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Editor's Note: In This Edition By Lou Zickar Over the past 30 years, conservatives have successfully branded anyone who supports raising taxes as being a liberal. Now, many on the right are trying to do the same with regard to government. In short, if a person supports a government program, that person is not just a liberal....MORE	The Reformer By John L. Krauss On August 18, 1988, on the last night of the Republican National Convention, Vice President George H.W. Bush stepped to the podium at the Louisiana Superdome and accepted his party’s nomination for President. Penned by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, Bush’s acceptance address.......................MORE
Q&A with Cathy McMorris Rodgers By Meredith Freed Cathy McMorris Rodgers represents Washington State’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, assisting in the development of the House Republicans...................MORE	Making Government Work: Only Five? By Winslow T. Wheeler When The Ripon Forum contacted me to write an essay that identified five Defense Department programs to eliminate, I suppressed my immediate reaction: Only five?? Sadly, America’s defenses are festooned with programs that should be eliminated................MORE
Fiscal Disorder: The Need for Reform By Jim Bates This past February, four months after the beginning of the fiscal year, Congress passed the last bill needed to fund the government. But what it finally passed was more than just late — it was sloppy. Instead of offering separate appropriation bills that could be debated thoughtfully........MORE	The Promise of Bipartisanship By Steve Bell At a recent forum on bipartisanship sponsored by National Journal, two moderate and thoughtful senators, Democrat Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Republican Mel Martinez of Florida, had an exchange that captures the tension on the Hill, especially in...............MORE
An Appointment Made by the Public By David Dreier If there was ever a time when the American people needed a clear, undiluted voice in Washington, it’s now. Working families are facing tremendous economic difficulties and we remain engaged in conflicts across the globe. And yet, the residents of four states.....................MORE	Meeting Challenges on Health Care By Wally Herger Last year, as ranking Republican on the Trade Subcommittee, I spoke about the challenge of maintaining America's competitiveness in the global economy. I recently became ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, and with health reform promising......MORE
A Holiday to Invest By John Campbell The nation, and in fact, the entire world are now well within the grip of a major economic downturn. The full duration and scope of this downturn are still undetermined, but it is unlikely that we have seen the bottom yet, and the United States government has taken........MORE	Congress By the Numbers By Robert S. Walker In his best enlightened, post-pejorative, bipartisan manner, Lawrence H. Summers, President Obama’s chief economic advisor, dismissed Republican efforts to modify the stimulus package on Capitol Hill saying, “Those who presided over.............MORE
A Scalpel for President Obama By Lou Zickar During his campaign for President, Barack Obama promised many things. One of his promises was to govern from the middle. Yet four months into his administration, it has become increasingly clear that he faces two main obstacles in fulfilling this promise.................MORE	Lowi's Intent & the Origin of Sunset By Theodore Lowi Author and Professor Theodore Lowi is widely credited with being the “father” of federal Sunset laws, having first suggested a “Tenure of Statutes” act in his 1969 book, “The End of Liberalism.” In recognition of his role in originating the idea, The Ripon Forum contacted.......MORE
The Ripon Profile: Senator Lisa Murkowski State of Alaska

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