Despite the good news this week about Osama bin Laden’s demise, all is not rosy for President Barack Obama — at least in the eyes of the American people. The approval of his handling of the economy hit an all-time low with only 34 percent of Americans giving him a thumbs up, according to a CBS/New York Times poll. Looking for a reason why? According to the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report, unemployment rose from 8.8 percent to 9 percent in April. And though the U.S. economy added 244,000 jobs, beating …
The approach of Mother’s Day brings to mind the great parenting debate du jour and the very vocal public reaction to the tenets of the Tiger Mom—a style of mothering that pushes and presses children to achieve and won’t settle for second best. On the other side of the straight-laced Tiger Mom is the overly protective Helicopter Mom, who can’t help but want to shield her children from the world’s disappointments. Then there’s the Coach Mom; while not quite the drill sergeant, she wants her children to deal directly with …
One year ago today President Obama imposed a moratorium on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. It banned shallow-water and deepwater operations, setting the stage for a year of delays in permitting. Now a U.S. senator wants to put a moratorium on federal agencies. Sen. David Vitter (D-La.), an outspoken critic of the administration’s anti-drilling policies, introduced the Agency Overreach Moratorium Act, which would require congressional approval for federal regulations that restrict energy exploration on federal lands and offshore. Vitter said the legislation would expand domestic energy resources and …
Environmentalists celebrated World Malaria Day last week (and Earth Day the week prior). Meanwhile, thousands of African children died of malaria. While these activists may make themselves feel like they’re saving the world, they are ignoring the best possible solution to Africa’s malaria problem: the use of DDT to wipe out the Anopheles mosquito. Even though the World Health Organization resumed promotion of DDT in September 2006—realizing it had the best track record for saving the lives of 500 million African children—environmentalists are still emphasizing the use of bed nets …
Join our “Lunch with Heritage” chat from 12-1 ET. We are taking questions about the growth of entitlement programs and how they affect our fiscal future. We will be joined by Research Associate Kate Nix, one of the co-authors of the 2011 Budget Chart Book which graphically illustrates the unsustainable path of federal spending now and in the future. The chart book paints a grim picture of our national debt, federal spending, and the dangerous growth of the entitlement state. Join us with your questions. Lunch with Heritage feat. Kate …
We’ve all heard of the fashion police but probably assumed that was just a figure of speech. It turns out, however, that if you don’t have the bureaucratic blessing of a license and yet deign to select drapes, recommend paintings, or (horrors!) place Persian rugs and decorative partitions for a non-residence in Florida, you could be sent to prison for up to one year. Further, if you hire a person without a license to do these things for you, both of you could be sent to prison for up to …
At a standing-room-only meeting Wednesday, the leadership of Voice of America (VOA) announced major changes in the way the Persian News Network of VOA goes about the business of reporting the news to Iranians. It’s about time. Complaints about the network have been flooding Capitol Hill from the Iranian exile community for several years now. One such compliant was that the executive leadership of the service neither spoke nor understood Persian and did not have any understanding of Iranian politics. In March of last year, a letter from Representative Trent …
Remember that Beatles song about the taxman? “If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street.” Well, that’s just about what the Transportation Secretary has proposed. Bad ideas never die in Washington. They don’t even fade away. As proof, see the third effort in the last two years by the Obama Administration and members of Congress to tax us on every mile we drive. A larger issue is that the Administration ignores the core problem: using the federal highway program for wasteful spending projects. The so-called vehicle miles tax (VMT) …
The House of Representatives approved a measure yesterday by a wide margin that establishes a consistent and government-wide policy denying taxpayer funds and subsidies for elective abortions. The bill, H.R. 3, passed by a comfortable 76-vote margin, and it now proceeds to the U.S. Senate, where its prospects are less favorable. If it passes there, it goes to the White House, where the President’s advisors have formally recommended he veto it.
A House subcommittee on Wednesday approved legislation to modify the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Spawned by the vast Dodd–Frank financial regulation statute, the CFPB (as originally structured) enjoys sweeping powers over all manner of consumer credit—without adequate accountability. Yesterday’s action is a welcome start to taming the CFPB, but more fundamental reforms are still needed. The trio of bills endorsed by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit would replace the position of bureau director with a five-member bipartisan commission, enhance the authority of …
