In his acceptance speech on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, Senator-Elect Marco Rubio of Florida said, “Americans believe with all their hearts…that the United States of America is simply the single greatest nation in all of human history, a place without equal in the history of all mankind.” The reality of American exceptionalism was a theme on the campaign trail, especially among conservatives. Americans agree that the United States is a great nation, but why is America exceptional and why does it matter? While other nations are bound by a common …
Hugo Chávez took another bold step in his campaign to consolidate authoritarian control over the Venezuelan people when he promoted Gen. Henry Rangel Silva to the rank of General-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Silva is in the limelight because in an interview this week regarding the military and the 2012 presidential elections, Silva declared: The hypothesis of an elected [opposition] government is hard to swallow, it would mean selling the country, and that is not going to be accepted, not by the armed forces and much less by the people. …
According to a recent study, roughly 100,000 illegal immigrants could have fled Arizona since passage of SB 1070. The Mexican government reported that almost 25,000 illegal immigrants returned to Mexico following passage of the law. As we stated in “Controlling Illegal Immigration: State and Local Governments Must Do More”, under the Constitution, states and cities have considerable powers to deal with the illegal immigration within their jurisdictions. Our work (along with many others) to guide states and localities resulted in SB1070. More states are looking to follow Arizona’s lead. With …
As a result of last week’s election, 2011 could be a watershed year for education reform and school choice. Many conservative candidates in the states campaigned on returning to local control in education and expanding school choice options for parents. Several states in particular could see significant movement on the education reform front as new leadership takes the helm in the coming months. In Arizona, incoming superintendent John Huppenthal bested Penny Kotterman, whom the American Federation for Children notes would have worked to roll-back school choice options for Arizona families. …
As part of our “Lunch With Heritage” series, we will be feature Director of Health Policy studies Nina Owcharenko. Nina will answer your questions on what is wrong with the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (PPACA) and the correct way forward. There is a lot that needs to be done but with the right education we can hold congress accountable and make sure they do what they were elected to do. Nina recently wrote a paper on everything that needs to be done so health care can be …
20 people with very different backgrounds are unlikely to reach consensus on anything substantial. To forge such a consensus requires leadership. This week’s G-20 meetings produced nothing of substance, which is no surprise because the United States did not lead. First, let’s dispense with the idea that America can’t lead. The American economy is more than one-third larger than the second- and third-largest, China’s and Japan’s, combined. The dollar is the world’s currency. When they get nervous, central bankers all over the globe buy U.S. Treasuries, no matter how low …
The Internet went apoplectic speculating on the “mystery missile” spotted Monday off the coast of California. The military concluded Wednesday that the long “contrail,” the wisp of white vapors in the sky taped by a CBS affiliate crew most likely came from a passing jet—not a missile firing. False alarm. The news that did not make the news is that under a different scenario the streak across the horizon could have been a missile. If it were, the online world would not be buzzing about it days later—because America’s days …
Facing a $25 billion deficit for their next two-year budget cycle, Texas lawmakers are considering closing the gap by dropping out of Medicaid. “This system is bankrupting our state,” State Representative Warren Chisum told The New York Times. “We need to get out of it. And with the budget shortfall we’re anticipating, we may have to act this year,” he said. And Texas is not alone. American Legislative Exchange Council director of the health and human services Christie Herrera tells NYT: “States feel like their backs are against the wall, …
Yesterday the USA Today reported that not only has the number of federal workers making more than $150,000 a year doubled since President Barack Obama took office, but that President Obama wants to give federal workers a 1.4% across-the-board pay raise. The two government union spokespeople in the article both claim that federal workers earn less than their private sector counterparts, but as Heritage Foundation senior labor policy analyst James Sherk has detailed that simply is not true.
There has been much of speculation that gridlock will characterize the 112th Congress, but not according to Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Congressman Barton (R-TX) was first elected in 1984 as a part of the Reagan re-election class and “did not come to Washington in 1984 for gridlock, did not come to do nothing, and did not come to say no.” He says the same of 2010, “we are not here to say no.” Barton addressed a group Wednesday at Heritage eager to …
