017