In 1990, Wisconsin set an education reform example for the nation with the passage of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). Twenty years later, Governor Scott Walker (R) has identified the obstacle that keeps more children in his state and across the nation from similarly benefiting from parental choice in education: union collective bargaining power protecting their interests rather than the needs of children. Democratic senators in Wisconsin have fled the state, unionized education employees have left the schools in protest, and thousands of students have been without class as …
The debate in the House of Representatives over spending cuts has left many observers utterly unraveled. Exhibit A: the President’s veto threat. The core of the threat is that if he is presented a bill that cuts spending in ways or amounts he doesn’t like “while continuing to burden future generations with debt, the President will veto the bill.” On this basis, apparently the President would veto his own budget proposal. According to the President, his budget is full of painful spending cuts and heavily burdens future generations with rapidly …
The pro-democracy demonstrations that continue to rattle the Arab world have landed in Libya. In a country where government dissent is dealt with by an iron fist, anti-government activists are demanding change. Since seizing power in 1969, President Muammar Qadhafi is one of the most unpopular and authoritarian tyrants in the Middle East. After holding on to power through repeated coup attempts, Qadhafi has repressed Libya’s secular opposition and crushed the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. While Tunisia and Egypt experienced rising food prices and a decline in living conditions, thereby …
Several members of Congress, like Rep. Denny Rehberg (R, MT) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R.-Wash.) are offering amendments that would prevent any new spending from being used to implement Obamacare. Good for them. Those are important additions to the big spending bill pending in Congress. But here’s the dirty little secret: Much of Obamacare is being implemented with money that was already appropriated last year. These billions are already available for bureaucrats to put Obamacare into force. Denying additional funding for Obamacare does not de-fund the huge amounts it …
Let no one be confused, the stakes in Wisconsin are high and the Badger state could turn into the crucial battle ground between progressivism and the new Tea Party majority in the country. Issues as important as public sector compensation, bulging state deficits, union power, federalism, education, federal entitlements as well as others are being fought over. That Wisconsin is the birthplace of American progressivism with a new conservative governor, new conservative majorities in both chambers, a new conservative U.S. senator and the bright new conservative chairman of the House Budget …
As a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, The Heritage Foundation today obtained the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Yucca Mountain Volume III Safety Evaluation Report (SER). This document is critical because it contains the NRC’s conclusions regarding the scientific and technological merits of the Department of Energy’s application to construct and operate the high level nuclear waste repository. The NRC’s assessment should be the final word on the whether or not the Yucca facility could be safely built and operated; hence its conclusions have been much anticipated. …
Today marked the two-year anniversary of President Obama’s economic stimulus law. But based on the reaction from Capitol Hill, there was little reason to celebrate. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) held a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing Wednesday morning with Heritage’s J.D. Foster, George Mason University economics professor Russell Roberts, and Stanford University economics professor John Taylor. Jordan intentionally left two empty seats as placeholders for Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, architects of the $787 billion plan. Both declined to attend and Jordan turned down an offer from the …
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified in front of the Senate Finance Committee yesterday about the President’s 2012 fiscal year budget and the status of health care reform. Despite the projected $1.6 trillion deficit in the President’s budget, Sebelius claimed that it represents “the blueprint for putting (President Obama’s) vision into action and making the investments that will grow our economy and create jobs.” Here are some of the noteworthy exchanges the Secretary had with Senators on the committee. Senator Max Baucus (D–MT) lauded the Medicare “doc …
Heritage expert David John recently wrote a paper titled “End Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to Build Tomorrow’s Housing Finance System” What will ending Fannie and Freddie do to your mortgage? Will starting over have much of an impact on the housing market? Join our LIVE discussion and get your questions answered. Lunch with Heritage feat. David John
In voting to prop up funding for COPS and fire grants—two discredited programs that fail to deliver any bang for our security bucks—the House calls in to question its credibility that it is going to cut spending while not compromising on our security. What security hawk could argue that when it comes to government spending, “everything,” including security spending, is on the table? After all, defense is under-funded: The Pentagon has been on a decades-long “procurement holiday,” failing to modernize its aging fleet of vehicles, ships, and planes. Money ill-spent …
