Heritage Distinguished Fellow and former Congressman Ernest Istook (R–OK) recently unveiled Obamacare’s “dirty little secret”: $105 billion of advance appropriations which make it difficult for current and future Congresses to control spending on the unpopular new law. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health delved further into the problems with this “phantom funding” at a hearing last week. Within its 2,700 pages, Obamacare has been given billions of dollars in advance appropriations—$6 billion was immediately appropriated, while over $105 billion was appropriated for the years following. In this way, …
The conviction and sentencing of American contractor Alan Gross surely leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the Obama Administration days before it embarks on a Latin American trip. Opting to “play it careful and safe” and “hope the Cuban dictatorship does the right thing” did not spare the Maryland man from receiving a 15-year prison sentence. Gross, 61, was detained by Cuban officials in December 2009 for delivering communications equipment to a small Cuban Jewish community. He was part of a USAID fund to expand communication access on …
Did you know that it is Education Month in the Obama White House? Neither did we. But apparently it is, and accordingly the President crossed the Potomac yesterday to visit an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia, where he pushed for reauthorization of the unpopular No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program. It was a classic President Obama performance. First he denounced the “stale debates” over whether education needed “more money” or “more reform.” Then—surprise—he said what the country really needed was both: “We need more resources for the schools, but we’ve …
World magazine recently highlighted the impressive impact of the community outreach of one urban congregation in Manhattan. This inspiring story is just one example of the uniquely powerful effectiveness of indigenous faith-based service in neighborhoods burdened by enormous financial and societal problems. At a time of cutbacks in government services, the faith community remains as a longstanding bulwark of support and outreach to those who are in need. As research throughout the last decade has shown, religious practice has been linked to a greater likelihood of charitable outreach. Church attendance …
South Carolinians for Responsible Government has produced a new video featuring Senator Jim DeMint (R–SC) on the importance of school choice. DeMint outlines the keys to achieving educational success not just in South Carolina but in the rest of the country: If we want true innovation in education to reach the widest range of student interests, aptitudes and learning styles, we need to follow the model of other states like Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona who have made school choice for families a reality.
In 1997 three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser was convicted of a federal crime that exposed him to a $5,000 fine and a six month prison sentence. What did Unser do that so angered the federal government? He got lost in a blizzard. That’s it. How did getting lost in a blizzard become a crime? Watch the attached video or click through to Heritage analyst Brian Wash’s Commentary, below: What do former Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Unser and small-businessman Abbie Schoenwetter have in common? Both are victims of “overcriminalization,” a …
The Wall Street Journal wrote Saturday: Whatever else one might say about President Obama’s Libya policy, it has succeeded brilliantly in achieving its oft-stated goal of not leading the world. No one can any longer doubt the U.S. determination not to act before the Italians do, or until the Saudis approve, or without a U.N. resolution. This White House is forthright for followership. That message also couldn’t be clearer to Moammar Gadhafi and his sons, who are busy bombing and killing their way to victory against the Libyan opposition. As …
Despite the assertive statements of celebrity atheists, national book tours denouncing God and the perennial docket of court cases challenging the presence of religion in the public square, most Americans believe in God and many regularly practice their faith. Heritage research on the newly launched FamilyFacts.org shows that 75 percent of American adults believe in God and another 11 percent in some higher power. Many Americans take their faith a step further—almost 40 percent of all adults act on that belief by attending religious institutions at least once a week, …
The federal government made at least $125 billion in improper payments last year. It spends $25 billion annually maintaining unused or vacant federal properties. Rife with duplication, Washington runs 342 economic development programs, 130 programs serving the disabled, 130 programs serving at-risk youth, and 90 early childhood development programs. Government waste runs rampant, yet Congress never seems focused on cleaning it up. A new bipartisan proposal sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R–UT) and Mark Udall (D–CO) and Representative Jeff Duncan (R–SC) would force Congress to address this problem. The bill …
During a speech at an Arlington middle school earlier today, President Obama pushed for a reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the federal government’s largest involvement in K-12 education. According to the Associated Press: President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to rewrite the nation’s governing education law in time for a new school year next fall. It’s an ambitious timeline but one administration official says is necessary to start closing the achievement gap between American students and their counterparts in China and elsewhere. White House officials say Obama …
