THE WASHINGTON TIMES

EDITORIAL: Signs of tyranny

If the government can dictate what you can put in your own window, there's no limit to what it can do. The Institute for Justice was forced last week to end its constitutional challenge to a Dallas city ordinance that prohibited small businesses from displaying large window signs advertising specials or even specifying the store's hours of operation. To prevent the case from going to trial, Dallas bureaucrats threatened a mom-and-pop vacuum store, travel agency, uniform store and dry cleaner each with $300,000 in fines. Published June 10, 2011

EDITORIAL: GM’s gas-tax fraud

Government Motors has become yet another mouthpiece for the Obama administration. General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson told the Detroit News Saturday that he wants a $1 per gallon hike in the gas tax. Consumers already facing nearly $4 a gallon prices at the pump aren't going to be pleased to see that figure jump overnight to $5, but the left and its crony capitalist allies don't care what the public thinks. Published June 9, 2011

EDITORIAL: John Bryson, job destroyer

President Obama's pick to replace Gary F. Locke as commerce secretary faces an uphill Senate confirmation battle. Even before the White House handed in the name of John Bryson for the job, Senate Republicans had vowed to block any nominee over administration foot-dragging on free-trade agreements. The selection of this particular leftist for a business-outreach post is rallying the opposition. "I find Mr Bryson unacceptable as secretary of commerce for the United States, and I will work in opposition to his conformation," said Sen. John Barrasso, vice chairman of the Republican Conference, to The Washington Times. Published June 9, 2011

EDITORIAL: Red tape is on a roll

Like so much of President Obama's agenda, the promise of regulatory reform has proved entirely empty. After Democrats received a beat-down at the polls last November, an executive order was dashed off promising to pare back the job-killing regulations being pumped out by federal agencies that the president said "were just plain dumb." On Friday, House Republicans called Mr. Obama's bluff. Published June 8, 2011

EDITORIAL: Obama’s Syrian conflict

NATO warplanes subjected Tripoli to hours of heavy bombing on Tuesday, apparently hunting Libyan leader and international outcast Moammar Gadhafi. But as NATO's mission to protect Libyan civilians continued, so did Bashar Assad's mission to gun down demonstrators against his regime in Syria. Over a thousand have been killed and reports emerging from the country indicate worse things are coming. Published June 8, 2011

EDITORIAL: Club a seal, save the planet

Saving the baby seals was once the signature cause of environmentalism. The global-warming crowd used the image of an unhappy polar bear "stranded" on a small iceberg to rally support for their cause. Concern for animal rights is now being kicked to the curb in Australia. In order to save the planet, animals must die. It's all part of a "carbon-farming initiative" designed to help the land Down Under meet its so-called greenhouse-gas emission targets under the Kyoto Treaty. Published June 8, 2011

EDITORIAL: Congressman Weiner should resign

Rep. Anthony Weiner lost the support of his party chief when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced Monday, "I am calling for an Ethics Committee investigation to determine whether any official resources were used or any other violation of House rules occurred." Mrs. Pelosi threw Mr. Weiner under the bus just hours after the New York Democrat publicly admitted he lied about tweeting a photo of his crotch to a student. There should be no room for a man of such low character and poor judgment in Congress. Published June 7, 2011

EDITORIAL: Goolsbee heads for the hills

It can't be easy serving as chief economic adviser to President Obama. The harder Austan Goolsbee has worked to implement the administration's borrow-and-spend philosophy, the worse the economy has become. No wonder Mr. Goolsbee wants to get out of town. If only he were more honest about it. Published June 7, 2011

EDITORIAL: The media ride of Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin's impromptu, slightly rambling statement about Paul Revere last week set off volleys of verbal musket fire from her many left-wing critics in the media. Touring Boston on Thursday, she gave a folksy account of Revere's ride, saying he was one of the men who "warned the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, by ringin' those bells and by makin' sure that as he's ridin' his horse through town to send those warnin' shots and bells that we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free." Published June 7, 2011

EDITORIAL: One law for us, another for you

The California state Senate voted 28-8 Wednesday to exempt itself from the pointless gun-control laws that apply to the rest of the populace. Legislators apparently think they alone are worthy to pack heat on the streets for personal protection, and the masses ought to wait until the police arrive. Published June 6, 2011

EDITORIAL: The long, hot Arab summer

Thousands of protesters took to Egypt's streets on Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the murder of blogger Khaled Saeed, who was beaten to death by police. His assailants are due to be sentenced later this month, but the subtext of the demonstrations was that the hoped-for changes in post-revolutionary Egypt are too slow in coming. As the Arab Spring slides into a long, hot summer, the gap between expectations and reality may become intolerable. Published June 6, 2011

EDITORIAL: Debt-limit clock ticking

Moody's Investors Service added urgency to the congressional debate over the debt limit by threatening to downgrade the nation's credit rating unless a deal is struck in the coming weeks making a "substantive change in the debt trajectory." That was Thursday. On Monday, more than 100 of the most conservative Republicans in the House insisted such an agreement would have to be big. Published June 6, 2011

EDITORIAL: Obama’s nonwar in Libya

The White House has finally forged a bipartisan consensus in Congress. Unfortunately for President Obama, lawmakers are uniting in opposition to his approach to the ongoing U.S. involvement in the Libyan civil war. Some see the operation as an ill-advised and useless military venture; others argue that Mr. Obama is breaking the law. Published June 3, 2011

EDITORIAL: Consumers lack confidence in Obama

The Conference Board's latest monthly consumer confidence survey contained little good news. The index fell to a six-month low, from 66 in April to a hair above 60 in May. Although this result came as a surprise to the economists, it should have been expected. American consumers intuitively know what's going on. They see a moribund housing market and inadequate job creation leaving the unemployment rate in the 9 percent range. There's little reason for optimism now unless the federal government gets its fiscal house in order. Published June 2, 2011

EDITORIAL: Obamacare’s unlimited power

The White House defense of Obamacare hinges on the claim that Congress essentially has unlimited power to force Americans to spend their personal money on a cause of the government's choosing. Oral arguments before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday made this all the more clear. Published June 2, 2011

EDITORIAL: Federal speed traps

Millions hit the road to be with family and friends for barbecues and other outdoor activities on Memorial Day weekend. It's no coincidence that police around the country were staked out on the side of the road in anticipation. That's because the federal government encourages states to shake down travelers who pose no threat to others. Published June 1, 2011

EDITORIAL: Red Button or Reset Button?

The strategic rationale for missile defense is growing stronger as rogue states like Iran and North Korea work on developing new and more threatening weapons. However, adequately defending the United States from these emerging threats will require taking steps that Russia threatens could reignite the Cold War. Published June 1, 2011

EDITORIAL: Exploring frontiers of science

Given the past few years of economic hardship, it's easy to think the era of boundless opportunity that has characterized the American story is coming to an end. In times such as these, it's comforting to remember that as long as we retain our inquisitive nature, our discoveries could yield possibilities for better days ahead. Published May 31, 2011

EDITORIAL: Wishing away Iranian nukes

The Iranian nuclear threat is much ado about nothing, says reporter Seymour Hersh. Writing in the latest issue of the New Yorker, the professional left-wing cynic ignores numerous signs that the Islamic Republic is dead set on achieving nuclear-weapons capability and claims there is "a large body of evidence ... suggesting that the United States could be in danger of repeating a mistake similar to the one made with Saddam Hussein's Iraq eight years ago - allowing anxieties about the policies of a tyrannical regime to distort our estimations of the state's military capacities and intentions." For Mr. Hersh, it's the "WMD issue" all over again. Published May 31, 2011

EDITORIAL: The Democrats’ debt crisis

Democrats have yet to put forth any plan to deal with America's fiscal crisis. The national debt is at $14.3 trillion and growing daily; this year's budget deficit alone is projected to be $1.5 trillion. The nation is in danger of defaulting on its loans, and yet all President Obama has done is produce a speech, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has wasted his majority by voting against every budget that has come to the floor. Apparently, the only thing more bankrupt than the Treasury is the party in power. Published May 30, 2011