BLOGROLL

The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Provo Daily Herald. -Staff

On this Tax Day, we know the Tax Man Cometh and over the next few years, boy will he be coming with a vengeance. Because the only way liberals can support European levels of spending is with European levels of taxes. Instead of talking about serious spending cuts to confront our sky-high budget deficits, they are talking about more and more taxes.

If I were handing out a fiscal report card, I'd give the federal government an F. Our deficit this year is on track to exceed $1.4 trillion and is projected to exceed $700 billion every year over the next decade.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed with Ed Meese and Steven Calabresi in the Chicago Tribune. -Staff

Parents across America tell their kids that what matters is how you play the game, not whether you win or lose. Ordinary Americans know that the ends do not justify the means, that playing by the rules is more important than simply getting your way. We would be much better off if America's political leaders were more like America's parents.

Most Americans reject the "by-any-means-necessary" tactics by which the controversial health care bill was pushed through Congress. President Barack Obama once promised transparency and accountability, but in the end he didn't worry about procedural rules.

Not caring how the legislative game is played means ignoring the rules imposed by the Constitution, the document that the president and every member of Congress swore an oath to support and defend. There had to be a public outcry before House Democrats obeyed the Constitution and allowed the House to vote on the Senate bill before sending it to the president. The Constitution sets limits on government, which is to say that the Constitution is not about picking winners and losers but about the very procedural rules that Washington liberals are telling us to stop worrying about.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the National Review. -Staff

Faced with plummeting public support, the White House is engaged in a scorched-earth PR campaign to justify its failure to listen to the majority of the American people who oppose this $2.5 trillion health-care bill. They've even started attacking my opposition to the unconstitutional federal individual mandate citing legislation that was introduced as an alternative to Hillarycare back in the 1990s.

To be clear, I supported this alternative to President Clinton's massive federal takeover of the American health-care system, because my number-one priority was the defeat of yet another big-government assault on health care that the people of Utah overwhelmingly opposed. It's that simple.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Deseret News. -Staff

Few organizations have been met with more public scorn and condemnation over the past several years than the Bowl Championship Series. In fact, I think it could be said that, on most days, even Congress has higher approval ratings.

Most of this criticism has been warranted. Indeed, on the most basic level, the BCS robs college football fans throughout the country of a true, undisputed national championship in Division I football. In recent times, Utahns have had more cause than most to support an overhaul of the BCS system based on this set of complaints. They are joined by fans throughout the country who believe that, on this most basic level, the system is just unfair.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in The Hill. -Staff

Even as we slowly recover from one of the worst recessions in recent memory, our nation's unemployment rate stands at around 10 percent, with some economists saying some of these lost jobs will never come back. The question is, How do we respond as a nation -- how do we generate new jobs to replace those that are lost forever? I believe that a strong, job-creating trade agenda -- opening markets around the globe to U.S. products and services -- is part of the answer. It appears the administration does as well. Just last week, President Barack Obama announced an effort to double U.S. exports over the next five years. With 95 percent of the world's consumers living outside the United States and the Treasury Department estimating that over 50 million Americans are employed by firms that benefit from exports, this is a goal we must reach to grow our economy and help struggling American families and workers across the country.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed on FoxNews.com. -Staff

In a mad rush to pass a health care reform plan leading House Democrats now intend to take up the Senate-passed version of the bill, arguing that the Senate language prohibits federal funding of abortion. Besides that fact that this simply not true, it also demonstrates the lengths the president and his allies will take to pass this bill against the will of the American people.

For almost 35 years, the law of the land has been an explicit prohibition against federal taxpayer dollars being used to pay for elective abortions, known as the Hyde amendment, after the late great Illinois congressman. This is a policy supported by the majority of the American people.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Washington Post. -Staff

America's Founders gave us a system of governance designed to limit government power and maximize liberty. The legislative branch is different from the executive, and the Senate is different from the House. No single branch has all the power. That can be frustrating for those with ambitious agendas, but everyone benefits by respecting those checks and balances even as we fight over policies.

While the House is designed for action, the Senate is designed for deliberation. That is why Senate rules and procedures give a minority of senators the power to slow or even stop legislation. Both parties do it when in the minority, and both find it frustrating when they are in the majority. But such checks are central to the nature of the institution and to the Senate's place in our constitutional system. These rules temper majority power and generate strong incentives to develop mainstream legislation that commands broad, bipartisan support.

To impose the will of some Democrats and to circumvent bipartisan opposition, President Obama seems to be encouraging Congress to use the "reconciliation" process, an arcane budget procedure, to ram through the Senate a multitrillion-dollar health-care bill that raises taxes, increases costs and cuts Medicare to fund a new entitlement we can't afford. This is attractive to proponents because it sharply limits debate and amendments to a mere 20 hours and would allow passage with only 51 votes (as opposed to the 60 needed to overcome a procedural hurdle). But the Constitution intends the opposite process, especially for a bill that would affect one-sixth of the American economy.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Ogden Standard-Examiner and the Provo Daily Herald. -Staff

Here we go again.

Fourteen years ago, President Bill Clinton created the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument without Utahns' input or consent. Now we have the Obama administration poised to do the same thing.

Just last week an Obama administration memo was leaked that outlines two Utah areas for the president to consider for monument designation through the use of the Antiquities Act of 1906. Limited in scope, this act allows the president, without input from Congress or the public, to protect "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest ..., the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected."

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Deseret News. -Staff

Health care reform is a critical national issue that must transcend political labels and parties. It should be guided by the voices of the American people, who expect Congress to work together to solve this challenge in an open, bipartisan and fiscally prudent manner. If we take a realistic approach, we can achieve responsible health care reform that enjoys support on both sides of the aisle.

Americans want health care reform that reduces costs and provides affordable access. But they also worry about preserving their current quality of care, improving a struggling economy and reducing the nation's debt. Amid this uncertainty, Congress should be careful about doing too much, too fast and risking mistakes that cannot be undone.

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The following originally appeared as an op-ed in USA Today. -Staff

Obama's big-government proposal attempts to do too much, too fast.

Americans want health care reform that reduces costs and provides affordable access. But they also worry about preserving quality, improving a struggling economy and reducing the nation's unsustainable debt. Amid this uncertainty, we should be careful not to do too much too fast, risking mistakes of lasting consequence.

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