Congress came back to D.C. this week from its August recess and should have been ready to strap on their seat belts and get to work doing the legislation that they failed to do all year long.

DALLAS -- For a conservative Texan seeking national office, it could hardly get better than this:

Is "Big Sis" one of us?

The United States is a country that has been peopled largely by vast surges of migration -- from the British Isles in the 18th century, from Ireland and Germany in the 19th century, from Eastern and Southern Europe in the early 20th century, and from Latin America and Asia in the last three decades.

Some things are better left unsaid. And in these politically correct times, the "smart" move for state Sen. Alan Hays would have been to keep his mouth shut.