Today's Opinions

The most recent unemployment numbers were released last week. Unfortunately they confirmed what most Americans already know: we continue to face economic uncertainty. For September the national unemployment rate stayed at 9.1%, the same rate as August and the second highest monthly level so far this year. As our economy remains sluggish, people fear losing their jobs and their homes and they are struggling to provide for their families.

    Back in the 1950s a young woman named Joanne Schieble was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. While there, she became romantically involved with another graduate student, a PhD candidate from Syria. The relationship turned sexual and, in 1954, she got pregnant.

    Her father did not approve of the man she was involved with, so she didn’t marry him at the time. She temporarily left school, went to San Francisco and stayed there until she gave birth. She then gave the baby boy up for adoption.

Just over a year and a half ago, with total disregard for the will of the American people, Congress passed and President Obama signed the health care reform overhaul into law. This new law, which I voted against, is defined by federal regulations, mandates, a myriad of new big government programs, and a significant increase in federal spending and debt at a cost to our country too high to bear.