Last week, we noted that a set of slides summing up an internal report from Britain’s Ministry of Defense on defense procurement that had been leaked to the BBC did not place its serious charges into context. The full report has now been leaked to the Sunday Times, which will presumably publish it in due course. Only then will it be possible to assess the report’s merits and demerits. But even now, the parts that have been produced raise important questions. The report, by Bernard Gray, a former senior MoD …
Meeting with his counterparts from Mexico and Canada earlier this month, President Barack Obama said that he expected the Democratic-controlled Congress, after completing work on health care, energy and financial regulation, to draft comprehensive immigration reform bills this year. This time frame acknowledges that no immigration legislation will be passed until at least 2010. But as Heritage visiting fellow Matt Meyer points out in a new report there is still plenty that states can do, in the meantime, under their own constitutionally-protected traditional police powers to tackle the problem right …
“Nobody is talking about reducing Medicare benefits,” says President Obama…except the lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have proposed to cut roughly $150 billion from the highly popular Medicare Advantage program. One in five seniors enjoy richer and more varied benefits with Medicare Advantage than those in traditional Medicare. Spending needs to be reigned in. But any savings need to go toward lowering Medicare’s long-term cost — not creating a new government-run health care program. The video below is Heritage’s response to the White House’s video dealing with proposed health reform’s …
In today’s New York Times, Senator Webb makes his case for a new American policy on Burma. For someone so closely identified with opposition to sanctions, one would expect his alternative to be much bolder. After so much build up, is this it? Senator Webb’s policy suggestions boil down to talking with the junta government, increasing humanitarian aid, and cooperation on the recovery of American World War II remains. Perhaps, he is only being realistic. In the current environment, when Congress has just unanimously approved and the President has signed …
In his original budget proposal, President Obama envisioned a cap-and-trade program that would raise hundreds of billions of dollars by selling emissions credits to businesses. He then proposed spending $504 billion of these revenues on a making-work-pay tax credit, and $120 billion on new energy research spending. However, the House has since passed a cap-and-trade bill that would give away most if not all of the emissions credits, leaving no more than $165 billion for other spending (most of which the bill allocates to low-income energy rebates). It is also …
Yesterday, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Ben Bernanke to a second four-year term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Bernanke’s tenure coincided with the most chaotic and painful period in modern financial history. Bernanke has overseen a previously unimagined expansion in the range of Fed programs, and he played an important part in the nearly unprecedented expansion of the role of the government that has taken place over the past year. Bernanke’s reappointment must now be confirmed by the Senate. Before endorsing a second term, members must …
David Leonhardt reports in today’s New York Times: You might think, then, that a central goal of health reform would be to offer people more choice. But it isn’t. Real choice is not part of the bills moving through the Democratic-led Congress; even if the much-debated government-run insurance plan was created, it would not be available to most people who already have coverage. Republicans, meanwhile, have shown no interest in making insurance choice part of a compromise they could accept. Both parties are protecting the insurers. This is only half …
WASHINGTON, AUG. 26, 2009—Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner today issued the following statement on the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy: Even in Washington, it’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable. We should keep that in mind as America mourns the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Sen. Kennedy’s career was marked by the passion he brought to his work, his dedication to serving this great country, his respect for the institution of the Senate and his pursuit of bipartisan compromise. Washington will certainly be less vibrant without him. This is a …
The Obama Administration’s claims that General Motors — the federally-owned auto manufacturer — is independent from political entanglements is once again being tested, this time with an international twist. The issue is what to do with Opel, GM’s German-based European subsidiary (as well as the smaller, British-based Vauxhal). Last week, GM CEO Fritz Henderson presented to the GM board a plan to sell the two firms to a Canadian-Russian consortium. Surprisingly, however, GM’s board rejected the plan, asking Henderson to consider other options. Those option include GM keeping Opel, or …
Earlier this may, Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the House Judiciary Committee. He was questioned by former California Attorney General and Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA) and former Texas trial judge, and Congressman Louis Gohmert (R-TX) about waterboarding and torture. Lungren and Gohmert both trapped Holder into admitting that successfully prosecuting our CIA personnel would be next to impossible. Watch: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YjnHErJVrg[/youtube]
