U.S. military training missions are an economical way to promote security and good governance and to support our friends and allies and prepare them to tackle these problems on their own, as well as help other countries in the region. 

Joesph Antos' statement on premium support for Medicare before the House Committee on Ways and Means' Subcommittee on Health

Rick Perry's recent criticism of the GOP presidential debates and his announcement that he may skip some have led GOP officials and conservative commentators to suggest that there are just too many of them. The voters don't agree.

Current pension accounting rules significantly understate state pension plan liabilities and overstate their funding health. Using accurate accounting, Washington’s combined plans would face a $50.6 billion short fall. By private pension standards Washington’s pension system would be considered endangered.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who faces the end of his political career, has decided to go out in a blaze of glory. Mr. Kan dramatically announced last month that Japan should end the country's reliance on nuclear power for electricity generation.

For all the drama surrounding the narrowly averted government shutdown, this was just the warm-up round. The real budget fight begins in a few weeks, when Congress must take up legislation to raise the federal debt limit.

The federal government is a powerful entity, but try as it might it cannot repeal the laws of supply and demand. So don’t blame the drug makers or the banks; blame the politicians in Washington and their inability to see that price "controls" can’t control the larger market.

Though news from Japan is slowly fading from the headlines, the woes of the world's third-largest economy are going to continue for years. The cumulative effect of all these problems is likely to drag down national confidence in the coming months.