Free Republic

Protectionism is always bad policy. But protectionism during an economic downturn, after taxes have already risen, and in addition to a massive $2 trillion tax on energy consumption is, well, not good.Yet that is exactly what Energy Secretary David Chu seems to be edging towards.In response to the notion that American companies will move overseas when CO2 is capped, Secretary Chu suggested that the U.S. simply levy a carbon tariff on imports.This is why Secretaries of Energy should stick with energy and not economic policy. This is why free-markets work and command and control economies do not.At any rate, the...

Chu Outlines Challenges in Management of Reserve Forces By K.L. VantranAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2003 – Recruiting and retention has "held up nicely despite stress on the force as a whole," Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David Chu told members of the House Armed Services Committee here today. And a survey of military personnel, active and reserve, which is done every four months, shows a "higher level of satisfaction with military life than three to four years ago," he added. "Their intentions to stay (in the military) remain strong." "The nation can be proud...

WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Moving to quash a political firestorm, the Pentagon on Thursday denied that it will cut the pay of nearly 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by $225 on Sept. 30 when special military pay hikes approved by Congress are due to expire. Defense officials said that even if lawmakers do not reinstate increases passed in April in both "imminent danger pay" and "family separation allowances," the Pentagon will make up the pay losses to troops in those countries in other ways. Undersecretary of Defense David Chu answered sharp criticism from Democratic presidential candidates over...

WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Pentagon officials met Thursday with reporters to "put to rest" a "burgeoning rumor" that the defense department is planning to reduce compensation for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. "That is not true. We are not going to reduce their compensation," said David Chu, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. "There is an open issue about how we're going to do that which depends on exactly how the conference report in the Congress comes out on some technical allowance issues, but the bottom line is we will at least maintain the compensation of those...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Moving to quash a political firestorm, the Pentagon on Thursday denied that it will cut the pay of nearly 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by $225 on Sept. 30 when special military pay hikes approved by Congress are due to expire. Defense officials said that even if lawmakers do not reinstate increases passed in April in both "imminent danger pay" and "family separation allowances," the Pentagon will make up the pay losses to troops in those countries in other ways. Undersecretary of Defense David Chu answered sharp criticism from Democratic presidential candidates over a press...

WASHINGTON -- The Army has slammed shut a door previously open to women soldiers, barring female GIs from an elite reconnaissance role. Until now, women had been welcomed into squadrons slated to become key "eyes and ears" of the Army's future fighting force. Thirteen had joined the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadrons, based at Fort Lewis, Wash. But now the Army is reassigning those women GIs to other units and shutting the "tip-of-the-spear" squadrons to women. The reason: The service says the units will be directly involved in ground combat -- from which women soldiers are banned by a...