Last weekend the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, traveled to Turkey, a NATO ally that increasingly has charted its own course on Middle Eastern issues, particularly Iran. Although Mullen’s ostensible purpose was to meet with his newly appointed counterpart, General Isik Kosaner, Mullen undoubtedly also sought to smooth over recent strains in bilateral relations caused by Turkey’s deteriorating relations with Israel and its improving relations with Iran. Ankara’s vote against U.N. sanctions on Iran in June and its disingenuous diplomatic effort, in tandem with Brazil, …
At $578 million, the Robert F. Kennedy School in Los Angeles is the most expensive public school ever built in America. It features a high-tech swimming pool, a chic auditorium, vaulted ceilings, luxury amenities and a design aesthetic worthy of a spread in Architectural Digest. ABC News reports that the school is more expensive than the “Bird’s Nest” stadium in Beijing, China, built for the 2008 Olympics, and the Wall Street Journal notes that it cost more than L.A.’s Staples sports center. And while a half-billion dollar public school complex …
Predicting the extent of “lame duck” legislative shenanigans that would ensue if one or both houses of Congress changes hands in the Nov. 2 elections became a Washington parlor game during the August recess. But this is serious stuff to anyone who cares about, oh, limited government, rule of law, free markets and individual liberty. Not content with the damage they’ve already done, liberal lawmakers could really go for broke should they find themselves on the outs come the morning of Nov. 3. One endangered liberal, Senate Majority Leader Harry …
The Los Angeles Unified School District ( LAUSD ) is in a bind. The Tuesday after Labor Day is usually when school starts for schoolchildren in Los Angeles. But not this year. Due to budget cuts, LAUSD could not open most of its school’s doors. This latest development is in direct contrast to the bailout bill that had $10 billion earmarked to bail out schools who were facing budget cuts and layoffs. Wasn’t this the point of this bill that HAD to be passed in an emergency House session? Who …
Funding for public education amid budget cuts and a tight economy is creating a political pressure cooker in New Jersey, as Gov. Chris Christie (R) and the New Jersey Education Association butt heads over education spending. In this must-watch video, the plain spoken Christie stands his ground when a local teacher complains about the governor’s budget decisions. Christie says teachers’ jobs could have been spared if the state’s teachers unions would have come to the table and made some small sacrifices. Watch the video and tell us what you think …
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Americans would have to wait until Congress passed Obamacare to find out what was in it, she wasn’t kidding. Since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act nearly six months ago, Americans have been faced daily reality checks from the health care overhaul, and none of them have been good. In fact, those Americans who own health insurance policies from smaller insurers are already feeling the pinch from Obamacare. Smaller health insurers may face additional obstacles to stay in business …
Today’s New York Times editorial on President Obama’s Cleveland political diatribe-cum-economic speech got one point right — Obama “took too long to engage this debate.” The rest of the editorial was little more than an epilogue to Obama’s political speech. One can see why the Times would avoid talking about the economic substance of the speech, the debate to which the president is so tardy: because there was precious little in the speech to talk about, despite an economy showing “widespread signs of a deceleration,” according to the Federal Reserve’s authoritative Beige Book. …
There have been numerous debates about “birthright” citizenship in recent weeks. As the Heritage Foundation has pointed out, the claim that the 14th Amendment confers citizenship on the children of visitors or illegal aliens is mistaken. Neither the text nor the legislative history supports such an interpretation. Perspective is needed. How many other countries have birthright citizenship? How many such children are there in the United States, and how much is this costing us? The Center for Immigration Studies has just released a study by Jon Feere that gives some answers. The …
Pennsylvania residents in this year’s gubernatorial race will be casting their votes for school choice regardless of their political affiliation. In Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, author Bill McGurn reports that both Democratic candidate Dan Onorato and his Republican opponent, state Attorney General Tom Corbett, are proponents of school choice. It is promising to see states opening more opportunity for the educational futures of children. For decades, the federal government has poured increasing amounts of money into public education under the guise of “reform,” yet test scores and achievement indicate no …
The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 set lighting requirements that, in essence, outlaw the familiar incandescent light bulb. The impact of lighting mandates on energy security is minuscule, since electricity comes almost entirely from secure domestic sources, such as coal. (Petroleum generates about 1 percent of domestic electricity.) However, EISA’s impact on job security is pretty clear for 200 workers in Winchester, Va. This month General Electric will shut down the last major incandescent light bulb factory in the United States, and the 200 workers in Winchester …
