Editorials
Procrastination no longer an option
Asteroid deflection is a fascinating field of scientific research. The goal is to avert catastrophe by identifying threats far enough in advance that even a small nudge can alter a massive asteroid’s path sufficiently to avoid impact with Earth, allowing mankind to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs. Unfortunately, few of Washington’s political minds are as forward-thinking. Indeed, over the years they have taken the exact opposite approach to governance. Instead of modest budgetary course corrections to avoid an obvious collision between federal spending, changing demographics — most notably the aging baby boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964 — and revenue, every administration and Congress in modern times has accelerated our nation toward the inevitable “fiscal cliff.”
Read more.December 5, 2012
Concentrate on Needs of Employers
Toward the end of the campaign, President Obama mentioned the need for a “secretary of business” to consolidate functions such as small business loans and export assistance. Coming so late in his first term, and given that there already is a secretary of Commerce, the notion was widely lampooned. But in this notion lay the seeds of the essential truth of the president’s second term: his presidency will be judged on the success or failure of America’s private sector in creating jobs.
Read more.November 8, 2012
Winter of recovery not likely with current policies, inaction on taxes
This December will mark the fifth anniversary of the official beginning of the recession, and the U.S. economy is exhibiting no positive momentum. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research’s official Business Cycle Dating Committee, the recession ended in June 2009. Yet three years later, the official unemployment rate is 8.2 percent, comprising 12.7 million Americans, and 42 percent of those have been out of work for longer than six months. Initial unemployment claims hover uncomfortably and persistently near the 400,000 mark that indicates a worsening job situation.
Read more.July 11, 2012
Government and Industry Must Invest
It may be hard to believe that in this dreadful economy there are a significant number of job openings going unfilled because employers are having difficulty finding qualified applicants. This phenomenon had been a growing concern among employers and some policy makers even when the economy was booming in the last decade. The situation has been alleviated by overall growth in unemployment, but it has not disappeared.
Read more.July 9, 2012
Demand More than ‘New Normal’
All eyes are on Friday’s employment report, with the focus apparently on whether the Obama administration can reach 200,000 a month in April. Our question is why? Why has creating 200,000 jobs become the litmus test of a successful jobs report? Given the deep jobs deficit in which our economy finds itself, we need a lot more jobs than that. In the first 24 months of the average postwar recovery from recession, the economy created 147,000 payroll jobs on average. In the first 24 months in this recovery: 52,000. The administration is fond of trumpeting the recent rise in the pace of job creation in the recovery, but to date the average is only 87,000.
Read more.May 3, 2012
Our Best Diplomats: Women in the Peace Corps
Fifty years ago, 65 percent of the people volunteering to join the Peace Corps were men and 35 percent were women. Today, those numbers have flipped, with 66 percent of volunteers during the 2000s women and 34 percent men. This change, gradual over the five decades, represents women’s commitment to and confidence in international work and a steadiness of America’s spirit to volunteer, born three centuries ago. Of the over 4,000 women currently serving as volunteers, about 250 are over 50 years old, blogging and uploading photos for friends and relatives back home as they work in education, health, nutrition, small business, agriculture in 74 countries worldwide.
Read more.March 19, 2012
Americans Are More Generous Than We Think
2012 is now upon us, and we know that in this year there will be more rancor (presidential election), stress (economy) and predictably unpredictable natural disasters (no reference to the Mayan calendar intended). There are many reasons to worry, the evening news is full of them. There are reasons for optimism, but you have to dig deeper these past few years to find them. Or you can Google “layaway angels” and read one reason after another why we should have faith in our society’s future.
Read more.January 5, 2012
Remembering Pearl Harbor
Sacrifices of 70 years ago enshrined in National World War II Museum
Read more.December 6, 2011
The Best Recession Protection: Education
Why a college degree is still the best protection against unemployment.
Read more.November 29, 2011
America’s jobless ask: Where’s the recovery?
The recession that officially began in December 2007 officially ended in June 2009. Yet today’s graduates face a dismal job market.
Read more.July 21, 2011
All Americans Need 401(k) Loan Insurance
For the past three decades, 401(k) tax-deferred savings accounts have assumed an increasingly significant role in retirement planning for an estimated 100 million American workers and their families.
Read more.June 7, 2011
Statement on the passing of Matthew K. Fong, American Patriot and National Leader
Elaine Chao comments on the passing of Matthew K. Fong
Read more.June 2, 2011
Government by Executive Order
A new Labor Department plan shows the president still has wide power to implement an anti-business agenda.
Read more.December 3, 2010
A Day of Reckoning for Public Pensions: The bills are due, the coffers are empty
A number of recent studies conclude that federal workers earn 20 to 30 percent more per hour than their private sector counterparts. And where local, state, and federal government workers really come out ahead isn’t just in pay; it’s in the benefits. Most private sector workers can only dream of getting the generous lifetime pension and health benefits typical of government service.
Read more.October 1, 2010
Another Unhappy Labor Day
Americans are aware of the folly of Washington's economic policies.
Read more.September 2, 2010
How to Get America Back to Work
There was little to cheer in Friday’s unemployment report, other than the fact that there have been worse in the past year. But the unemployment figures are not going to get much better unless and until policymakers in Washington acknowledge that jobs lost do not automatically bounce back—especially not in the face of a still-tight credit market and actions in Washington that, however well-intentioned, would dissuade the hiring of new workers.
Read more.January 10, 2010
A Return to Prosperity is Light Years Away if we Follow Obama's Road map
A return to prosperity is light years away if we follow Obama’s road map
Read more.September 7, 2009
Lef-Wing Proxy Playz
Ploys to politically micromanage companies.
Read more.August 16, 2009
Obama Tries to Stop Union Disclosure
No more sunshine on how worker dues are spent.
Read more.May 6, 2009
Topic A - The Next 100 Days
As the president is making the federal government do more, he should also direct it to do better and with less.
Read more.April 26, 2009
Topic A - The Employee Free Choice Act
Workers would have no choice -- and no ability to cast a private ballot on unionization of their workplace -- if just one more than half of workers signed pro-union cards. These union-funded signature drives can entail entreaties at workers' homes and other places where workers are vulnerable to harassment and intimidation.
Read more.April 12, 2009
Anti-Trade Agenda a Real Economy Killer
Today it is apparent that some in Washington have forgotten that history or never bothered to learn it. Lawmakers at home, as well as abroad, are embracing protectionism for the 21st Century that threatens to make an already severe economic crisis even worse.
Read more.April 10, 2009
Two Steps Back on Labor Rights
The Obama administration's zeal to not "waste a good crisis," as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton put it, has been stunning even for Washington insiders to behold. In the first 50 days of Barack Obama's presidency, Congress approved $1.2 trillion dollars in new spending, or $24 billion a day.
Read more.March 21, 2009
Will Obama's Labor Department Help or Hinder Recovery?
When President-elect Obama initially announced his economic team, one important player was conspicuously absent: the U.S. Department of Labor.
Read more.January 1, 2009
The Coming Assaults on America's Competitiveness
As the Congress gets underway in 2009, its leaders are going to be under enormous pressure to bow to the priorities of labor union leaders and other special interest groups.
Read more.December 1, 2008
Defining Democracy Down
It goes without saying in American households and has been ratified by the civilized world in human rights declarations, that privacy in the casting of an election ballot is a fundamental freedom.
Read more.July 20, 2007
Secret Ballot Under Fire for American Worker
Voter privacy is a fundamental human right.
Read more.March 1, 2007
Helping America's Remarkable Workforce Meet its Challenges
Chao: Helping America’s remarkable workforce meet its challenges
Read more.September 27, 2005
Utilize Some Well-Trained Talent; Give a Returning Veteran a Job
On Labor Day, we pause to celebrate and remember the contributions of America's work force to our nation.
Read more.September 5, 2005
Honoring Promises Made to Workers
Working hard and “playing by the rules” has for generations of Americans been the guiding ethic for leading an honorable life and attaining financial security.
Read more.February 15, 2005
We Must Win Fight Against Aids
On Wednesday - World AIDS Day - men and women all around the globe will renew their commitment to fighting one of the most wrenching humanitarian tragedies of our time: the HIV pandemic that is destroying the lives of 38 million people.
Read more.November 29, 2004
New Overtime Rules Protect U.S. Workers
Overtime pay matters to American workers and their families, and as of Monday, millions more of them gained overtime rights.
Read more.August 24, 2004
Women Becoming a Powerful Voice
Sometimes hope can be found in small gestures - particularly ideas or symbols that inspire others to believe that their dreams can become reality.
Read more.March 15, 2004
Challenges in Africa
The tall, shy young boy came up to me and asked simply to shake my hand.
Read more.February 1, 2004
A Chance for Health Care Coverage
As Americans observe Labor Day, it is appropriate to remember the many strides that have been made on behalf of America's workers.
Read more.September 1, 2003
