Op-Ed
Time and again, the federal government has proven that even the most well-intentioned law can be used to entangle family farmers in bureaucratic red tape and burdensome regulatory costs. In 1972, the Clean Water Act became law with the intended result of combating water pollution. However, over the past decade this law has become an albatross around the necks of producers nationwide, causing millions in unnecessary costs with little proven benefit to the environment or the consumer.
The American Thanksgiving holiday has a rich and storied history full of lessons reminding us to give thanks for our many blessings. In school, we learn the story of a gathering between the Plymouth Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in 1621, where both sides came together and offered their bounty in a sign of friendship. However, the first national celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday was declared by the Continental Congress in 1775 to mark the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga during the Revolutionary War.
As the Representative for Arkansas' First District, I have taken great pains to engage with families during the disastrous rollout of ObamaCare, to hear their concerns and problems with the law, and above all, to listen. The stories I have heard of cancelled policies, exploding premiums, and inflexible insurance plans anger and sadden me.
Over the past weeks, the question of whether the United States should initiate a military strike on Syria has dominated the political landscape in Washington and at home in Arkansas. After Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad purportedly used chemical weapons on his own people, violating a "red line" set by President Obama, suddenly we have found ourselves in a situation where we are dangerously close to intervention.
Earlier this summer, I received the Benjamin Franklin Award from the 60-Plus Association in recognition of my support for estate tax repeal. Although I am honored to have the association's support, I believe with a little common sense in Washington this award would be made obsolete, much like the death tax itself. This measure is a punitive tax that hurts job growth in Arkansas, particularly in agriculture, and has long overstayed its necessity after first being introduced nearly 100 years ago.
This year Washington has been riddled with scandals, undermining the public's trust in government while distracting from pressing issues like a ballooning national debt, a stagnated economy, and the millions of jobless Americans. The Administration has taken a defensive posture, choosing to deflect blame without holding Administration officials fully accountable for their actions.