“Rob Bishop” on The Daily Caller

Amidst the noise and grasping of day-to-day politics, the pending vote on the debt limit offers a unique moment of clarity. The sheer gravity of the problem requires us to stop and think about the very structure of our government, what its purpose is, how it should operate, and who should make the key decisions. The coming debate on this issue presents America with an opportunity to remember and to reassess our basic ideas and principles about the American system of government. (more)

When the new Congress — including many representatives and senators purporting to be ideological citizen-activists inspired by the Tea Party — takes office Jan. 2, it is likely that perhaps the most unsettled issue in the nation’s history will be showcased: the debate over states’ rights. This time, though, it may take the form of a proposed constitutional amendment to empower states against federal overreaches. (more)

Last week, the American people sent a loud message to Washington: Congress needs to be reformed and get back to the business of representing the people. The American people are tired of Congress continually expanding the cost and scope of the government. The American people are tired of Congress passing destructive bills that are thousands of pages long and that no one has even read. The American people are tired of Congress and the Administration putting special interests ahead of the common good, whether by exempting unions from new laws or by bailing out corporate failures. (more)

After the past few weeks, supporters of cap-and-trade must feel like someone dumped a cold bucket of carbon on their heads.  As soon as the Senate pulled the plug on climate change legislation, a loud wailing and gnashing of teeth commenced.  Already, fingers are being pointed, excuses are being proposed, and believers in climate legislation can be seen wandering around Washington scratching their heads trying to figure out just what went wrong.  “We control the White House. We control the Senate. We control the House. We control the media. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.” (more)

It’s only 28 words long: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (more)

In 1971, the environmental organization Keep America Beautiful launched a Public Service Announcement featuring a crying Indian lamenting the litter that supposedly coated America’s landscape. If in the 1970s the crying Indian was tearing up over some Coke cans on the bank of a river, today he would be sobbing at the environmental devastation occurring on the U.S.-Mexico border due to illegal immigration. (more)

Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s discharge petition, aimed at repealing Obamacare, is gaining momentum in the House as more representatives sign on. (more)

Rep. Doug Lamborn, Colorado Republican, has started gathering signatures in the House of Representatives to prevent the deportation of Mosab Hassan Yousef. (more)