By Bob Beauprez, Editor in Chief
The Labor Department’s latest unemployment figures jumped four-tenths of a percent to 10.2 percent in October, and many economists don’t think we have seen the worst of it yet.  Even more alarming was the New York Times headline “Broader Measure of Unemployment Stands at 17.5%,”  reflecting the reality that “more than one out of every six workers – 17.5 percent – were unemployed or underemployed in October,” surpassing the previous record high of 17.1 percent nearly 27 years ago.

By Senator Jim Inhofe
A new government report released just last month from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) reveals that America’s combined supply of recoverable natural gas, oil, and coal is the largest on earth. In fact, the CRS report shows that America’s recoverable resources are far larger than those of Saudi Arabia (3rd), China (4th), and Canada (6th) combined.  And that’s without including America’s immense oil shale and methane hydrates deposits.  These astonishing statistics show that an all-of-the-above energy policy is the right course for America.  Through greater domestic production, we can create jobs, strengthen our energy security, and provide affordable, reliable energy for consumers and businesses. 

By Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), House Republican Whip

On Nov. 3, Republicans scored tremendous victories in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere. Leading the charge were the same independent voters who helped sweep President Obama to victory last year. In Virginia, 66 percent of those who identified themselves as independents chose Republican Bob McDonnell over Democrat Creigh Deeds. In the traditionally blue state of New Jersey, 60 percent of such voters chose GOP candidate Chris Christie over incumbent Jon Corzine.

By Brian Anderson, Contributing Editor

The intensity of the discourse on health care reform has thus far overshadowed the discussion on another liberal agenda item: cap-and-trade. Like health care reform, cap-and-trade proposals would have an adverse affect on all Americans, particularly low income and middle income households.  

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor

What sets America apart from other countries is the extraordinary reservoir of idealism that has been a constant in our  national life from the very beginning.  The national narrative-a.k.a.  The American Dream- has always been about individuals and groups who achieved remarkable things against great odds.  

By Sanjai Bhagat and Roberta Romano

A myriad of factors have been identified as contributing to the ongoing global financial crisis, running the gamut from misguided government policies to an absence of market discipline of financial institutions that had inadequate or flawed risk-monitoring and incentive systems. Such government policies include low interest rates by the Federal Reserve and promotion of subprime risk-taking by government-sponsored entities dominating the residential mortgage market so as to increase home ownership by those who could not otherwise afford it, which fueled a housing bubble, and bank capital and institutional investor holding requirements dependent on credit ratings by entities which were either conflicted or incompetent (or both), providing triple-A ratings to securitized packages of subprime mortgages. 

By Hal Scherz, M.D.

Like most other doctors, I went into medicine with enthusiasm and optimism. Doctors go down this difficult road believing that they can help people and make the world a better place. If along the way, we prosper emotionally, professionally or financially, then all the better. More than 30 years later, my desire to help people has not waned, nor has my hope to make things better diminished. To accomplish this, I have taken a side road, becoming a political activist, to advocate for my patients in ways unforeseen to me even a year ago.

By Richard Westfall, Contributing Editor

Given that Stephanie Villafuerte has been nominated to be the next United States Attorney for Colorado, her handling of the Cory Voohis situation is unquestionably fair game for the confirmation process.  If she broke the same law she and the Ritter campaign accused Voorhis of breaking (accessing a federal criminal database to confirm the identity of a person Ritter had let plea bargain) for essentially the same political purpose, and was not candid with federal investigators, that raises a serious question about her fitness for an office that is responsible for enforcing federal law in this State.