Looking Back at 2005

Looking Back at 2005

Rep. Boozman's Column for the Week of January 9, 2006

Washington, Jan 9 -

First and foremost, I want to wish everyone a very happy new year. It is my hope that you have a wonderful year in 2006. As we look toward the future, I wanted to use this space to look back at 2005.

Iraq's transition to a full-fledged democracy took big strides forward in 2005. There were three elections in Iraq this year and each one saw increased voter turnout. Last January, close to 8.5 million Iraqis cast ballots. October's constitutional referendum drew 9.8 million votes. In December, the Iraqi people once again went to the polls in large numbers to choose a parliament. 15 million Iraqis voted in that election, which was close to a 70% turnout. All of this shows that the Iraqi people are dedicated to making democracy a reality in their nation.

Our nation's highest court got a new Chief Justice in 2005. In September, Judge John Roberts was overwhelming confirmed to succeed Chief Justice William Rehnquist after Rehnquist passed away earlier in the month. Chief Justice Roberts will lead the court in an impartial manner. He has sound legal judgment and high integrity. I am confident he will rule based on existing laws and facts, rather than making new laws and basing decisions on personal opinion.

The economy continued to grow in a robust manner in 2005. More than 2 million jobs were created in 2005. Our economy has seen over 31 straight months of growth. This is due in large part to the pro-growth economic platform Congress and President George W. Bush have promoted over the past few years.

Perhaps one of the biggest stories out of Washington to affect Arkansas was the final passage of the Highway Bill, which contains close to $140 million in funding specifically designated for projects in the Third District of Arkansas. On top of those earmarked funds, Arkansas is set to receive $2.3 billion over the next five fiscal years - or $476.4 million annually - from the Highway Bill to help address critical highway needs throughout the state. Arkansas will also receive additional money for the state's transit needs from this bill. Our region continues to be one of the fastest growing in the country and as such, our infrastructure needs to keep pace in order for us to sustain this growth.

This is not to say we didn't have any challenges in 2005, but I do think we stepped up to handle them. For instance, when gas prices rose across the nation, Congress responded by passing the Energy Policy Act of 2005. I supported this bill because it takes a balanced approach to addressing our long-term energy problems by increasing production, encouraging conservation and promoting new alternative forms of energy. President Bush quickly signed the bill into law, which should help begin to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of 2005 was brought on by Mother Nature. Our nation was hit hard by hurricanes in 2005, the biggest of course being Hurricane Katrina which brought devastation to the Gulf Coast region. Congress responded by authorizing more than $90 billion for hurricane disaster relief; but more importantly, the American people responded. They immediately opened their hearts - offering monetary gifts, supplies and in some cases opening up their homes - to evacuees of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. By taking in the second largest number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees, Arkansas came together to take on a lead role in the relief effort. I believe it was one of our state's proudest moments.

If 2005 was any indication, we have a bright future ahead of us this year. Next week, my column will take a look at what challenges lay ahead for Congress in 2006. If we can build last year's success stories, we can have an excellent year in 2006.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=38338