THE WASHINGTON TIMES

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Elections show GOP not faulted for shutdown

Republicans should put a stop to the fable that the government shutdown of last year damaged the GOP brand with voters. This is a total concoction of the left-wing media. Even the more "moderate" Republicans have been brainwashed into believing it and have swallowed the line. They're shaking in their boots, saying, "We'll never do that again." Don't they read the election results?

November 18, 2014

EDITORIAL: A sneak attack on taxpayers

Election Day should have taught legislators everywhere the lesson that they must be more respectful to the men and women who pay the taxes, and to show a little respect for the dollars those men and women send to municipal, state and federal treasuries. The message seems to have got lost on the way to Ohio.

November 18, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ‘Shoot’ the lame duck session

Isn't it time that we put the lame-duck congressional session out of its and our misery? Perhaps allowing Congress to go ahead and do its work with some members that have been repudiated by their constituents made some sense with the limitations of travel and information transfer of the 1700s — but it now seems to be a quaint and dangerous anachronism.

November 18, 2014

EDITORIAL: It’s the message, Stupid

Nancy Pelosi continues to live in her own cozy world. The House Minority Leader faces her Democratic caucus in the 114th Congress with depleted ranks and depleted confidence, but she hasn't learned much. She tells Politico, the Capitol Hill daily, that the blowout on Nov. 4 was "no wave of approval for the Republicans," and there was no rejection of her party.

November 18, 2014

EDITORIAL: Time for civil-forfeiture reform

The D.C. Council later today will vote on whether to adopt a package of reforms designed to restrict the ability of D.C. law enforcement officials to seize the property of those connected to, but innocent of, wrongdoing.

November 17, 2014

EDITORIAL: Clinton’s lesson of 1994 lost on Obama

When Democrats lost control of the House back in 1994, the Clinton White House responded by adjusting to what was clearly a new political reality.

November 17, 2014

EDITORIAL: Anti-smoking fanaticism

Prohibition is back in Westminster, a rural town of about 8,000 near the New Hampshire border in north-central Massachusetts. The town's three-member board of health said it would prohibit the sale of all tobacco products within the town's borders.

November 17, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Vote only if you know the issues

Jonathan Gruber was telling the truth in his numerous speeches of the past few years ("Jonathan Gruber and Obamacare undone by the 'stupid' people," Commentary, Web, Nov. 17). He knows that the American electorate is naive, uninformed and easily manipulated.

November 17, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: New lawmaker won’t toe Obama line on Israel

Bravo and kudos to Rep.-elect Lee Zeldin, New York Republican, for already speaking out against the Obama administration's abuse of Israel, our most trusted ally in the Middle East.

November 17, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Landrieu blowing smoke on Keystone pipeline

Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, is now introducing a bill in favor of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Prior to this, however, she has sided with the White House. It's no coincidence that she is up for re-election next month.

November 17, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Gruber calling Democrats ‘stupid,’ too

MIT professor Jonathan Gruber, one of the chief architects of Obamacare, told audiences at several insiders' meetings that the American people are stupid, and so to pass a bill that the people don't want all you have to do is hide what you're doing.

November 14, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Turkey is no U.S. ally under Erdogan

Based on our recent diplomatic and political problems with Turkey and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, I was not surprised to note that three U.S. sailors were recently assaulted in Istanbul, without being aided by the local authorities.

November 14, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Private website helps vet Obamacare options

"Consumers window-shop on Obamacare 2.0" (Web, Nov. 11) mentions various options and websites available for the upcoming Obamacare sign-up period. However, what if you would like to first see the options available to you without divulging any personal information? There is a site that allows you to do so.

November 14, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Sacrificing middle class for illegals’ votes

If it stands, President Obama's unconstitutional executive order on illegal immigration will butcher the middle class and hang them up on a meat hook to bleed out economically over the next generation.

November 14, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Snowden ‘in cahoots’ with Russia from ‘get-go’?

Why are no journalists pursuing the real possibility that Edward Snowden was "in the tank" with the Russians from the get-go, or at the very least was in cahoots with the Russians prior to his arrival at his Hong Kong safe house?

November 14, 2014

EDITORIAL: The last Obamacare open enrollment

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the secretary of health and human services, is headed to Tampa, Fla., on Monday to celebrate open enrollment for Obamacare, which began Saturday. Obamacare has made it to its first birthday, but it has no guarantee to see its second.

November 14, 2014

EDITORIAL: The lawsuit that could give Maryland a tax cut

Gov.-elect Larry Hogan wants to help Maryland grow by slashing taxes, but there's a problem. Any law the Republican chief executive vetoes can be sent back with the override of the supermajority of Democrats who retain their grip on Annapolis.

November 14, 2014

EDITORIAL: Tarnish on the Golden State

Jerry Brown is stepping up for an unprecedented fourth term as governor of California, but nobody would call his economic performance particularly distinguished. The Cato Institute ranks him as the nation's most fiscally inept governor on its Governors Report Card for 2014.

November 14, 2014

EDITORIAL: Maine’s Gov. LePage leads way on food stamp reform

Fresh from his re-election in the deep-blue state of Maine, Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, is carrying through with his election promise to make sure the state doesn't indiscriminately hand out free stuff.

November 13, 2014

EDITORIAL: With her epic fail, Wendy Davis painted Texas redder

The Democratic dream of "turning Texas blue" dissolved on Nov. 4. The left had elevated Wendy Davis, an obscure state senator, to superstar status after she delivered an 11-hour panegyric to abortion. She was expected to ride her celebrity status into the executive mansion in Austin. It didn't quite work out that way.

November 13, 2014