Opinion-Editorial

Families across the country are worried about high gas prices, skyrocketing health care costs and rising college tuition. They are concerned about the Iraq War, which has been mismanaged, as well as the security of their cities and towns. It has never been clearer that our country needs a new direction.

I am proud to have worked with other members of Congress to unveil a clear, bold plan for a New Direction for America that responds to these urgent concerns.

An important part of my job is making sure the San Fernando Valley gets its fair share of projects funded by Congress. Partway through this years budget-writing process, we have made significant progress. The successes range from finding funds for Orange Line improvements to supporting a successful drug rehabilitation program.

Congressional Republicans this week began staging coast-to-coast field hearings, beginning yesterday in San Diego, on immigration reform and border security. The American people should know that the Republican record on illegal immigration and border security is dismal. Republicans are running a single-issue campaign on an issue where they have failed.

The only good thing you can say about the Bush administration’s immigration policy is that it may not be as big a failure as its Iraq policy.

I recently had the chance to drive around Capitol Hill in a hybrid car with rechargeable, plug-in batteries. I may have been behind the wheel of the next generation in automobile technology.

With gas prices soaring to more than $3 a gallon, whats not to like about fuel-efficient, environment-friendly cars that get more than 100 miles per gallon?

The House Science Committee is considering legislation to offer incentives to encourage development of these innovative hybrid vehicles.

There is good news if your business relies on timely mail service and you ever raced to the post office late in the day in order to mail statements to your customers before the mail drop-off deadline.

The San Fernando Valley is home to thriving manufacturing companies that have boosted productivity, spurred increased sales, and maintained quality jobs by teaming with an innovative federal partnership program.

The federal budget deficit is projected to soar to an all-time high of $423 billion by the end of this fiscal year, the White House recently announced.

You couldnt run your business that way, of course, but its different when the business you run is in the business of printing money. That still doesnt make it right.

By squandering budget surpluses President Bush inherited, he has turned lemonade into a lemon. He took a budget that had a $236 billion surplus the year before he took office and plunged it year after year deeper and deeper into a sea of red ink.

As the year winds down, it is a good time to survey some of the most important issues in Washington affecting businesses in the San Fernando Valley and across America.