Four years after Dodd-Frank fix, system still broken
By Patrick McHenry
updated 1:49 PM EDT, Mon July 21, 2014
Four years after the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law's enactment, problems remain in the financial system, critics say.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Rep. Patrick McHenry: Wall Street reform law isn't working four years after enactment
He says… Read more »
While much of the focus on Obamacare's rollout has centered on the struggling Healthcare.gov website, another more disturbing reality has emerged since the October 1st launch. It was around then I began hearing from constituents who received cancellation notices from their insurance companies. These folks liked their policies. The policies worked for them. Yet the… Read more »
In 2008, fewer than 300 people attended my annual 10 town hall meetings. This year, 4,980 people attended. I heard a diversity of opinions and ideas on many issues. All citizens were given the opportunity to express their concerns. No one was shouted down; all were treated with respect. Read more »
As the Ranking Republican on the Census Oversight Subcommittee, I privately encouraged the Bureau to reconsider. Subsequently, the Bureau and I engaged in a confrontational public dispute over their relationship with ACORN.
The Bureau would eventually listen to reason and agreed that ACORN could not be trusted to recruit census workers, but they continued to defend their partnership with this criminal enterprise. When the despicable conduct of ACORN was caught on tape and broadcast on BigGoverment.com, the Bureau officially got out of the business of apologizing for ACORN. Read more »
Patriotism inspires us. It unites us. It fills our hearts with pride and optimism. And sometimes it brings us to tears.
Simple but poignant acts of American patriotism occur every day. They rarely attract headlines but these are the actions that strengthen this great nation – and teach us the true meaning of patriotism. Read more »
Late last year, Bank of America, a financial institution with roots in Western North Carolina, acquired another financial giant, Merrill Lynch. The result has negatively affected our region. Jobs have been lost and retirement accounts have been decimated. Read more »
Today, the scope of the Fed's responsibilities is much larger. It is the agency most responsible for overseeing our financial markets. The Fed may soon take on the role of the "systemic risk" regulator for America's financial system.
However, our laws have not kept pace with the Fed's expanded use of power. Therefore, very little information about its activities is disclosed to Congress and the American people. Read more »
Recent actions by the administration, while of a lower profile, elevate fresh concerns about the integrity and accuracy of the 2010 decennial. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has cautiously said he knows of "no plans" to test a statistical theory that adjusts census data. Read more »
It’s no secret that Washington is spending our tax dollars at a pace never seen before in this country. Now, it is true that in a recession spending can be used as a tool to help stimulate the economy. Just as tax incentives can be used to encourage job creation.
Targeted spending on infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and broadband deployment can create jobs and have a lasting… Read more »
There is an alternative approach to reviving the economy that does not fall squarely on the backs of middle class America. We must allow taxpayers to keep more of their money to provide for their families and save for retirement. We must provide incentives for small businesses to create jobs.
Sustained economic growth, not higher taxes and limitless spending, will rebuild the economy of Western North Carolina, and all of America.
Read more »
