With all the recent news spotlighting our healthy economy – from the milestone of the Dow hitting 12,000, to the growth in real wages, to the surge in corporate tax receipts and decline in the budget deficit – it's remarkable that some Democrats still talk about their desire to erase the very tax relief that brought us out of recession and sparked sustained economic growth.

When Congress lowered taxes on marginal income tax rates and lightened the heavy tax burden on those who invest in the economy by reducing taxes on capital gains and dividends, we saw a clear turn-around in investment and job growth. Prior to the 2003 tax cuts, business investment had decreased for eight straight quarters, with an average growth rate of -3.8 percent. Contrast this with the economy's performance since pro-growth tax relief was enacted:

*        Business investment has increased for 13 straight quarters at an average of 7.2 percent.
*        6.6 million new jobs have been created.
*        Real wages grew 2.2 percent over the past year.
*        The Dow Jones Industrial Average has increased over 36 percent since the 2003 tax relief, closing above 12,000 points for the first time.

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Today, the Associated Press reported that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to extend the contract of Shirlington Limousine, a Virginia-based company linked to the bribery scandal that ended the career of former California Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Shirlington is a corporation which had a spotty past even before its DHS days. The company's owner, Christopher Baker, has a criminal record. Not surprisingly, Shirlington has had a history of poor service under his watch, and has had past contracts terminated by high profile Washington clients, among them Howard University in 2002.

This in and of itself has raised questions concerning why the Department of Homeland Security saw fit to hire Shirlington to begin with.  But what has sealed the company's reputation as a deeply questionable business partner is its linkage to one of the most unseemly scandals of this Republican Congress. Read more...

The Democrats don't want to talk about their would-be agenda - and for good reason.  From undermining welfare reform to resurrecting 'Hillary-care,' a Pelosi majority would take the Education & the Workforce Committee on a sharp turn leftward.  Even more troubling is the fact that this dangerous policy shift won't be unique to our Committee, and the American people need to hear about what a Pelosi majority may have in store for them.

President Bush has just signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 into law. This new law is one of the worst attacks on civil liberties measures ever enacted by Congress in American history. It is unconstitutional and un-American. The ACLU and our allies are getting ready to challenge it in court as well as in the next Congress.

America’s greatness is marked by our commitment to fairness and the rule of law. In signing this bill, President Bush, as Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) noted, “lets the terrorists achieve something they could never win on the battlefield.

I invited the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephan Johnson to Iowa so we could show him their new rule called ‘fugitive dust’ is just plain stupid. The rule implies that a farmer operating in a field needs to keep dust inside his property line or he could be held accountable. Well every farmer knows that you can not combine soybeans without creating dust. The EPA Administrator claims that farmers should not have to worry about the rule, but I want them to add an exemption for agriculture to the rule so that farmers won’t get stuck spending thousands of dollars if someone sues them. I don’t think I changed his mind during his visit, but at least he knows that I have not changed my mind and I will continue to fight this rule.

Now that the President has signed the Military Commissions Act into law, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed must be prosecuted for his involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Some have recommended Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be prosecuted after lesser, but equally dangerous terrorists are prosecuted, presumably so the new tribunal system can be tested. I strongly disagree with this approach.

The Military Commissions Act was created by legal professionals in the Administration, House and Senate and provides a structurally solid prosecutorial system. It is time Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is brought to justice.

I joined my colleague and fellow moderate Blanche Lincoln in Nebraska yesterday where we discussed the difference between governing and politicking. Working together to strengthen our country is good governing. And we can’t achieve good government as long as we’re preoccupied with politics.

Blanche pointed out the many lost opportunities to govern in recent years and emphasized our responsibility in Washington to move forward. I share her vision of teamwork, and it’s been an honor and pleasure to work with her to reach across aisles to get things done.

Both Blanche and I are proud supporters of renewable fuels development and have both served as chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. I look forward to working with her and my other colleagues on the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill. I am optimistic that as we approach this and many other important pieces of legislation, our colleagues will also recognize the difference between governing and politicking. Only then can we end the right vs left tug-of-war and begin funneling our energy into moving America forward.

Yesterday, I sent a letter to James Baker, former Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group, asking him to release the Study Group's initial recommendations on the Iraq War. Secretary Baker has repeatedly stated that the Iraq Study Group would not provide an independent assessment on the situation in Iraq until after the November midterm elections. But judging from his recent interviews, it appears that the Iraq Study Group has made some initial judgments that would be a departure from the Administration's failed policies.

Given the critical need to change course on Iraq, I am urging the Study Group to release its recommendations as soon as possible without any consideration to the political calendar. Imagine if you had a son or daughter in Iraq right now and knew that a change of course would have to wait due to politics while your child is a target in a hellish situation.

This year has seen the rapid escalation of death, suffering, and sectarian violence in Iraq that could easily devolve into a full scale civil war. Already this month, 70 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. It is clear that the Administration's continued insistence to "stay the course" with its failed policies is not a viable solution.

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By passing the “Older Americans Act