As Congress and the White House continue to quarrel over the debt ceiling, the folks at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are doing their part to reduce federal spending. As announced in today’s Federal Register, the agency is cutting back on its Sheep and Goat Survey. From now on—or for the time being, anyway—the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will conduct only a January Sheep and Goat Survey; the July edition has been surrendered to “budget constraints.” The Sheep and Goat Survey is only one of hundreds of surveys conducted …
The recent McKinsey survey showing that 30 percent of employers would drop coverage shouldn’t be controversial. Economists have consistently shown how an employer mandate will negatively affect employment and wages. In fact, even the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concede such affects. Answering critics’ calls, McKinsey released the details of its survey three weeks ago, showing that their survey methodology was sound. The survey included a large sample size, representative industries, respondents directly involved in the decision-making process regarding health benefits, and questions/information presented in a neutral manner. Nonetheless, critics—including the …
As individuals and families around the nation celebrated Independence Day and the blessings of freedom and opportunity as American citizens, families are also celebrating the advance of educational freedom across the country. As the lead editorial in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal notes, 2011 has been “the year of school choice.” Since January, new school choice programs have been enacted in 13 states, and legislation is pending in 28 more. In May, Indiana implemented the largest school choice program in the nation’s history. Arizona put into place perhaps the most innovative …
It’s impossible to imagine that the Founders conceived of America as a place where the federal government regulates compost. Yet here we are. Effective May 9, the use of compost in the production of certified organic foods must comply with precise temperature, moisture, and chemical standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And it took the agency only nine years to finalize the rules. USDA claims this particular regulatory authority in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the purpose of which is “to respond to …
A glut of unsold trucks sits on General Motors dealers’ lots. Two auto plants in Indiana and Michigan stand idle, and it appears that the taxpayers aren’t out of the woods yet. GM still faces serious problems, being made worse by impending regulations. The Detroit Free Press reports: “Supply of Silverados has ballooned to 6 1/2 months’ worth at the dealership, a figure [GM dealership manager Mark] Frost calls “a little scary.” The automaker, 33% owned by the U.S. after its 2009 bankruptcy, has 280,000 Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups on …
Gary Sinise is best known for his role as Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 blockbuster movie “Forrest Gump.” It earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and a starring role on “CSI: NY.” Now the actor is using his fame to celebrate America’s heroes on the battlefield. This week marked the debut of a documentary about Sinise’s role with the Lt. Dan Band. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Sinise formed the band — name after his character from “Forrest Gump” — to perform for servicemen and …
While Americans across the country were celebrating independence on Monday, Talking Points Memo (TPM) was churning out its “Chart of the Day” to support the false claim that the nation doesn’t have a serious spending problem. According to TPM, conservatives in Congress are focused on cutting discretionary spending as part of a vote to raise the debt limit. (Discretionary spending represents the sliver of the federal budget that lawmakers can control.) Discretionary spending has increased in recent years and should be reduced, but it is open-ended entitlement spending, which includes …
Sometimes magic tricks just aren’t that great, and even the most innocent, wide-eyed child can’t be fooled by the illusionist’s flourish. Such is the case with the rabbit the White House is trying to pull out of its magic hat by claiming that President Barack Obama’s stimulus has created or saved 2.4 million jobs at a cost of $666 billion, all while the United States continues to suffer 9.1 percent unemployment. If you do the math, that comes out to around $278,000 per job. That information comes from a White House Council …
President Obama takes questions later today at the first-ever Twitter town hall. This high-profile event is yet another example of the White House’s embrace of social media to communicate directly with Americans But behind the scenes, there’s another story unfolding about the Obama administration’s use of Twitter. For some White House staffers, it’s a way to bully critics and promote a liberal agenda. In fact, that’s one employee’s job. Jesse Lee is the White House’s director of progressive media and online response. It’s his job to rebut bad news about …
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived in the nation’s capital for a 10-day Buddhist ritual known as the Kalachakra for World Peace. His visit is the first since retiring as the political leader of Tibet’s government. But that’s still likely to upset China, according to Voice of America. There’s no word yet if President Obama will invite him to the White House. We have a busy morning at Heritage. Beginning at 10 a.m. ET, our Center for Legal and Judicial Studies hosts its annual Scholars and Scribes Review the …
