There has been a lot of change in recent months – a $787 billion spending bill, a budget exceeding $3 trillion, government ownership of auto manufacturers, government-imposed caps on earnings, legislation imposing limits on economic activity in America under the name of environmental justice. It is increasingly difficult for conservatives to sustain any audacity of hope for moderate policies coming from the current administration. What unites these policies and their sweeping designs is the progressive aim of “remaking America”—as President Obama said in his Inaugural Address—into a country much more …
Should Cheerios be regulated as a drug? That’s what the FDA suggested last month in a letter to the breakfast cereal’s maker, General Mills. The issue originated with a claim on cereal boxes that says Cheerios will “lower your cholesterol 4% in six weeks.” The FDA said in a letter to General Mills that the company’s advertising makes “unauthorized health claims.” Apparently, General Mills would not have been in violation of FDA rules had they left out a specific degree of cholesterol reduction. That pesky little four percent is enough …
Supposedly, trends start in California and then spread to the rest of the country, a notion that seems to be confirmed by the latest economic news. In May, California’s unemployment rate hit 11.5 percent—the highest it has been since 1941. This morning, we learn that unemployment for the entire country hit 9.5 percent in June—the highest rate in 26 years. Will the country close the economic-death-spiral gap with California? Very possibly it will, if the federal government continues to follow California’s example of crushing its economy with ever-increasing government spending, …
Amid the political noise out of Washington, June’s opinion polls picked up a growing public disquiet over ever-greater government spending and intrusion. These expressions of concern reflect the resiliency of the spirit of 1776, which we celebrate on Independence Day. The just powers of government, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed on July 4, 1776, flow from the consent of the governed. Government’s purpose, the Founders agreed, is to secure the fundamental rights and sovereignty of the people. Heritage constitutional scholar Matthew Spalding writes: “The Declaration of Independence announced to the …
North Korea launched on July 2 at least three short-range anti-ship missiles into waters along its east coast. Pyongyang’s provocative act will further heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and may be a precursor to additional missile activity in coming days. Pyongyang’s increased anti-ship missile and coastal artillery training since the beginning of the year may be a show of tactical military prowess to back up escalating threats of renewed naval confrontation with South Korea over a disputed maritime border on the west coast. The launch of the anti-ship missiles, …
The Fourth of July presents the occasion not only to celebrate our great country, but also to reflect upon its meaning. The division between today’s liberals and conservatives is not irreducible to policy differences. It is indicative of a deeper debate about the meaning of America. Such debates are not new. Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, often celebrated America’s birthday (which was also his) by defending America’s principles against the challengers within the “progressive movement.”
The BBC reported yesterday that during our Fourth of July celebrations, there is an international security risk we should keep in the back of our minds. The Iranian threat? No. The North Koreans? Not exactly. The international security threat just discovered: Ants. A super aggressive ant, the Argentine ant, was formerly believed to be hostile to other ants – however, this is not the case. The Argentine ants from the three largest super colonies are friendly toward each other, leaving scientists to believe they are genetically related. And we humans were …
In January, President Obama pressed for an $800 billion economic “stimulus” package to turn the economy around. Though the bill largely consisted of increased spending on traditional liberal priorities, the President claimed that it would “create or save” 3.5 million jobs. The President’s economic advisors predicted that unemployment would rise to 9 percent by 2010 if Congress did not pass the stimulus bill, but that with the stimulus unemployment would stay below 8 percentage points.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BaEQX7fLZI[/youtube] During yesterday’s White House press briefing, reporters grilled spokesman Robert Gibbs on the growing trend of staged theatrics used by President Obama. Last week, when a Huffington Post columnist was hand-selected by the White House to ask a specific question of the President at a press briefing, the media was understandably upset. But when the White House unveiled its new reality TV show, “Health Care Town Halls,” with Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett acting as the host, the press had enough. Staged questions, hand-picked audiences, and still no answers. It appears the honeymoon between Obama and …
Yesterday, President Obama held a town hall event in order to “sell his health care message to the public” during Congress’s July 4th recess. However, worried that the President cannot answer tough questions about his plan for health care reform, White House officials carefully screened each member of the audience in attendance and each question asked. This time, the mainstream media took note, even grilling White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs on the choreographed spectacle. In fact, veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas, not known as a conservative sympathizer, even lamented: “I’m not …
