Rep. Mac Thornberry (TX-13)

It makes me rather sick to see how those who do so much to protect our country have become political footballs. 

It is not just President Obama using the Osama bin Laden operation in his campaign – which even Arianna Huffington calls “despicable” – but it is also the Administration continuing to release more and more information that has always been classified.  The more they talk, the harder they make the job of those who must stop the next plot.
 
The people who deserve credit, not only for bin Laden but also for stopping many terrorist plots to kill Americans, are those whose names you will never know.  It is the intelligence and military professionals who do their job, day-after-day and night-after-night with quiet competence.  Most of them will never write a book or talk about what they have done.  They know that they will never receive the accolades and praise that some top generals and political appointees get.  Yet, they also know that what they do has kept Americans at home generally safe from terrorist attack for more than a decade.
 
These quiet heroes have been remarkably restrained about complaining when the White House releases details of their operations and capabilities in an attempt to bolster President Obama’s national security credentials.  The more information that is released about what they do and how they do it, the better informed the enemy is and that makes the next operation even more difficult. 
 
As Chairman of the Armed Services subcommittee that oversees the Special Operations Command, I have some idea of how capable and dedicated these professionals are and what they do every day to keep us safe.  Others in the government should look for ways to help and support them, rather than make their job harder.

Congressman Thornberry hosts budget exercise at Midwestern State University

Federal budget exercise at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas

Thornberry worries proposed cuts to nuclear arsenal will embolden enemies (Fox News Radio: http://thornberry.house.gov/UploadedFiles/FoxNewsRadio.mp3)

It is disappointing that the President’s latest budget offers more of the same—more stimulus-type spending, higher taxes, and even more debt. It does nothing to address the unsustainable and unaffordable automatic spending on entitlements that continues to consume a larger and larger part of the budget.

Additionally, the President projects another trillion dollar deficit for 2012, making it the fourth consecutive year with a deficit of a trillion dollars or higher.  All of these things represent an enormous threat to the health of our economy and to the future of our country. 

Piling mountains of debt on our children and grandchildren is exactly the wrong thing to do to get us back on the right track.  We need to make commonsense choices to cut spending and make government work better.  I hope that the House will follow this approach when we pass our budget in the next few weeks.

USS Enterprise Carrier Embark: Outside Norfolk, VA

Growing up on a family ranch in the Texas Panhandle meant my brothers and I were expected to help out as best we could.

Our father and grandfather worked long hours six days a week, yet there was never enough time to get everything done. From the time we could sit on a horse, we had to pitch in. We rode horseback to help move cattle. We helped work cattle — branding in the spring, shipping calves in the fall. We built and repaired fence. We put out feed. We hoed the weeds out of the cotton field, drove the tractor and had chores we were responsible for at the house.

Much of the time, I was probably more trouble than help, but with more experience and maturity, I was able to do more. All of that taught me much more than just how to do the job at hand. In the process, I learned something about the value of work.

Of course, the Thornberrys are not unique. Many young men and women growing up in rural America work on farms and ranches and other businesses run by family or by neighbors.

They learn how to work, and perhaps gain some useful skills, while earning some money. The farm, ranch or business gets the benefit of their efforts. But that mutual benefit for many is threatened by — you guessed it — the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Labor proposed new regulations last year for farms and other rural businesses that could, among other things, prevent a high school freshman from earning extra money on a farm or helping a neighbor work cattle.

The Obama administration stated the new proposals were issued to protect teenagers from potentially hazardous work on a farm or ranch. It’s true that one needs to be alert and cautious around livestock and machinery. But these regulations will do far more harm than good to rural America.

Among other things, the new rule would prohibit those younger than age 18 from working at certain businesses, such as grain elevators, feedlots and livestock auctions.

Those younger than 16 could not operate power-driven equipment. There is a limited exemption for working on a parent’s farm or ranch, but not for grandparents, uncles, neighbors or others.

The result, of course, will be fewer opportunities for young people, less help for agricultural producers and businesses, and damage to our rural economy. Its consequences will be more than economic; they will be cultural as well. I frequently hear from businesses that move to our area how impressed they are by the work ethic of our people. Fewer opportunities to work mean fewer kids learn how to work.

Of course, I have written to the Department of Labor opposing the regulations. I have cosponsored legislation to stop them. And I will work to prevent any federal funds from being used to enforce them. There are signs recently that the Department of Labor may reconsider some elements.

Hopefully, one way or another, this rule will be reversed.

But this effort to extend the federal government’s control further into agriculture and rural America is yet another instance of government arrogance — the view that Washington bureaucrats know better than we do about how we should lead our lives. We have seen it in health care, in the workplace — even with our shower heads and light bulbs.

It must be stopped, or the America we have all been privileged to grow up in will be altered forever.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, represents the 13th Congressional District of Texas. He serves as vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and as a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. 

I received some mail last week regarding the President’s State of the Union address. One constituent wrote in response to the statement I put out after the President’s remarks that it is Congress who prevents the President from accomplishing more.  I respectfully disagree.  

I also discuss ridiculous new regulations recently issued by the Department of Labor that will impact the rural way of life.  One constituent wrote that these new rules are further evidence that “most people in Washington don’t know which end of a cow gets up first.” 

Finally, I respond to concerns about the upcoming debate over the payroll tax cut extension that expires in February.

I hope you will tune in and continue to keep the questions coming.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a rule that requires health insurance plans to cover—at no charge—certain services for women, including all FDA-approved forms of contraception.  That would include the drug known as the “morning after pill.”  The rule does not contain a meaningful conscience exemption.  This rule, which was issued pursuant to a provision of the new health care law, is one example of the extensive new controls that Washington will exercise over our health care. 

The rule requires health insurance plans to cover certain health services for employees, even if the service violates an employer’s moral or religious conscience.  There is an exemption within the rule for certain religious organizations, such as churches.  However, this exemption does not extend to other faith-based organizations such as religious hospitals, universities, and service organizations.  The Catholic Church, among others, has been very vocal in its opposition to the rule.

I have cosponsored the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011” (H.R. 1179), which would provide a religious conscience exemption to health insurance plans to allow them to decline coverage of specific items and services that are contrary to the beliefs of the issuer or beneficiary.  Of course, I also support repealing the health care bill which gives Washington the authority to dictate such personal matters of conscience.

While continuing to push for repeal, I am also working to have this measure brought for a vote and maintain at least some degree of religious freedom in health care.

In 2012, much of the conversation in Congress will focus on the size and role of government in our lives.  This debate is a necessary conversation given our massive debt and deficit and the unprecedented growth of government since the President took office in 2009.  It is also a promising opportunity to get our country on the right track.

As the House gets set to begin its work, I wanted to share 2012’s first video mailbox segment with you.  In this edition, I answer questions about the Capital Gains Tax, share some details about a new “tax fact” section featured on my website, and respond to a constituent’s concern about possible reductions in the strength of our nation’s military. 

Additionally, I discuss the need to reform some of the entitlement programs, which continue to consume more and more of the federal budget.  If we are serious about getting our fiscal house in order, commonsense entitlement reform must be on the table.

I invite you to learn more about these issues by watching this edition of the video mailbox.  Have a question you would like answered?  Please contact me by phone, e-mail, letters, or on Facebook and Twitter.

I hope you’ll join my page on Facebook and share this feature with your friends.

Source: facebook.com

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers (TSCRA) and the Texas Cattle Feeders (TCFA) visit with Mac in Washington, D.C.