Last week’s Department of Labor announcement of the drop in unemployment showed signs of life in the economy, driven in part by a booming U.S. housing market that has been on a roll for several quarters. 

New homes mean new materials from foundation to roofing, and this is creating a lot of jobs for the manufacturers and distributors of those materials throughout the supply chain. The robust kitchen and bath cabinetry industry alone is an estimated $7 billion industry, according to data from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association.

Good news, right? 

Unfortunately, this market growth could be stalled and reversed by a direct attack on U.S. manufacturing created by just six companies in a dubious government play to change the dynamics of an important commodity to this industry. 

Recent polls show that most Americans want our government — and corporations — to take stronger action to address climate change, and as we all know, that process starts with taking a serious look at the way we use energy.

While missile defense may have been a politically divisive issue when it was first proposed by President Reagan 30 years ago, the need for such capability is no longer in doubt.

It is quite a shock when an industry, built by taxpayer dollars and surviving on government support, touts the importance of fair competition. Clearly, advocates of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its biofuel blending mandates lack a basic understanding of how markets work here in the United States. Worse still, they feign ignorance and completely deny that their bread-and-butter policy is dealing a blow to our economy — raising costs for fuel, food and engine repairs for consumers, constraining vital American industries and failing in its goal of protecting the environment.

Americans love animals. More than half of all American families own pets, and we overwhelmingly believe in protecting animals from cruelty and suffering.

Despite reforms to tighten prohibitions against animal fighting, a glaring federal law loophole remains: Attendance at an animal fight must be made a federal crime. 

Political pundits and other recent critical voices, even from supporters of President Obama, contend that this president’s inability to get even watered-down legislation passed that would expand background checks on gun purchases was clear evidence that he didn’t know how to use the power of the presidency.

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The use of drones to attack the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and al Qaeda there and in Yemen, draws criticism for exacerbating anti-American sentiment. But drone use needs to be seen in broader contexts as the U.S. withdraws from combat in Afghanistan, deals with unrest in the Middle East and Persian Gulf, and grapples with al Qaeda threats to our homeland.

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In the last election cycle, candidates and their campaigns spent approximately $8 billion to secure their offices. Because I live in Virginia and I contribute to the campaigns of Republicans and Democrats, I was under siege by candidates, their surrogates, their parties, their PACS and issue organizations to donate $3.00 or $5.00 or $197.00, and to do it before some silly deadline imposed on me by the caller. 

The reality remains: Congress has a 9 percent approval rating, but yet we returned to office 85 percent of those seeking office.