Congress soon will seal the fate of federal death taxes. If Congress acts by doing nothing, then the federal tax rate on estates will fall to zero for all of 2010 before rising to 55 percent on January 1, 2011. That’s current law. On the other hand, it could pass legislation to set the tax rate above zero for 2010. That zero rate has a number of people worried, including executives of some of the nation’s largest non-profit organizations, who think that a one-year repeal of death taxes will undermine …
Does the Constitution allow the federal government to force individual citizens to buy health insurance? Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) have been waging a war to force Members of Congress to include a concise explanation of the constitutional authority empowering Congress to enact legislation as part of every bill. The legislation titled “The Enumerated Powers Act” would not allow the House or Senate to consider any legislation not containing an explanation of the constitutional authority for legislation. Clearly this is needed, because Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) …
Ask any person across Europe their top priority right now and they’ll likely say “it’s the economy, stupid.” Soaring unemployment, failing banks and massive government deficits continue to dominate the news headlines in several EU countries as ordinary people worry about their jobs and futures. As people tighten their pocketbooks, it is increasingly obvious that international institutions aren’t doing the same. This week, the EU’s Court of Auditors refused to once again sign off the EU’s budget – for the 15th straight year. For 15 years, the EU’s own auditors …
Who do the words “union members” bring to mind? United Auto Workers building cars in Detroit? Teamsters truckers hauling freight? Steel workers in Pennsylvania? Not any more. Newly released numbers show that the actual face of today’s union movement is the teller at your local Department of Motorized Vehicles. Preliminary estimates of union membership this year show that most union members now work for the government. The overall unionization rate between January and September 2009 stood at 12.4%, unchanged from last year. However, this difference masks a large difference between …
Forget the President’s rhetoric about bending the health care cost curve. The House of Representatives will soon vote on legislation (H.R. 3961) that effectively repeals the cost control mechanism included in the Medicare physician payment update formula back in 1997. Passage of H.R. 3961 would add another $210 billion to the Federal government’s ballooning deficit — and even more importantly — it would demonstrate that Congress is not serious about actually enforcing any new Medicare spending cuts included in its pending health care bills. The result could be another half-a-trillion …
The price of passage of same-sex marriage legislation in the District of Columbia has just risen dramatically. Refusing to include robust religious liberty protections in the bill that has just been approved by a Council subcommittee, the City appears poised to impose requirements that will drastically cut social services for some of the city’s most hard-pressed residents. The impact will be severest on food pantries, health care providers, services for the homeless and adoption and foster care assistance. The conflict focuses on the scope of the religious liberty exemption included …
Have an idea but strapped for cash? Not sure if the idea is going to pan out? That’s all right, just ask the government for a few billion dollars. That’s what the automakers did. USA Today reports: If you believed all the talk from Chrysler about how our tax dollars would help finance its fast-track electric-vehicle future, you’re in for a big disappointment. Chrysler has disbanded the engineering team that was trying to bring three electric models to market as a rush job, Automotive News reports today. Chrysler cited its …
The Wall Street Journal reports: The Obama administration, under pressure to show it is serious about tackling the budget deficit, is seizing on an unusual target to showcase fiscal responsibility: the $700 billion financial rescue. The administration wants to keep some of the unspent funds available for emergencies, but is considering setting aside a chunk for debt reduction, according to people familiar with the matter. … On the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the administration is considering a change that may appear to improve the fiscal situation. Agreeing not …
To hear Bob Woodson speak is to be convinced that there is an effective way to mitigate youth violence. And on Monday, Woodson, President of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, will kick-off Presenting the Evidence: A Successful Solution to Youth Violence. During the late 1970s, Woodson was influenced by the example of a family in Philadelphia who had opened their home to gang members as a place to live, reconcile differences, and begin a new life in the workforce or school. By 1981, Woodson had founded the Center for Neighborhood …
Heritage constitutional scholar Matthew Spalding has quite a few things to say about Americans’ love of liberty in his book, “We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future.” Some of the passages stand out all the more this week as the nation again saluted its defenders on Veterans Day, which this year fell six days after the Fort Hood shootings. “An understanding of our deepest principles, as well as an appreciation of our history, tells us why this nation is a noble achievement, and worth defending,” writes …
