Frankly Speaking
1099 Requirement Yet Another Burden on America's Small Businesses
Mar 4, 2011Buried within the more than 2,000 page health care law passed by the former Democratic majority and current administration, one of the dozens of mandates included in the legislation had nothing to do with improving the health care in this country. This mandate--a new 1099 form expansion--requires businesses to issue a 1099 form for payments of goods and services that exceed $600 per year. This requirement creates an overwhelming amount of paperwork that would hinder the overall effectiveness of every business and reduce potential growth.
Burdensome Federal Regulations Hurt American Farmers and Ranchers
Feb 11, 2011American agriculture is under attack. Every day the administration seems to demonstrate just how vastly disconnected it is from the folks who feed us. The administration fails to realize that rural America’s economy is dependent on agriculture. The in-your-face-approach that the administration has taken regarding government regulation has increased the cost of doing business for America’s farmers and ranchers. If the administration is allowed to continue down this path, the only choice for many farmers and ranchers will be to stop farming altogether.
Filed under: Agriculture
Time for Real Reform
Jan 21, 2011As one of the first acts of the 112th Congress, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues – including every member of the Oklahoma delegation – and voted to repeal the government takeover of health care. Also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, this bill was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010 after more than 18 months of heated debate on both sides. And while I’m sure there were people in then-Speaker Pelosi’s district in San Francisco that liked this bill, I couldn’t find many in the Third District of Oklahoma.
Filed under: EconomyNew Year, New Congress
Dec 23, 20102010 was a challenging year in this country, as American families lived through record high unemployment rates and a lagging economy. And much to their disappointment, their elected officials in Washington seemed more concerned with making government bigger than creating jobs. During the 50 town hall meetings I held this year, my constituents voiced their discontent with what was happening and I joined them in their frustration at leaders in Washington’s failure to listen to them. Whether the trillion-dollar government takeover of health care, the out-of-control federal spending that has
Filed under: AgricultureStrategy Shift in Iraq Shows Significant Progress in War on Terror
Aug 20, 2010Due to the great progress made by our brave men and women on the front lines, President Obama has announced the US mission in Iraq will shift from a combat role to an advisory and assistance mission for the Iraqi government and its security forces beginning August 31, 2010 and continuing for the next 17 months.
Filed under: Foreign AffairsThe Trouble with a Bailout
Aug 13, 2010President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have tried it their way for more than a year and a half now – expanding the size and scope of the federal government, dramatically increasing federal spending and growing the national debt, and squandering more than two trillion dollars on taxpayer funded bailouts and so-called stimulus bills filled with wasteful and unnecessary pork barrel spending. Yet as their promises of creating new jobs and resuscitating our stagnate economy continue, the facts prove those promises to be empty ones. Unemployment still hovers around 10 percent across the nation as e
Filed under: EconomyBe All That You Can Be: Apply for One of Our Nation's Service Academies
Aug 6, 2010During the month of August, thousands of students will pile into their cars and begin a new life at an institute of higher education. Some will travel out of state, and some will stay here in Oklahoma. And a select few will the opportunity to not only get a first-rate education, but to also serve their country by attending one of our nation’s service academies.
Filed under: Constituent ServicesThe Largest Tax Hike in American History
Jul 29, 2010Beginning January 1, 2011, American families and small businesses will be saddled with a $3.8 trillion tax increase – the largest tax hike in American history. There are many in Washington who are claiming that these tax increases will only affect the wealthy. Simply put, this is inaccurate. Instead, they will increase the tax liability of almost every American who pays income taxes – including middle-income American families and small businesses owners.
Filed under: TaxesLame Duck Plan Is a Lame Idea
Jul 26, 2010It’s been a rocky year and a half for the American people, who have continued to suffer from high unemployment rates and a sagging economy. And rather than addressing these tough issues facing Americans, the 111th Congress has instead focused on controversial pieces of legislation, massive in size, dramatic in impact, and unfathomable in cost. With only a few full weeks of session scheduled before the end of the year, many Americans have begun breathing a sigh of relief that many of the most controversial pieces of legislation on Speaker Pelosi and President Obama’s agenda will most likel
Filed under: EconomyConfirmation of Petraeus by Full Senate Must Be Quick
Jun 29, 2010Today, the Senate Armed Services Committee held the confirmation hearing of General David Petraeus to serve as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. General Petraeus was nominated for this post after the ouster of General Stanley McChrystal by President Obama following a very public disagreement between the president and the general on future plans for Afghanistan.
Filed under: Homeland Security and Defense
