Small business is the backbone of our economy. They create new jobs, employ half of the private sector workforce, and represent 99.9% of the businesses in this country. In recent years, small businesses have created 7 out of every 10 private sector jobs. In tough economic times, the government should do everything in its power to help small businesses, not burden them with new regulations and higher taxes. In order to jumpstart this economy, we must empower small businesses and give them the resources they need to create jobs and …
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday announced the imposition of sanctions against eight Iranian officials who were responsible for severe violations of Iranian human rights during the June 2009 government crackdown. The officials included the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s Prosecutor General, the Minister of Intelligence, and other key members of Iran’s police and internal security forces. The sanctions were imposed by an executive order signed yesterday by President Obama that freezes any assets owned by the Iranian officials in the United States, bans their travel to …
At 20 minutes after midnight this morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gaveled the House out of session, assuring that Congress will now adjourn until after the November elections without taking any action to stop the Obama tax hikes. Earlier in the day, 39 Democrats defied Speaker Pelosi and voted with the minority to keep the House in session until they could vote on the impending tax hikes. Speaker Pelosi, who rarely votes on day-to-day legislation, was forced to cast the tie breaking vote (210-209) on the adjournment resolution. To the …
The Goldwater Institute has released a new report, authored by Dr. Jay Greene of the University of Arkansas and researchers Brian Kisida and Jonathan Mills, examining the “administrative bloat” at America’s colleges and universities. According to the report, Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education: In U.S. higher education, there have actually been diseconomies of scale. Universities employ more people and spend more money to educate each student even as those universities increase their enrollment. … Between 1993 and 2007, the number of …
Anyone concerned about immigration should read a guest column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by my former Justice Department colleague Mark Metcalf, a former immigration judge who was in the heart of the federal immigration-enforcement process. He points out that in its 2008 annual report, the Department of Homeland Security reported that “558,000 fugitive aliens — those who fled court or disobeyed order to leave — had avoided removal.” Despite the Obama administration’s claims about stepped up enforcement:
The National D-Day Memorial Foundation Board plans to relocate a controversial bust of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin — but not because the statue has drawn wide criticism, Foundation president Robin Reed said yesterday. The bust was removed from the memorial last night and will be reinstalled at a later date. “I didn’t remove the bust in light of the opposition,” Reed said. “If anything, the opposition has served as a catalyst for me to kind of look at the reinterpretation of [the memorial design] sooner rather than later.” The bust …
This is the season for big ideas. Heritage has its Solutions for America. House Republicans have their Pledge to America. And Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) has outlined a bold agenda in a new book, “Restoring the Republic: A Clear, Concise, and Colorful Blueprint for America’s Future.” Nunes, who represents an important agricultural district in the San Joaquin Valley, spoke at The Bloggers Briefing yesterday. The 36-year-old Californian is currently serving his fourth term in the House. “Restoring the Republic” doesn’t just point out the sad circumstances facing the nation, but …
President Obama and his administration have mostly escaped criticism during the week-long Education Nation series on NBC. But outside the friendly confines of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, there’s a different view of the Obama administration’s desire to centralize control in Washington, D.C. While an alarming number of states have signed on to Obama’s education agenda — which seeks to consolidate power with federal bureaucrats — some leaders are willing to take a stand. Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) is one of them. He has led the opposition to national education standards. He …
It’s enough to make Ronald McDonald join the Tea Party. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors is seriously mulling a ban on the Happy Meal and other toy giveaways associated with foods containing more sugar, sodium, and fat than the proponents of the ban regard as appropriate. The proposed “Healthy Food Incentives Ordinance” also conditions a free trinket on half-cup servings of both a fruit and vegetable. Obnoxious as this is—although not by California standards, perhaps—the proposal is the latest attempt by government officials at every level to do something about …
Yesterday, U.S. and European intelligence officials revealed that they have detected an al-Qaeda plot to carry out a major, coordinated series of commando-style terror attacks in Britain, France, Germany, and possibly the U.S. Specifically, a suspected German terrorist allegedly captured on his way to Europe in late summer and now being held at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan told interrogators that terrorists were planning a series of “Mumbai-style” commando raids on what were termed “economic or soft” targets. ABC News reports: The new threat to France, and to Germany and Britain …
