It’s a fact that runaway spending, not lack of revenue, is the cause of long-term federal deficits. Still, some continue to push for higher taxes to solve the problem. A favorite tool of would-be revenue raisers is to eliminate “tax expenditures”—revenue the federal government “forgoes,” they say, due to tax preferences given to priorities like employer-sponsored insurance, mortgage interest payments, and contributions to retirement accounts. (Of course, since the money was never Uncle Sam’s to begin with, it’s inaccurate to say the federal government is somehow deprived by collecting less …
According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, “The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force.” Since the military has been using computers since World War II, it is pretty remarkable that they are just now getting around to figuring this out. As defined by the Constitution, it is the government’s job to “provide for the common defense.” Why would the …
Though the official report on May’s job performance doesn’t come in until Friday, early signs aren’t looking good for the U.S. economy. The LA Times reports that “U.S. private-sector payroll growth slowed sharply in May, falling to the lowest level in eight months,” according to an ADP Employment Services report. Meanwhile, growth in the manufacturing sector slowed more than expected to its lowest level in over 1-1/2 years. The LA Times reports on the preliminary numbers: The ADP report showed private employers added a scant 38,000 jobs last month, falling …
President Obama could learn a lesson from this fable about a great ship. Having received ample warning of icebergs ahead, some of the crew of the HMS Titanic proposed changing course to avoid them. But the captain objected. “Making that maneuver would end this cruise as we know it. It would disrupt the passengers’ peace of mind, discomfiting them as we turn and swerve, especially those below decks in steerage,” the captain told them. “There is no immediate jeopardy and I am appointing a commission to consider other options.” The …
As a former service member, Congressman Allen West (R-FL) brings a valuable perspective to his work on the House Armed Service Committee. That knowledge and passion was on display during his speech yesterday at The Heritage Foundation on the importance of having clear foreign policy objectives and a military prepared to tackle any challenge. West’s speech marked the conclusion of Heritage’s 2011 Protect America Month, designed to “showcase why we must commit to protecting America in an increasingly dangerous world.” After his speech, he sat down for a short “In …
President Obama’s trip to Poland last week offered a glimmer of hope regarding Poland’s potential membership in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The President not only endorsed the idea in conversations with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski but then sent a letter to Congress the same day lending his support for the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2011, a bill sponsored by Senator Mark Kirk (R–IL) and Representative Mike Quigley (D–IL). The bill would make key changes in the program and likely help Poland and other aspiring countries …
If you thought school cafeteria food was bad, take a look at what the federal government has on the menu for school children. The recent reauthorization of federal nutrition programs has slapped additional regulations onto school cafeteria menus, dictating everything from the number of orange slices a child must put on his or her plate to whether peas and corn are acceptable foods for the lunch line. In a recent hearing, the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee chairman Duncan Hunter (R–CA) noted of this new nutrition legislation: …
Yet another faith-based organization has fallen victim to a state government’s refusal to defend religious liberty. After more than 100 years serving the most vulnerable children in Illinois, the Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Rockford will cease its state-funded adoption and foster care services today. The diocese decided to terminate its $7.5 million contract with the state of Illinois after policymakers failed to include a religious exemption in the state’s new civil unions law, effective today. Under the new law, Illinois foster care and adoption agencies may be forced …
The environmental police have struck again. This time, they are hindering efforts to produce domestic oil and causing regulation headaches for those just doing their jobs. Agencies partaking in a natural gas drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” are facing a lawsuit alleging that they’ve failed to give proper environmental review to regulations related to the technique. Critics fear that without proper regulatory oversight, the process will lead to water contamination. But these fears are unfounded. Fracking is nothing new and those behind the lawsuit are ignoring the …
Did Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blush when he signed off on the G-8 declaration of the “Renewed Commitment for Freedom and Democracy” at last week’s G-8 Summit in Deauville, France? Probably not, but he should have. Russia today is not exactly an example of political freedom or democracy as we in the West understand it. Nor is Russia in any way committed to free expression on the Internet, the subject of a lengthy portion of the G-8 declaration. While governments of all stripes today advocate greater international cooperation in cyberspace, …
