Archives for August 2011

Earlier this month, President Obama directed Homeland Security officials to hold off on deportation of illegal immigrants unless they have engaged in violent crime since arriving in the U.S.  House Judiciary Committee Chairman LaMar Smith anticipated this move by Obama and introduced legislation to prevent such executive action.  What does the HALT Act do?  What latitude does the president have on matters of immigration law?  Can this bill get through Congress?  And how does Chairman Smith react to the administration’s argument for implementing what he calls ‘backdoor amnesty’?  We discuss it all with Rep. Smith.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer House Speaker John Boehner for demanding details on 219 new government regulations that will cost taxpayers and businesses at least $100 million per year.  We also cringe as we learn that in four years, Obama will easily spend more money than George W. Bush spent in eight years.  And we discuss the curious infatuation that Moammar Gaddafi apparently has with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

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North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones represents nearly all of his state’s Atlantic coast.  How well prepared is the state to absorb the hardest punch this storm has to offer.  How much storm surge can the coast handle before major flooding problems arise?  What resources are in place?  And how long does it usually take for the region to recover from a Category Two hurricane.  We discuss it all with Rep. Jones.

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It’s a rough week for the east coast – an earthquake on Tuesday followed by a hurricane roaring towards most of the Atlantic shore.  As Irene becomes the first major storm to threaten the U.S. this year, the Capitol Steps hope FEMA performs better than it did following Katrina.  Our guest is impressionist Mark Eaton.

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On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office suggested that our deficits would be huge but slightly smaller in the years ahead.  And even the CBO now admits those projections were too optimistic.  So what’s the solution to all this mounting debt?  Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman says it’s simple…cut spending.  How much cutting would need to be done to balance the budget and begin chipping away at our debt?  How can that be done when entitlement costs will soon explode in spending on baby boomers?  And what kind of fight will we see in Congress over the upcoming appropriations bills?  We discuss it all with Rep. Stutzman.

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Former U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell says more individual citizens need to get involved with the push to return America to greatness.  What can individuals do to exert influence on our political system?  How much has the Tea Party accomplished along these lines?  Why does O’Donnell see the Tea Party at a crossroads?  And will she run for office again?  We discuss these and other issues with O’Donnell, who is also author of “Trouble Maker: Let’s Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again”.

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In 2010, Christine O’Donnell won a shocking victory in Delaware’s Republican U.S. Senate primary by defeating longtime liberal Rep. Mike Castle.  She says the campaign was not just against Castle but also a GOP establishment bent on preserving party stability over all else.  So how did she win the nomination?  How did the establishment try to hamstring her campaign?  And how much help was the national party once she was the only Republican on the ballot?  We discuss it all with Christine O’Donnell, who is also author of the new book “Trouble Maker: Let’s Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again”.

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Social Studies teacher Jerry Buell is now back in the classroom at Mt. Dora High School in Florida.  He was suspended earlier this summer over critical comments on his Facebook page over New York’s new gay marriage laws, but has now been reinstated after a legal fight.  Why was Buell suspended?  Why did the school district reverse itself and bring him back to the classroom?  And at what point should one’s opinions expressed away from the job impact their employment status?  We discuss is all with Harry Mihet, senior litigation counsel at Liberty Counsel.  He served as the attorney for Mr. Buell.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review can’t wait to hear the real scoop on the Bush years as Dick Cheney’s memoir gets released in the coming days.  We also slam Ohio GOP Rep. Steve Chabot for confiscating the cameras of his own constituents at a town hall.  And we discuss why Arizona Democrats are so furious that another Democrat wants to challenge Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on grounds she may not still be able to do the job.

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The Congressional Budget Office reports that this year’s deficit will be less than expected – just $1.28 trillion.  It also claims long-term deficits will likely be lower than earlier suggested and the unemployment rate will very slowly decline over the next year.  That would have barely qualified for good news, but why is the reality even worse?  Why does the CBO say it’s own numbers are too rosy?  Why is the outlook so bleak?  And what would be better policy for Congress to follow this time around?  We ask J.D. Foster of the Heritage Foundation, who also served in the Office of Management and Budget in the George W. Bush administration.

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