Opinion

    Now that we have a new president the work can begin to establish a better reputation for the United States around the world, and that means a new beginning in foreign policy.

    With Barack Obama as president, Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, and Sen. John Kerry chairing the foreign relations committee, all the right players are in place to change the arrogance and hubris that marked the last administration’s approach to the world.

This year’s General Assembly began with all of the customary events taking place.  Legislators reacquainted themselves with their surroundings and started the process of reviewing bills that have been assigned to their committees.  On opening day, Governor Kaine delivered his State of the Commonwealth Address with all of the usual ceremony.  But although much was similar to past sessions, there are a lot of differences this year.

In this historic Inauguration week for our nation, let us look forward with hope towards a new kind of politics in Washington that puts problem-solving ahead of partisanship. Let us work together towards an economic recovery for working families that heeds Dr. King's call for economic justice.

From Hampton Roads to L.A., St. Paul to San Angelo, communities across this nation are making their lists.

    And they’re checking those lists twice, hoping that President-elect Barack Obama will shower them with Christmas in February gifts from his $775 billion (and growing) stimulus package that is supposed to cure the financial aches and pains being felt in pocketbooks of hard-working Americans. We can’t trust government to provide the answer to this.

    In the last year or so there have been some very visible bumper stickers that say “1/20/09: Bush’s Last Day.” Those of us who have long awaited the departure of this particular president now have only days to go.

    When the question about a president’s “legacy” is centered around whether or not he’s the worst president ever, well, enough said. Even Bush’s most ardent supporters have only one line to run with: History hasn’t yet rendered its judgment.

The single greatest challenge facing our country in the new year and the years ahead is asserting the kind of affirmative and creative leadership necessary to regain the confidence of the American people in our system of governance, our nation’s leaders and our standing in the world. 

This week, I was blessed to be sworn in as our district’s Representative in the 111th U.S. Congress. It’s a sacred duty to serve you in Washington, and I am already hard at work on strategies for economic revival for Southside and Central Virginia and for a new era of accountability for our corporate and government leaders.

    2008 ended with fireworks of a very unpleasant kind.

    Shortly before the end of the year, Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that rules Gaza decided to end its six month truce with Israel. Even during that time, the Islamic militants occasionally violated the truce, firing rockets into Israel. Once the truce ended, the militants began firing larger numbers of rockets and mortars.

It has been widely reported that one of the top priorities of the incoming Obama Administration is the enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation which strikes a huge blow to the privacy rights of workers throughout the country.  With a title like the “Employee Free Choice Act” you would expect this legislation to protect the American worker.  Unfortunately, it does the exact opposite and its title is deliberately misleading.