Government Regulation

Two irresistible forces are converging over the election of a Speaker of the House. One is simple math; the other is the full weight of history.

Many years ago, the last silicon chip manufacturer closed its operations in Silicon Valley because of the high tax, energy and regulatory costs of doing business in the United States.  Now we’ve suddenly decided we want them back.  Instead of addressing the problem by reducing the obstacles to domestic manufacturing, Congress will shell out $280 billion (about $2,240 per family) to bail out impoverished big tech moguls by substituting your dollars for theirs.  There’s a prevailing wage requirement to reward the unions, and just so the green left isn’t left out, there’s plenty of your money left over to finance green energy scams as well.  Starving big tech executives thank you for your family’s generous contribution to their welfare.  Good luck affording your next laptop.

Not long ago, our elections worked.  We maintained accurate voter registration rolls and routinely removed people who had moved or died.  AFTER all the candidates had their say, on ELECTION DAY, we went to our local polling place.  We brought our children to watch the process and taught them to respect it. 

What is the so-called Charleston Loophole? It is a provision that gives the FBI three days to provide a background check for a citizen to buy a gun. Three days for a background check doesn’t seem unreasonable since a credit check takes about three seconds. If the FBI fails to give a clear YES or NO in three days, the sale can proceed. That protects our second amendment right from arbitrary denial by inaction. That clearance is good for 30 calendar days from when you began the transaction. This bill replaces this 3-day limit with a multi-stage bureaucratic review process that can span up to 20 BUSINESS Days. It’s really quite clever. Your clearance is good for 30 CALENDAR days from the day you began the transaction, but clearance can be delayed for 20 BUSINESS Days.

Democracies die when one party seizes control of the elections process, eliminates the safeguards that have protected the integrity of the ballot, places restrictions on free speech, and seizes the earnings of others to promote candidates they may abhor. That’s the bill before us today.