Today marks the anniversary of the first ever Presidential Inaugural Address under the Constitution. Let’s look at five that stand out. April 30, 1789, George Washington’s First Inaugural: Neither the Constitution nor Congress required Washington to deliver an inaugural. But Washington set the bar high for his successors. The only president to be unanimously elected, Washington admitted that he had hoped to retire to Mount Vernon, but, he declared, “I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.” His presence was a …
Milk might do a body good, but if it’s unpasteurized milk sold by an Amish farmer across state lines, it’s a whole other story… or at least according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Washington Times reports: A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband to willing customers in the Washington area. The …
It sat on her desk for over a week, but yesterday Governor Jan Brewer (R–AZ) finally signed S.B. 1495 into law. The new law takes an important step and allows the governor to mobilize the Arizona State Defense Force (SDF) “for any reason” she sees fit. Arizona’s constitution has long allowed for the creation of an SDF. This latest law, however, removes many of the restrictions on mobilizing this force. No longer is the governor required to wait for the Arizona National Guard to be physically located out of state …
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual celebration of the news media by the news media. This year’s dinner, scheduled for Saturday night, will feature President Obama as well as Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers. Among the many news outlets participating in this year’s dinner will be NPR, the tax-subsidized news organization which has come under heavy criticism over the past year from scandal after scandal.
Is President Barack Obama trying to perform an end-run around Congress in order to implement restrictions on political speech? It’s a question that 27 senators put to President Obama in a letter this week in which they urged him to reconsider a draft executive order (EO) that would require government contractors to disclose political contributions. In the letter, the senators cite to Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, who raised concerns over the underlying purpose of the executive order: Given similarities between the draft EO and some …
With Mother’s Day around the corner, you better look out. It’s going to cost more than usual to send your mom a bouquet of flowers this year. Earlier this year, Congress allowed the Andean Trade Preference and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) to expire. As a result: U.S. flower importers face higher prices. Taxes on flowers imported from Colombia, which provides 70 percent of all cut flowers sold in the United States, are now at the highest rate in 18 years. There are fewer U.S. jobs in industries that rely on …
Late last week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn, overturning the notoriously biased Ninth District Court’s decision against the case and throwing out the challenge to Arizona’s tuition tax credit legislation. The Supreme Court’s ruling marks the culmination of 14 years of work . I authored the bill in 1995 and it passed in the Arizona State Legislature in 1997. It is my prayer that it will prove, in the long run, to be not only a victory for children …
It’s not Eminem or Dre, not East Coast or West. It’s economists Hayek and Keynes, and Congress can’t decide who gets it best. They’re battling it out on the mean streets of DC, to see who can fix the economy…. Sometimes, the best way to get a point across is to bust a rhyme, and the floors of Congress are no exception. This week, EconStories.tv released its new video, “Fight of the Century,” featuring economists John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich August Hayek bringing the heat during a congressional hearing.
As many as two billion people — about a third of the world — were expected to watch today’s British royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. The global euphoria highlights the enduring ideal of marriage. For all the extravagance and fanfare of a future monarch’s wedding, we recognize in it some of our deepest human aspirations and the shared nobility of the institution of marriage. That same chord was struck 30 years ago, as the world watched another royal wedding on July 29, 1981. As ABC’s Ted Koppel …
Join us on Friday from 12-1 for our “Lunch with Heritage” online chat. We will be joined by Peter Brookes and we will be discussing the proper level of funding for our troops here and abroad. The Department of Defense has recently come under budget cuts at a time when they most need the resources. We will also be talking about Heritage’s annual “Protect America Month” that will begin next week. If you would like to be reminded about the chat please leave your e-mail in the form below. Lunch …
