The Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate rejected a Republican attempt to repeal one provision from the health care plan approved earlier this year. What will this provision require from business owners? How will it impact their bottom line? Why did the repeal effort fail? And when would this provision take effect? We ask Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns, sponsor of the effort to repeal the language requiring much more reporting to the IRS.
The latest report from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows the new health care laws bending the cost curve up rather than down, and that doesn’t even include the toll that Medicare changes will have on seniors. Why will Medicare patients soon see longer waits to see doctors and even denial of care? Just how low will Medicare spending get? We ask Dr. Larry Hunter, president of the Social Security Institute. Dr. Hunter will also explain why he believes the new health system is designed to fail – to enable even more government control.
Last week, the Obama administration went on the offensive against against Republicans, as the president argued for making middle class tax cuts permanent but arguing for higher taxes on the top wage earners. So what political calculation is behind this strategy? How much is complicated by some Democrats calling for all the tax cuts to be made permanent? How do Democrats define ‘rich’ and determine how much those people ought to pay in taxes? What will actually happen in Congress and how will this fight impact the midterm elections? We ask Michael Lewan, former chief of staff to Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Without any consent from Congress, President Obama issued an executive order giving the federal government the power to regulate coastal waters – which includes the Great Lakes, all major rivers and their tributaries in addition to nearby oceans. So how will this impact most of us? How will this give the government the power to control most of America’s major industries? And how did this happen without any approval from Congress? We ask Bonner Cohen of the National Center for Public Policy Research.
A new study released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, American taxpayers pay $113 billion per year to cover the cost of education, health care and other social services used (but not paid for) by illegal immigrants. But which levels of government bear the largest burdens and what is the cost to the typical American taxpayer? How high is the cost in border states? And is there any effective and plausible way to solve this problem? We discuss it all with Texas Rep. Ted Poe, a member of the House Judiciary Committee and its immigration subcommittee.
What has the U.S. learned since the horrific 9/11 attacks? What is the U.S. doing better than it was in 2001? Why is President Obama wrong to say the war in Afghanistan is not open-ended? How is getting tough with Iran essential to any progress in this struggle? And is America now Islamophobic or just more aware of the threats to our nation? We ask Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
On Thursday, a federal judge in California ruled the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was unconstitutional because it violated the first and fifth amendments of the Constitution. Is that a sound legal decision? Why should the courts uphold the current policy? Would it make any difference to opponents if the policy were to be slowly reversed at the Pentagon rather than overturned by a federal judge? We ask Mathew Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel.
Saturday marks nine years since the horrific terrorist attacks against the United States. But as the distance from 9-11 grows longer, it is also to vital to remember what happened and what it was like to be in the midst of the attack. In 2002, Greg Corombos interviewed U.S. Navy Captain Tom Joyce, who was working in the Pentagon on 9-11 – very near the location where the hijacked airplane slammed into the building. Here is an encore presentation of Captain Joyce’s memories of the attack, how he and his colleagues reacted and how his faith in God sustained him and comforted many in the wake of so much death and destruction.
Without some major developments, Democrats could be looking at huge losses in the midterm elections. One reason for that is the enthusiasm of Tea Party members, who are furious over the Obama agenda. This week, the Capitol Steps have some fun with the Tea Party. Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.
President Obama is on a major media blitz for his economic agenda, but the strategy is also designed to reverse very troubling poll numbers for Democratic candidates around the country. But National Review Editor Rich Lowry says Obama’s tactics really expose an administration that insists on pursuing the same policies that have yielded poor results and have been rejected by a sound majority of the electorate. So will the president’s PR offensive boost his party in the final weeks of the campaign? Can Republicans rely on voters to reject the Democratic agenda or do they need to have a detailed agenda of their own? And is the public already convinced that we need a different economic approach or could better fiscal news before Election Day make a big difference? We discuss it all with Rich Lowry.
