President Barack Obama deflected blame for high gas prices yesterday, by blaming American consumers for their automobile choices. According to the AP, at an event at a wind turbine plant, “Obama needled one questioner who asked about gas prices.” Obama laughingly said: “If you’re complaining about the price of gas and you’re only getting 8 miles a gallon, you know…you might want to think about a trade-in.” (The AP later scrubbed this quote from its stories) For most Americans, however, high gas prices are no laughing matter. And for the …
On April 5, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa rashly declared the U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges persona non grata. Hodges has been ordered to leave the country in short order. The U.S. State Department rightly called the action “unjustified.” The reason for Correa’s pique is the unauthorized release via WikiLeaks of a July 2009 cable asking for the revocation of the U.S. travel visa of Jaime Aquilino Hurtado Vaca, then commander of Ecuador’s national police. In the cable, the State Department drafter observed that “Hurtado’s corrupt activities were so widely known within …
The streets of Port-au-Prince erupted in jubilation on Monday, April 4, when the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council declared Michel Martelly to be the preliminary winner of the presidential runoff election. Martelly sailed to victory following the March 20 runoff vote, riding a wave of voter discontent with the performance of current President Rene Preval. The flashy, controversial pop star turned politician captured 67.6 percent of the vote in a sound defeat of opponent Mirlande Manigat, who collected 31.5 percent. While the official results will not be verified until April 20, …
Recently in The New York Times, Robert Pear highlighted the major problems with the Medicaid program. His findings reveal that having a Medicaid card in one’s wallet is of little use if it doesn’t give beneficiaries access to the care they need. A woman with several herniated discs and pain in her neck and arms told Pear that her Medicaid card is “a useless piece of plastic. I can’t find an orthopedic surgeon or a pain management doctor who will accept Medicaid.” Pear interviewed doctors and Medicaid enrollees in Louisiana …
A battle continues to rage in Washington over the 2011 federal budget, and a long-term war on how to cut the $14.3 trillion dollar deficit is about to begin. But as political opponents spar over spending, the United States military is waging a real war in Afghanistan, helping to stabilize Iraq, conducting operations across the globe from Libya to Yemen, Haiti to Somalia, and providing assistance to Japan following its natural disaster. With the prospect of a government shutdown looming, some in Congress have rightly devoted special attention to ensuring …
Early American colonists, no strangers to the perils of intrusive government, protested the Molasses Act of 1733, which imposed taxes on imported sugar, rum, and molasses. Sugar taxes ignited a desire for trade freedom that helped lead to revolution. In the United States today, sugar policy consists of regulations and limitations that put those of the Molasses Act to shame. In an attempt to protect domestic sugar producers from competition, the government has destroyed U.S. jobs in the candy and confectionary industries, increased prices for consumers, and undermined the American …
It’s a sensitive question for some and several media outlets created a buzz when rumors circulated that BP and the Department of Interior had reached a deal to commence drilling again nearly a year after the spill. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar quickly rebuffed any claims that BP and his agency had reached some sort of agreement to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz confirmed that there was no special deal in place with BP, saying, “There …
The following letter was sent from The Heritage Foundation Center for Data Analysis to House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s staff regarding our recent analysis of the Chairman’s budget proposal: In further response to the Chairman’s letter of February 28, 2011 requesting technical advice and assistance, we have given additional scrutiny to calculations concerning the unemployment rate under the Chairman’s proposed budget plan. As a result of that examination, we are making an adjustment to one variable — the full-employment unemployment rate, which is one component of the equation for the …
Americans are well aware by now that Obamacare was sloppily written, a fact that has resulted in numerous unintended consequences that will adversely affect the nation. In light of a recent report from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the newly created Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) can be added to the list of poorly thought-out provisions of the new law. A temporary reinsurance program to run through 2014, the ERRP is an attempt to encourage companies to continue employer-sponsored coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 …
Yesterday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R–WI) unveiled his budget proposal for fiscal year 2012. The transformative proposal would reverse the current trajectory of out-of-control federal spending largely due to the inclusion of a bold proposal to reform the currently unsustainable Medicare program. Ryan’s approach would change the way the federal government provides for the medical needs of seniors by moving the program to a “premium support” system. Rather than paying directly for medical services, premium support would enable the government to make contributions to the cost of a …
