Today’s Washington Post editorial page takes a critical look at Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) latest “compromise” health care bill, which it describes as 11th-hour “legislative sausage” that was “made on the fly” and includes ideas dating “at least to the Clinton administration.” Most significantly, though, the Washington Post sees Sen. Reid’s bill as a “dramatic step” toward a single-payer health care system, even if the public option is not on the table: [T]he last-minute introduction of this idea within the broader context of health reform raises numerous questions — …
While most eyes in Washington are on the massive health care reform bills, Congress is ever so slowly making policy changes via other legislative vehicles, including the Omnibus Appropriations bill being readied for enactment before December 18. This Omnibus Appropriations bill includes six of the 13 annual spending bills the Congress must approve to keep federal agencies running, and it commits $447 billion to a variety of program increases – bringing the new spending total for non-defense, non-veterans discretionary programs to a level 85 percent higher than just two years …
The Mayo Clinic, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals have all come out strongly against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) Medicare buy-in plan for Americans aged 55 to 64. Every one of these core health care providers recognizes that expanding an already unsustainable program would mean disaster for the American health care system. The left in Congress sees it differently. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-CA)tells the Los Angeles Times: Expanding Medicare is an unvarnished, complete victory for people like me. It’s the …
Congressional leadership has unveiled an a $446.8 billion “minibus” that will cover six annual appropriations bills, leaving only the defense bill to pass separately. Assuming these bills pass, discretionary spending will have jumped by 8 percent for the third consecutive year since the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007. In those three years, regular discretionary spending has jumped 25 percent, from $873 billion to $1,090 billion. But that’s not all. The recent stimulus bill provided an additional $311 billion in “emergency” discretionary spending. Altogether, the last three Congressional Democratic …
Last spring, the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) began developing a set of math and English language arts standards as part of their Common Core Initiative. The Common Core Initiative is being driven by the belief that standardizing academic content across states will raise academic achievement, and that students will be better prepared to compete with their peers worldwide. Forty-eight states have since signed on to adopt the voluntary academic standards. So far so good, right? States coming together voluntarily to adopt …
With over 15 million Americans out of work Congress is searching for ways to reduce unemployment. The latest idea, put forward by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) is “work sharing.” Under work-sharing, companies reduce the hours (and pay) of all their employees instead of laying off some workers and having the remaining employees work normal hours. The government then gives workers a pro-rata share of unemployment insurance payments to partially compensate them for their lost earnings from their lost hours. Work sharing seems like a simple solution to the unemployment problem. …
Although the details have not been released, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has floated yet another potential “compromise” to his health care bill. There appear to be two broad elements: a federal insurance plan run by the Office of Personal Management and a Medicare buy-in option for Americans over 55. Don’t Be Fooled. There is nothing new or original about these ideas. Both these policies have been recycled from previously failed efforts. Senator John Kerry’s (D-MA) health care proposal from his 2004 failed Presidential bid included a federal plan run …
On October 23rd, a reporter asked Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): “Madam Speaker, where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?” Speaker Pelosi shook her head and before moving on to another question replied: “Are you serious? Are you serious??” Pressed for a more substantive response later, Pelosi’s press spokesman admonished the reporter: “You can put this on the record. That is not a serious question. That is not a serious question.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) disagrees. In 1994, the CBO said …
In response to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference December 7th through 18th, The Heritage Foundation is launching a video series to cover all the details and aspects of the climate summit. We’ll address all the angles (climate, energy, national security, sovereignty, trade, and more) and provide you with everything you need to know about Copenhagen. Steven Groves, Bernard and Barbara Lomas Fellow in Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, discusses what YouTube sensation Lord Monckton made a wildly popular topic: a climate change treaty’s threat to American sovereignty.
Of the many alarming comments Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson made to attendees at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, a select few stood out as particularly daunting. On the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the EPA dropped its own economic bomb, asserting that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are dangerous pollutants and a threat to human health and the environment. Consequently, the EPA is preparing to implement costly regulations on the economy to cut carbon dioxide emissions. But Jackson said we can take common …
