This bill ends the Title 17 loan guarantees that produced Solyndra and so many other alternate energy scams that cost working Americans hundreds of millions of dollars, while the politically connected perpetrators of these scams walked away as wealthy men and women. But this measure would still put taxpayers on the hook to loan out billions of dollars more to at least 50 additional shady alternative energy schemes that were submitted before January 1st.

FISA allows the government to target foreign nationals and to intercept their communications with American citizens without a warrant as required by the Fourth Amendment. We're told not to worry - the law requires that irrelevant information collected in this matter be disregarded. Here's the problem: the enforcement of this provision is itself shrouded in secrecy

I appreciate the invitation to speak today among these distinguished public officials about the future of Lake Tahoe, and I especially want to thank Sen. Heller for bringing us all together today for a candid discussion about the future of Lake Tahoe. When I visit with community groups here - not the politicians or the professional environmentalists, but the shopkeepers and employees who actually live and work here - their singular struggle is with a stagnating economy and a staggering unemployment rate hovering around 16 percent.