With the New Year dawning across Europe, already several crises are competing for headlines. Buried somewhere in the news, you might have read that the United States is not the only international actor facing a transition of power–change is afoot in the European Union as well. From the conflict in Gaza to the ongoing global economic woes, the Europeans appear determined to play a leading role–that is, if internal squabbling doesn’t get in the way first. Already, some are concerned that the EU’s role in world affairs may not be …
Krugman writes today: The biggest problem facing the Obama plan, however, is likely to be the demand of many politicians for proof that the benefits of the proposed public spending justify its costs — a burden of proof never imposed on proposals for tax cuts. This is a problem with which Keynes was familiar: giving money away, he pointed out, tends to be met with fewer objections than plans for public investment “which, because they are not wholly wasteful, tend to be judged on strict ‘business’ principles.” What gets lost …
The Los Angeles Times has a brain dead article out today explaining Why Obama’s green jobs plan might work. It contains all the usual leftist green collar job lies and this little gem from green collar jobs activist Van Jones: “You can employ a lot of people very quickly with off-the-shelf technology like caulk guns,” said Jones, founder of Green for All, an economic development group.” This isn’t George Jetson stuff.” Color us skeptical on claims that our economy can be saved by paying millions of Americans to go around …
2009 is going to be a tough year for conservatives. We face a new liberal president in the White House, an adoring and compliant media establishment at his disposal, and safe majorities in both the House and Senate. But all hope is not lost. President-elect Barack Obama knows he campaigned on many conservative themes and that the American people simply will not tolerate a sudden lurch to the left. The New Year is just five days old and yet conservatives have already scored some minor victories that we can build …
President-elect Barack Obama and liberal members of Congress are gearing up this week to make their case for an economic stimulus bill that costs upwards of $775 billion. Obama has said he wants to secure as many as 80 votes in the Senate in hopes of striking a bipartisan deal. Unfortunately, most of the talk so far about the stimulus has focused on failed economic policies. Some of them even resemble the approach of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s when the United States was mired in the Great …
Big changes are coming to Washington in 2009 with a new administration in the White House and a new Congress. As we prepare for these adjustments, here are the things we hope to see happen in the New Year. TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT: The Heritage Foundation is working to convince Congress that there should be open and honest debate on President-elect Obama’s proposed nearly $1 trillion economic stimulus plan, so that American taxpayers can be assured they are not funding superfluous projects END OF TARP: Heritage is working to convince President-elect Obama …
