This time about three years ago, a California Democrat exercised legislative power to do something unprecedented in America’s international trade policymaking. Effectively ending more than five decades of bipartisan consensus on trade policy, on April 10, 2008, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her like-minded colleagues unilaterally and irresponsibly amended House rules to circumvent the 90-day timetable for taking up the Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that President Bush had submitted to Congress—thereby dooming it.
Every business must comply with a mind-boggling range of regulations, but the latest regulatory “guidance” on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may be the last straw—literally. Hotels, restaurants, airlines and the like must now modify “policies, practices, or procedures” to accommodate miniature horses as service animals. The new guidelines, effective March 15, elevate the regulatory standing of the pygmy ponies over chimps, pigs, goats, iguanas, birds, and rats—all of which have been claimed as service animals by their owners but are not now formally recognized as such by the …
Nearly a half-century ago, Washington took a deep dive into education policy, increasing federal intervention in local schools. The idea at the time was to improve outcomes through compensatory education—spending federal dollars through federal programs—in an attempt to narrow the achievement gap between low- and upper-income children. This intervention began in 1965 with President Johnson’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
While some members of Congress still attempt to unscramble all the details of the six-month spending deal struck by leadership last week, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he’s already steeling himself for the next big debate. “This whole CR skirmish — and that’s about all it is — is just setting us up for what I think is the really big fight and that’s over the debt ceiling,” Johnson said yesterday at The Bloggers Briefing. Speaking at Heritage shortly before his maiden Senate speech, the freshman senator from Oshkosh said …
Today we celebrate the birthday of the man who united the colonies with mere parchment and pen. As we remember the legacy of Thomas Jefferson, we commemorate the document that embodies the principles of America. At the age of thirty-three, Thomas Jefferson accepted the challenge of writing the Declaration of Independence. John Adams insisted that Jefferson was the one for the job, because, Adams admitted, “I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular… [and] you can write ten times better than I can.” Many delegates wondered if the colonists could join together …
A budget agreement that fell short in dollars but was advertised as “the largest spending cut in history“ is being challenged by new reports that the old ways of Washington have yet to be overcome. News outlets such as The Washington Post, Fox News and the Associated Press suggest “creative accounting” may have been used to get to the figure of $38.5 billion in cuts. We’re still poring over the numbers, but this is a good time to remind the public that Congress needs to do the opposite of what former …
Obamacare will cost Americans trillions of dollars in the decades to come. To help pay for its new coverage provisions, the plan makes sweeping cuts to Medicare. But as it turns out, serious doubts exist about the likelihood of these cuts actually occurring, and evidence has already shown that lawmakers may shy away from some of the cuts. If the planned savings don’t materialize, the health care overhaul will add even more to deficit spending than already expected, further jeopardizing the nation’s fiscal future. Both the director of the Congressional …
Families and students in the nation’s capital won big over the weekend, as Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) secured language to reauthorize and expand the acclaimed D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program as part of the long-term continuing resolution. This week, legislators not too far north in Pennsylvania have the opportunity to expand school choice for students in their state. Just yesterday, Pennsylvania’s Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill—The Opportunity Scholarship Act—to extend school choice under Pennsylvania’s existing Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. In the next day or two, a …
It’s a question that seems so 2008, but it is rearing its ugly head again. The average price of a gallon is already nearing record levels and there is no relief in sight. Some areas, like Chicago, could see prices as high as five dollars a gallon by the Memorial Day. Obama would like to blame you for the high gas prices, but the root problem is his energy policy that is stifling exploration in America. In the aftermath of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama …
The Broadcasting Board of Governors will receive $10 million under the compromise spending deal reached last week. President Obama effectively sided with the BBG over his own State Department in a funding dispute involving Internet circumvention work. Obama and lawmakers agreed to language in the fiscal 2011 spending bill cutting the State Department’s share and giving the BBG a portion to “expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet.” The BBG operates five government-sponsored international broadcasting networks. At stake was $30 million to advance Internet freedom. The BBG, which previously received …
