Year: 1995

Being there in Bosnia

The road to Hell may be paved with good intentions, but Mr. Clinton is sending our troops to a hell in Bosnia on a road that is paved by Bob Dole.

Now, I don’t agree with those who say that we have no interest in Bosnia.  As members of the human race we have a responsibility to do what we can to stabilize the region and end the wholesale slaughter of the innocent, but sending our troops over there to support a peace that doesn’t exist with no clear cut goal in mind other than “being there” just doesn’t make any sense.
Continue reading “Being there in Bosnia” →

The Budget Compromise

(How to Blink with Both Eyes Wide Open)

Republican leaders have reached an agreement with President Clinton so who blinked? They all did — with their eyes wide open. It was an exercise in Washington doublespeak at its best. It did accomplish something — solved a public relations snafu. The rhetoric had reached a point where both sides had painted themselves into their respective corners and there was no room to compromise or back down gracefully. Continue reading “The Budget Compromise” →

Look Republicans, I Shrunk the Deficit

President Clinton upstaged Republicans as they opened debate on their budget reconciliation bill by holding a press conference to announce that deficit spending for fiscal year 1995 has come in lower than his original projections. Since Mr. Clinton has been in office the deficit has gone from a high of $290 billion to $164 billion, so the President proudly claimed, “My policy is working!” Has Clintonomics been good for the country and good for the economy, at least for the short run? Continue reading “Look Republicans, I Shrunk the Deficit” →

Congress Playing Dead on Haiti

Article I, Section 8 of our Constitution gives Congress the responsibility of raising, maintaining, and regulating our armed forces; but, with few exceptions, the members of both houses our legislative body have completely abdicated that responsibility.    Haiti is only the most recent and dramatic example.

It is understandable the liberal leaders don’t wish to call attention to the fact that the man in the White House, who is a member of their party, is out of control.  But, what has happened to the Republicans?  For the most part they are simply rolling over and playing dead; or going along to get along, waiting for the midterm election.  Continue reading “Congress Playing Dead on Haiti” →

The Coming Train Wreck over the Federal Budget

Members of Congress are coming back to Washington next week to finish up their work on the 14 giant appropriations bills that make up the federal budget. President Clinton is coming back to Washington with his veto pen in hand and inside the beltway buffs are getting ready for the big train wreck on October 1st which marks the beginning of the 1996 fiscal year. Continue reading “The Coming Train Wreck over the Federal Budget” →

The New GOP Budget Plan

All the polls show that Americans consider balancing the budget more important than cutting taxes, and that is why the Republicans think they can get away with giving us a puny $245 billion tax cut over the next seven years. That’s only $35 billion a year in tax relief, pocket change to the federal government. Why it doesn’t get us back to where we were before the adoption of Clinton’s tax and spend plan, not to mention the tax hikes that occurred under Mr. Bush. Continue reading “The New GOP Budget Plan” →

Reform of the Clean Water Act

When most people think of wetlands they think of swamps, marshes, and bogs, places where ducks, geese and waterfowl swim and build their nests.

That’s what President Bush was thinking about back in 1988 when he promised that under his Administration there would be “no net loss of wetlands.”   Environmentalists used that innocent line like a club, and they beat him with it his entire four years in office.   Mr. Bush thought that he was talking about wet lands, but “wetlands” is a term, manufactured by bureaucrats at no less that five governmental agencies, that now includes, yes, that pothole in your back yard. Continue reading “Reform of the Clean Water Act” →

Violence Against Women

The National Organization for Women has kicked off a campaign to combat violence against women. Last month the Clinton Administration opened a new door at the Justice Department just for this purpose and christened it with $26 million in grants. At that time we were told by the President that a violent crime is committed against a woman every 12 seconds, that 3 to 4 million women are victims of domestic violence every year and that rape rates have risen nearly three times faster than the overall crime rate.

Crime is a major problem in this country. I was at a meeting yesterday where I was told about a group of underage thugs who recently raped a woman and beat up a man in my small community. Everyone knows who they are, but the local sheriff advised against pressing charges, saying there was nothing more he could do to them.

Crime is a local problem, and federal programs that mandate “gender sensitivity training” for judges and extend federal civil rights protection for crimes “motivated by gender” only make matters worse. If I’m mugged and by purse is stolen I don’t want a panel called in to try to determine if the mugger was really after my money, or if he simply had a grudge against women. I want him punished! Continue reading “Violence Against Women” →

Portrait of a Polluter

Steve Lathrop decided to take matters into his own hands and do what his city, his county and the state of Illinois had not been able to do — clean up a local eyesore, a low area at the end of his street know as Doubrey Slough.  The 14 acres at the edge of Granite City was filed with water and mosquitoes and a lot of other things.  For 30 years it had served as a dump.  Heavy rains were a constant problem to local residents because this area backed up.  There was no drainage.  According to one study the average annual damage was over $300,000.

Hundreds of thousands of tax dollars had been spent over the years studying the problem to no avail.   The governor proposed a $4.2 million project in the early 70s.  A 1984 study done by the Corps of Engineers recommended a $4.8 million channel be dug to a nearby lake, but that didn’t work out either. Continue reading “Portrait of a Polluter” →