As part of its initiative “to end capitalism” and realize “harmony” with Mother Earth, Bolivia will propose a U.N. treaty this month for the protection of what it calls nature’s fundamental rights. A “Ministry of Mother Earth” would be created, with an ombudsman to hear nature’s cries and translate them for bureaucrats. From the Vancouver Sun’s coverage: Reflecting indigenous traditional beliefs, the proposed global treaty says humans have caused “severe destruction … that is offensive to the many faiths, wisdom traditions, and indigenous cultures for whom Mother Earth is sacred.” It …
One-size-fits-all usually ends up meaning “one-size-fits-few.” And there is no exception when it comes to education. That was the message sent during a hearing held last week by the House Education and Workforce Committee: The federal government needs to step back and give states and schools more flexibility. During last Thursday’s hearing, “Education Reforms: Promoting Flexibility and Innovation,” witnesses testified of the importance of allowing schools to set their own course instead of being forced to comply with rigid demands set forth by Washington.
Despite systematically undermining domestic oil production, President Obama has recently said he hopes to drastically decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil. Luckily for the president, congressional Republicans have proposed an array of legislation to accomplish just that. The House Natural Resources Committee spent Wednesday working on three new energy bills. The Obama administration’s de facto moratorium has led to a precipitous decline in U.S. oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. That prompted Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) to take action. His committee approved three new pieces of legislation with bipartisan support …
The Pentagon has issued a warning: the major cuts to the military that President Obama proposed in his speech on spending are going to come with a heavy price. Reuters reports: The United States may have to scrap some military missions and trim troop levels if President Barack Obama sticks with his goal of saving $400 billion on security spending over a 10-year period, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. …
Pakistan is reportedly calling for a reduction in U.S. drone missile strikes against terrorists sheltering in its tribal border areas, greater transparency from the CIA regarding its counterterrorism activities inside Pakistan, and a reduction in U.S. military trainers in the country. Following a meeting in Washington between the director of Pakistan’s intelligence service, Shuja Pasha, and CIA Director Panetta on Monday, a Pakistani official told The Washington Post that the CIA must share more information about what it “wants and is doing” inside Pakistan, adding, “They have to stop mistrusting …
In a speech yesterday on America’s fiscal crisis, President Barack Obama invoked the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and said, “through government, we should do together what we cannot do as well for ourselves.” Yet since his presidency began, Barack Obama has proven that what he cannot do very well for himself or for the nation is provide even a modicum of leadership on out-of-control government spending. To fill that vacuum, Americans rose up in 2010 and elected new representatives to steer the nation toward fiscal sanity. Now, in the 9th inning, …
President Obama on Wednesday announced $400 billion in defense cuts between now and 2023. But in reality, defense budgets have already been cut, are being cut now, and will be cut even further in the future. And it’s happening at the expense of national security. He specifically referenced $400 billion in defense “savings” found to date by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as the effort he’d like to copy and apply to deficit reduction. Of this money identified by Secretary Gates, only $100 billion is technically considered “savings” resulting from …
In her testimony before Congress last month, Kathleen M. King, Director of Health Care at the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO), reported “improper payments” under the Medicare and Medicaid programs amounting to almost $70.5 billion for fiscal year 2010. According to the GAO, any payment was labeled “improper” if it “should not have been made or … was made in an incorrect amount.” If there were any question as to the immense size of America’s entitlement programs, this piece of news should be very illuminating. To put it in perspective, …
The argument against U.S. companies investing abroad typically goes as follows: “Companies are just trying to substitute cheap foreign labor for expensive U.S. labor. The United States loses jobs, capital, and technology when companies go offshore to employ cheaper foreign labor.” While that may be true for individual companies, the data show that overall, “offshoring” from other countries to the U.S. is greatly benefitting the American economy.
An editorial headline in today’s Washington Post captured it well: “Late to the Game – Again.” President Obama gave what was billed today as a major speech on fiscal policy. The speech, more a partisan campaign blast than an attempt at non-partisan leadership, comes two months after he released his Fiscal Year 2012 budget, which aside from $2.2 trillion in phony policy was largely silent on the near- and long-term budget picture. President Obama was driven out of hiding largely by the Path to Prosperity plan released last week by …
