No matter how hard the government tries, it just won’t ever be as effective as the free market is in satisfying consumer demand. Want proof? Take a look at what the federal government is doing to lure people into buying more expensive, less convenient plug-in electric cars. Since little demand currently exists in the market for electric cars, the government offers a tax credit of $7,500 to those who purchase vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. And even with the tax credit, electric cars aren’t flying off …
The budget battle has yet to be worked out. Does a government shutdown loom? Also, gas prices are on the rise. So why is President Obama proposing reductions of oil imports by one third? And, the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program was effectively ended by the left, but legislation to refund it is passing through Congress. One eighth-grade girl testifies before Congress on how this program has benefited her. Will this program survive Congress, and the president? Listen to our latest Heritage in Focus Roundtable, for answers to these questions and more.
As we watch the Egyptian revolution unfold half-way across the world, George Washington’s words come to mind: It is yet to be decided, whether the Revolution must ultimately be considered as a blessing or a curse: a blessing or a curse, not to the present age alone, for with our fate will the destiny of unborn millions be involved. Nothing can be taken for granted with revolution—and nothing is certain about Egypt’s future. In the wake of Mubarak’s departure, CNN characterized Egypt’s revolution as “people from every walk of life…united …
The decision of an Argentinean university to award Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with a prize for promoting freedom of the press prompted an international outcry of disbelief and criticism. On March 29, Chavez visited the University of La Plata to accept the journalism department’s Rodolfo Walsh prize for “his unquestionable and authentic commitment” to expand media access for those in Venezuela without a voice. Indeed, Chavez has improved media access for those who are anxious and patient enough to listen to his interminable Sunday discourses on Alo Presidente or follow …
Today we celebrate Whittaker Chambers’ birthday. This quiet, unassuming man has become a giant in the conservative movement for his condemning testimony against Communism, and his autobiography, Witness, remains one of the masterpieces of American writing. Even the pumpkin patch on the Chambers’ farm, where he famously gathered evidence of Communist spies in the United States government, has become a pilgrimage point. His significant role in exposing Communism, then, is undisputed. But what is his relevance to the American situation today? As Richard Reinsch illustrates in the latest First Principles …
Should a union need the support of most workers at a company in order to represent them? Most people would say yes—but most people are not union bosses. Unions want to represent as many dues paying members as possible. Whether those workers want their services is beside the point. At the behest of union lobbyists, President Obama’s appointees to the National Mediation Board (NMB) rewrote the rules governing airline union elections. For the past 75 years, unions had to win the support of a majority of employees at an airline …
Wednesday’s defection of Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa is a major embarrassment for Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and a sign of lagging morale in the top echelons of his regime. Koussa was not just the foreign minister, which is often just a mouthpiece position in Arab dictatorships; more importantly, he was the head of Libya’s main intelligence agency between 1994 and 2009. He was also a longtime confidante of the Libyan dictator, who had previously lost his minister of interior and minister of justice to defections and is increasingly dependent …
Today, the Labor Department released its monthly jobs report showing that the U.S. economy added 216,000 jobs in March and unemployment fell to 8.8 percent. Despite these encouraging numbers, Americans still consistently tell pollsters that jobs and the economy are the most important problems facing the country. And yesterday, Gallup released a poll showing that the number one way Americans would like to see more United States jobs created is to stop sending new jobs overseas. That is a fabulous idea, and the simplest way to accomplish it would be …
