THE WASHINGTON TIMES

EDITORIAL: Big Sis and freedom’s demise

At a Politico breakfast at the Newseum on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano took her critics to task.

September 6, 2011

EDITORIAL: Beware: Obama’s executive fiat

It's official: President Obama is presiding over the worst era of unemployment in U.S. history since this nation was embroiled in World War II. On Friday, it was announced zero net jobs were created nationwide in the whole month of August. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis stammered, "I do believe that we're going in the right direction, but we need cooperation and it begins with members of the House and the Senate agreeing to do something now." Going in the right direction? It's a perfect admission of the cluelessness of this White House that the head of the Labor Department thinks zero new jobs and a permanent unemployment rate above 9 percent mean the country is headed the right way.

September 5, 2011

EDITORIAL: Happy Leisure Day

When the Marathon County, Wisc., Labor Council announced two weeks ago that no Republicans would be invited to their Labor Day parade in the town of Wausau, it seemed like a throwback to a bygone era. Labor Council President Randy Radtke said, "We didn't start this fight in Wisconsin, but we're responding to anti-worker positions and policies supported by local Republican politicians." Mr. Radtke is not exactly Samuel Gompers - the late, longtime president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) - but he definitely exudes that old-time spirit.

September 2, 2011

EDITORIAL: An old soldier who won’t fade away

Gen. David H. Petraeus closed his phenomenal 37-year Army career this week with a joint review at Fort Myer in Arlington. Service members from every branch were present, and flags of all 50 states fluttered in the breeze. A substantial crowd had come to hear the general's farewell address. Many were classmates from the West Point Class of 1974, smartly attired but enthusiastic and occasionally whooping like they were cadets. Others were people with whom he had served over his storied career, whom he recognized from the dais during his speech. The morning was sunny and clear, and the general was his usual affable, ebullient self.

September 1, 2011

EDITORIAL: Boehner foils Barack

The administration's arrogance has no limits. President Obama called on Congress to convene in joint session next Wednesday so he could read a speech about jobs. The idea was to have the major television networks carry his remarks live, diverting the attention of politicos from the Republican effort to provide Mr. Obama with firsthand experience of the growing unemployment lines. Like millions of Americans mired in the Obama economy, the president knows his own job remains in danger in 2012.

September 1, 2011

EDITORIAL: A legitimate reason for a joint session

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

September 1, 2011

EDITORIAL: Obama’s solar stimulus snafu

President Obama made a high-profile visit in May 2010 to Solyndra Inc., a solar-panel manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif. The company received $535 million in loans from the Energy Department and was a centerpiece of the Obama administration's economic stimulus effort. "Companies like Solyndra are leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future," Mr. Obama chirped. On Wednesday, Solyndra closed its corporate headquarters, announced that it's filing for bankruptcy and laying off 1,100 workers.

August 31, 2011

EDITORIAL: ‘Too big to fail’ is alive and well

Warren Buffet is a savvy investor. The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway put $5 billion into Bank of America, which owns Countrywide and a large portfolio of troubled mortgaged-backed assets. The Obama administration wants us to believe this is a sign that the ailing U.S. financial sector is on the path to recovery. It's not.

August 31, 2011

EDITORIAL: Justice for Gadhafi’s American victims

The United States has brokered a deal at the United Nations to thaw out more than $1.5 billion in frozen Libyan assets. The funds are to be given to the rebel Transitional National Council to help avoid a potential humanitarian crisis. This is a fraction of total frozen Libyan assets worldwide; the United States alone holds $30 billion. With Moammar Gadhafi's regime functionally ending and a new government starting to take power, it is time to use part of this money to bring justice to Col. Gadhafi's American victims.

August 25, 2011

EDITORIAL: Shaking off the earthquake

Tuesday's magnitude-5.8 earthquake sent tens of millions of East Coast residents scrambling outside for safety. While our fears, thankfully, were short-lived, the jolt served as a reminder of how much we take for granted: The ground beneath our feet is quite literally the foundation upon which we stand. So when terra firma isn't, the fragility of human existence is starkly exposed.

August 24, 2011

EDITORIAL: Biden’s anti-life policy

Vice President Joe Biden can't keep his foot out of his mouth. On Sunday, he said he "fully understands" and "is not second-guessing" Beijing's one-child-per-family policy. The remark came during an unscripted question-and-answer session with students at China's Sichuan University. An Obama administration spokesman backpedaled, claiming the vice president finds the coercive aspects of the policy - which include forced abortion and sterilization - "repugnant."

August 24, 2011

EDITORIAL: The coming pension earthquake

More bailouts are on the horizon. Even though taxpayers will shell out at least $250 billion to cover losses from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there's another, much less known federally chartered corporation that's racking up the red ink - currently $23 billion worth. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) could be the next to fall.

August 23, 2011

EDITORIAL: The American dream’s shaky foundation

Homeownership is at the foundation of the American dream. Unfortunately for growing numbers of Americans, there is less chance that dream will become reality.

August 23, 2011

EDITORIAL: No gunfights at the saloon

Whether it's the economy or gun control, liberals rarely consider the consequences of their misguided schemes. President Obama wants more "investment" spending to help the economy even though his nearly $1 trillion in supposed stimulus did nothing to reduce unemployment. Keynesian economics didn't work under Franklin D. Roosevelt or Jimmy Carter, either, but the left refuses to learn the lesson. Now we know that gun-grabber complaints about concealed-carry in bars and restaurants are nonsense too.

August 22, 2011

EDITORIAL: Obama: Stop selling pickup trucks

The U.S. auto industry wouldn't exist today if it weren't for President Obama, or so he says. According to the White House, the 2009 $80 billion auto bailout - of which at least $14 billion was lost - not only saved the American auto sector but preserved 1 million jobs. If you believe that one, he has a $45,000 electric Chevy to sell you.

August 22, 2011

EDITORIAL: The California cut

Nobody can reasonably question Gov. Jerry Brown's liberal credentials. While at the helm of the Golden State in the 1970s, Mr. Brown sabotaged the death penalty and pushed special privileges for homosexuals. He expanded benefits for union bosses and ran for the Democratic presidential nod three times. Now that he's back in charge of America's largest and most indebted state, Mr. Brown has actually cut spending. Why can't President Obama do the same?

August 19, 2011

EDITORIAL: Obama: Whites need not apply

The White House issued an executive order on Thursday titled "Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce." The purpose of the order is "to promote the federal workplace as a model of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion." In other words, it would be better for the government if public-spirited white workers sought employment elsewhere. Lost amid all the politically correct box-checking is the principle that the most qualified person should be hired for a job.

August 19, 2011

EDITORIAL: Let the gas tax die

If Congress does nothing, the cost of gasoline will drop 14 cents per gallon on Sept. 30. That not only would be a boon to consumers oppressed by hefty prices at the pump but also would go a long way toward ending one of Washington's favorite accounting gimmicks.

August 18, 2011

EDITORIAL: Forcing regime change in Syria

President Obama has made it official: The United States wants regime change in Syria. On Thursday, Mr. Obama joined British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in demanding that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad immediately give up power. "We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way," Mr. Obama said. "He has not led. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside."

August 18, 2011

EDITORIAL: The eurozone stalls

Europe's economic powerhouse is faltering. The vital German economy slowed to a dangerous 0.1 percent level of growth in the second quarter of the year. That suggests the entire 17-country eurozone soon could find itself in a double-dip recession with no quick or easy way out of the misery.

August 17, 2011