SCOTUS - SIGN UP - March 2015

Congress adjourned last Friday for its weeklong July 4th recess. Since many Representatives use this time to spend time in their districts, this means that it is a perfect opportunity for you to seek them out and find out their stances on key issues. For your convenience we have assembled a list of district town hall meetings. This list is by no means comprehensive and Representatives and Senators may be holding meetings with their constituents that are not on this list. If your representative or senator’s name does not appear, please contact their district offices to find out when they are making public appearances or to schedule a meeting.

The latest revelations about WorldCom have Washington posturing to exploit the tragedy for political gain. President Bush has issued a stern warning and veiled threat about increased government regulation of markets, and Democrats see the collapse as an opportunity to hammer Republicans in the coming elections. True, the current wave of financial mismanagement has taken a real human toll on the nation. But there are laws in place to address these problems, and any criminal or fraudulent behavior should be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law. There is little role for politicians in this process. If Washington is truly concerned about financial mismanagement, they should turn their attention to the federal government, where the magnitude of financial improprieties dwarfs any problems Wall Street may be facing.

Don’t look now, but the liberal establishment is shocked and appalled by the lies, short-cuts and self-interested behavior of many corporate leaders these past five or so years. I appreciate their finally joining the chorus of those of us who have been saying these past five years that the behavior of our nation’s leaders really does matter.

As published in The Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2002

Weekly Summary – Due to July 4th, the House and Senate will be in recess this week. After the amount of last minute wrangling and finagling the House engaged in last week, they deserve a break! Congressman Bill Thomas, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee pulled off two ‘squeaker’ votes last week, passing two different pieces of legislation with only one vote margins. The first was a bill to strengthen the House’s negotiating position as they begin to conference the trade bill with the Senate. Earlier this year, the House passed a clean Trade Promotion Authority Act to provide President Bush with the ability to negotiate trade deals. Unwilling to allow President Bush this victory, Majority Leader Daschle decided to bog the measure down on the Senate side with tons of ancillary legislation. They added a Trade Adjustment Act, which in addition to spending billions and billions more, would for the first time, provide health benefits to displaced workers.

Henry Lamb is executive vice president of the Environmental Conservation Organization. It's too late to ask why the west is burning, everyone already knows it is the result of absurd environmental policies that have prevented logging to thin the fuel; the "roadless" policy that prevents firefighters from having access to the forests; and the Endangered Species Act, that won't allow heavy equipment in critical habitat to cut firebreaks.

North Carolina cannot solve its Medicaid crisis and close the state budget shortfall by limiting the price and availability of prescription drugs. Indeed, Medicaid spending has grown by over 85 percent over the past decade and now threatens to explode the budget of the state and its counties. However, to address this problem by limiting access to the most cost-effective medical therapy available, prescription drugs, is to miss the point entirely. North Carolina should work to reform Medicaid by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.