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e-News 4/25/14
4/25/14The Week Just Passed:
Latest US Aid Package to Ukraine Little More than a “Fig Leaf”
Time Magazine: “Obama’s Foreign Policy Failures Are Proving His Critics Right”
Crippling Defense Cuts Ahead If Sequestration Remains
Yet Another Phony Excuse to Delay for the Keystone Pipeline
More Obamacare Surprises Lurking
Picatinny Arsenal: A Soldier’s – and a Dog’s – Best Friend
Salute: Dr. Helen Streubert Inaugurated President of the College of St. Elizabeth
Salute: Chatham High School – One of New Jersey’s Best High Schools
Salute: the Lake Hopatcong Foundation
Latest US Aid Package to Ukraine Little More than a “Fig Leaf”
The Obama Administration has belatedly agreed to send further aid to Ukraine, in a purported effort to deter further Russian violations of that country’s sovereignty. The assistance, though welcome, adds virtually nothing to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from Russian aggression because it is non-lethal. It gives the appearance of help, but provides very little of what Ukraine really needs.
The President has yet to act on my request to declare Ukraine as Major Non-NATO Ally, which would make American military equipment and training available to Ukraine. Such a declaration would also show President Putin that the United States is standing with Ukraine as it struggles to maintain its hard-won independence and freedom.
Further reading from Defense News here.
Time Magazine: “Obama’s Foreign Policy Failures Are Proving His Critics Right”
Less than 15 months ago, on the day President Obama was sworn in for his second term, Time magazine’s Michael Crowley, wrote that, “[F]our years ago [2009] Obama must have felt like he was diving into the presidential waters wearing a suit of armor; his most urgent priority was simply not to drown. This time it should be much easier to actually swim.”
Apparently not. In recounting the recent failures in the Obama Administration’s foreign policy, Crowley now concludes that, “…the recent disappointments in his foreign policy are part of a larger failure — a failure of political vision.”
Crippling Defense Cuts Ahead If Sequestration Remains
Unless the President works with Congress to end the budgetary practice of sequestration (automatic, mindless, “across-the-board” spending cuts that don’t require Congressional approval), in October of next year the defense budget will take a severe hit, compromising our ability to defend our national interests in even one “hot spot” around the globe.
Sequestration would reduce our military to little more than a “paper tiger,” gutting the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines to levels not seen since before World War II. The two articles below detail the extent of the damage if the President does not work with Congress to end sequestration.
Yet Another Phony Excuse to Delay for the Keystone Pipeline
The White House seems to have a bottomless pit of excuses to justify delaying the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. Its latest excuse is so phony that even one of President Obama’s staunchest allies, the president of the Laborers' International Union of North America, Terry O'Sullivan, has called it “another low blow to the working men and women of our country for whom the Keystone XL Pipeline is a lifeline to good jobs and energy security."
It’s long past time to authorize construction of the Keystone Pipeline to strengthen our energy security and create much needed jobs in America.
More Obamacare Surprises Lurking
The Wall Street Journal this week exposed yet another hidden menace in the Affordable Care Act. This one could likely lead to the rationing of care to 50 million Medicare and Medicaid patients.
The innocuously named “Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation” is supposedly designed to make “payment systems” and “models of care” more innovative and efficient. But as the authors argue, “innovation in health-care delivery is necessary and can happen with reforms promoting deregulation and more intensive competition. What we don't need is more bureaucratic micromanagement cloaked under the mantle of innovation.”
Picatinny Arsenal: A Soldier’s – and a Dog’s – Best Friend
Picatinny Arsenal has been developing cutting edge weaponry for America’s armed forces for a hundred years. The technological advances that have come out of Picatinny’s more than 50 labs have helped win victories on the battlefield and protected the lives of our nation’s defenders all over the world.
Since Vietnam, warriors of the canine variety have been a part of our military, performing such jobs as patrolling and explosive detection. Because they have been called to duty in places that experience extremes in weather and temperature, Picatinny has helped develop kennels that will keep the dogs far more comfortable and better able to carry out their unique mission.
This recent article on nj.com gives the details:
Salute: Dr. Helen Streubert Inaugurated President of the College of St. Elizabeth
I was honored to attend earlier today the inauguration of Dr. Helen Steubert as the seventh president of the College of St. Elizabeth. Dr. Streubert is the first lay person to serve as president of St. Elizabeth’s in its 114-year history. Her emotional inaugural address was an inspiring call to academic excellence. She came to St. Elizabeth’s from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. I am delighted that she is not only a new and dynamic leader in the 11th Congressional District’s outstanding higher education community, but is also a new constituent. You can read more about Dr. Steubert here.
Salute: Chatham High School – One of New Jersey’s Best High Schools
The 11th Congressional District has some of the best public schools in the state. I’ve visited hundreds of them over the years and find them all impressive institutions of learning and achievement.
Earlier this week, however, one of our schools – Chatham High School – was named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 10 high schools in New Jersey.
I salute everyone associated with Chatham High School – administration, faculty, staff, parents and students – for earning this recognition.
Salute: the Lake Hopatcong Foundation
As the weather begins to warm and we think about spending more time outdoors, I salute the members of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, who are off to a great start in advancing their vision for the future of this beautiful lake.
I recently met with leaders of the Foundation to discuss their exciting vision for protecting and promoting Lake Hopatcong, one of New Jersey's greatest natural resources. Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in our state, and is one of the most beautiful spots in the New Jersey Highlands.
The Lake Hopatcong Foundation was founded a little more than two years ago. It stands as a testimony to the difference a concerned group of citizens can make when they come together in a common cause. To learn more about the good work the Foundation is doing visit: http://lakehopatcongfoundation.org/
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