Reuters has this morning’s bad news on the economic front: The U.S. economy came perilously close to flat-lining in the first quarter and grew at a meager 1.3 percent annual rate in the April-June period as consumer spending barely rose. The Commerce Department data on Friday also showed the current lull in the economy began earlier than had been thought, with the growth losing steam late last year. That could raise questions on the long held view by both Federal Reserve officials and independent economists that the slowdown in growth …
Recently, radical environmentalists have waged a campaign to stifle free enterprise and economic freedom. Here are some of their recent skirmishes, ranging from crop destruction in Australia to attacks on toy companies like Lego and Disney: Photos of Greenpeace activists destroying an experimental crop of genetically modified (GM) wheat earlier this month in Australia. They apparently decided that they have the right to act lawlessly and destroy work by scientists designed to feed a hungry world. Even The New York Times rebuked Greenpeace’s actions and argued that the GM wheat …
Last night, the House of Representatives was set to vote on House Speaker John Boehner’s (R–OH) plan to raise the debt ceiling, as the projected August 2 deadline looms. Failing to round up enough votes to secure the bill’s passage, House Republicans closed up shop for the night and are scheduled to reconvene this morning, hoping to bring a bill back to the House floor with enough support to pass, as Politico reports. Inside baseball, last-minute vote wrangling aside, a much larger problem remains: Even if the Boehner bill passed …
As the economy continues to struggle, a new report highlights ways the government may be making things worse by imposing bigger burdens on business. Our new video breaks down the facts and highlights the impact of this creeping government red tape. While these costs are often invisible, they are nevertheless very real for taxpayers. Heritage’s James Gattuso and Diane Katz explain:
Unable to secure the votes needed to pass Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) debt plan, House GOP leaders first delayed then canceled a vote on the Budget Control Act last night. The House could take up the measure today, but many conservatives and Tea Party activists remain strongly opposed to the plan. All eyes are on Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is trying to secure the last handful of votes. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department has started preparing an answer for the question millions are asking: If there’s no money to pay the bills, …
America is drowning in a torrent of red tape. According to our new report, there have been 15 new major regulations issued in just the first six months of the 2011 fiscal year and a total of $38 billion in new annual regulatory costs since the start of the Obama Administration. Click here to join the chat! We are joined Heritage Expert Diane Katz and she is taking your questions about the Regulatory State, how it affects our lives, and what can be done about. Be sure to also check …
On September 22, 2010, a few months before the Senate ratified the New START treaty, a bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia. New START is, of course, the centerpiece of Barack Obama’s “reset” policy with Russia. Ever since the blast, many have raised questions as to who have would directly attacked the United States. Initially, Georgia’s assertions that Russia was behind the blast were dismissed on both the left and the right as a baseless allegation attempting “to stoke anti-Russian sentiment in the U.S.” However, The Washington …
President Obama neglected to mention Millennials in his address to the nation Monday night. Ironic, since they are burdened with the responsibility of paying America’s debt. But that should come as no surprise. Young Americans are often overlooked in the political world. However, 18 to 29-year-olds have serious concerns about the future of our nation. A recent Generation Opportunity and the polling company, inc./WomanTrend study found, in priority order, young Americans believe that the national debt, increased dependency on foreign sources of energy, and America’s indebtedness to foreign powers have made …
During the health care debate of 2009 and 2010, the Obama administration used a number of accounting tricks to try to get the Congressional Budget Office to score the legislation as deficit neutral. One such trick took the form of a new entitlement: the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) program. The brainchild of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), CLASS would provide long-term care insurance to Americans who pay premiums to the federal goverment for five years. In a ten-year window, then, the program looks financially stable. But …
It’s not every day that a company with roots as deep as the CME Group, Inc.—the parent company of the famous Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Board of Trade—would consider fleeing its home state, seeking better a better economic climate a thousand miles away. But that’s just what’s happening, and taxes are the reason the company is looking for a new home after founding the Chicago Board of Trade in 1848. The Chicago Tribune reports: CME Group Inc. is evaluating whether to move some operations to other states from Chicago to …
