President Obama is once again embracing his 2008 campaign policy of unilaterally reducing America’s nuclear arsenal by 80 percent. This stance conflicts with his stated goals in the 2010 START agreement with Russia, which calls for smaller reductions in nuclear weapons and modernizing our stockpile to ensure reliability. Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and is very concerned. He says Obama is not doing anything to modernize our nuclear stockpile and is volunteering to reduce our capability at a time when the Iranians are ramping up their nuke program. He also says Obama’s plan would leave the U.S. well below where the Russians are and he finds that unacceptable. Combined with major defense cuts and scrapping an eastern European missile shield, Inhofe fears national security is being severely degraded at the worst possible time. Inhofe also previews his new book “The Greatest Hoax” on the climate change debate.
Archives for February 2012
The Myth of the Free-Ride Fix
One of the main reasons President Obama gave for enacting an individual mandate in the new health care laws was to shield responsible citizens from indirectly paying for huge medical bills piled up by the uninsured. But the Galen Institute and several other public policy firms have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court explaining why they believe the health care laws do not solve the “free-rider” problems and actually make them worse. Grace-Marie Turner is president of the Galen Institute. She explains why the new law is not a solution but a giant shell game. Turner also tells us how the problem would be worse even if everyone was required to have coverage. And she details why this brief should be very persuasive to the high court.
Three Martini Lunch 2/15/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review like a new Rick Santorum add for its cleverness in slamming Mitt Romney for negative ads. It’s also a good wake-up for Romney. They also shake their heads as a Pew Center study shows millions of people who are dead or have moved are still incorrectly on the voter rolls. And they rip President Obama for pushing a tripling of the airline passenger security tax – also known as the TSA groping tax.
Payroll Tax Showdown
For the past several months, House Republicans have insisted that any extension of existing payroll tax rates be offset with spending cuts to keep the program deficit-neutral. This week, GOP leaders changed that position and will now allow the tax rates to continue and add to the deficit. In exchange, Republicans are now trying to reduce the number of weeks Americans may collect unemployment benefits. Texas Rep. Kevin Brady is chairman of the Joint Economic Committee. He explains why the Republican leaders changed strategies, how much progress the GOP really thinks it can make on jobless benefits and what he makes of the Obama budget.
‘It’s A Scam’
On Friday, President Obama offered an ‘accommodation’ to a new Health and Human Services rule mandating contraception coverage for women at no cost. Obama will now allow religious institutions to reject paying for coverage they consider in violation of their beliefs. Insurance companies will now pay those bills. But National Right to Life Committee Legislative Director Douglas Johnson says this is all a scam and nothing has changed from a policy standpoint. Johnson also says the same rationale behind the decision could be used to mandate ‘free’ abortion coverage in all health plans since it’s cheaper than coverage for having and caring for a newborn baby. Johnson says it’s all a sign of why government has no business dictating the terms of health coverage policies.
Three Martini Lunch 2/14/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review applaud Republicans for their aggressive denunciation of the Obama budget. However, they also shake their heads as the GOP folds on demanding spending cuts in exchange for allowing an extension of payroll tax rates. And they discuss the odd episode of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer being mugged by a machete-wielding burglar in the Caribbean.
‘The Politics of Division’
On Monday, President Obama unveiled his new budget plan. As expected the president continues his spending priorities and advocates for higher taxes on wealthier Americans. Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman sits on the House Budget Committee. He says Americans should be able to choose where they invest their money rather than give it to Obama to invest in pet projects like Solyndra. Stutzman also says his constituents want nothing to do with higher taxes on the rich. He claims they want Washington to get serious about reducing deficits and the debt to inject more confidence into the economy.
Three Martini Lunch 2/13/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are generally encouraged at how conservatives are viewing the 2012 landscape following CPAC. They also groan as President Obama’s budget is yet another spending binge with a huge tax hike as the only means of reducing deficits. And they shake their heads as only 5,000 voters in Maine show up for the GOP caucuses and some areas still haven’t voted.
‘A Reprehensible Intrusion’
On Friday, President Obama announced an ‘accommodation’ had been reached on a new government rule mandating coverage of birth control options for women. Instead of forcing employers to pay for such options regardless of institutional beliefs, Obama now says insurance companies will be required to pay for it without charging businesses or individuals higher premiums. Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold was appalled by the first draft of the rule and he’s just as unimpressed with the new version. Farenthold says birth control options are not expensive and he says there’s a genuine question as to whether contraception is a women’s health issue. He says beyond that, this is a classic case of religious freedom being infringed and a textbook case of the government making decisions in areas where it doesn’t belong.
Subprime Mortgage Holders
Earlier this week, President Obama announced steps he says will assist struggling homeowners – including $2,000 for those already foreclosed upon and refinancing at historically low rates for mortgage-holders currently under water. But as the impact of the housing collapse continues, the Capitol Steps explain how this mess got started. Our guest is Steps co-founder Elaina Newport.