It turns out that if you question how the U.S. government defines poverty in America, the left doesn’t like it. Last week, Heritage’s Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield released a new report showing that according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, those defined as “poor” enjoy amenities you might not expect–air conditioning, cable TV, and Xbox game systems, among them. Though to most people, “poverty” implies material deprivation (meaning that people are homeless, hungry, or otherwise have a destitute standard of living), Rector says the reality is that the average poor American has a home that’s …
Today, The Heritage Foundation’s sister organization Heritage Action for America issued a letter to all Members of Congress regarding the debt limit impasse. Here is an excerpt: Our nation is in the midst of a fiscal crisis, but it is one that has nothing to do with an August 2 “deadline” for a deal or President Obama and Secretary Geithner’s fear mongering over recent days and weeks. The crisis is one of over $62 trillion in unfunded obligations that are the loudest warning bell possible of the systemic problems plaguing …
Americans tuning in last night to watch President Barack Obama’s primetime address from the East Room of the White House might have thought they stumbled upon yet another re-run from the networks. Instead of hearing news that Washington finally broke the debt ceiling stalemate, viewers were treated to more of the same from their President. He still had no plan for dealing with government overspending and overborrowing, and he repeated his never-ending call for tax hikes. Unfortunately, the plans proposed by House Speaker John Boehner (R–OH) and Senate Majority Leader Harry …
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hear testimony from six current and former Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents regarding the bureau’s botched “Fast and Furious” operation. The hearing will focus specifically on the effect the operation had in Mexico. Operation Fast and Furious involved the sale of thousands of firearms to straw buyers, who then brought those weapons into Mexico where they were sold to criminal organizations. The operation has set off a firestorm of controversy, and the Oversight Committee has been at the forefront of investigations into …
The Wall Street Journal this weekend documented several sad features of the federal government’s proliferation of poorly written criminal laws, many of which leave it to prosecutors to pick and choose which Americans to prosecute as criminals. The Journal chronicles the stories of a half dozen Americans who became the targets of unprincipled, amorphous federal criminal laws. Heritage’s One Nation Under Arrest tells several more. It is thus disturbing that Congress has recently and repeatedly been mounting efforts to shutter the few rays of light the U.S. Supreme Court has …
President Obama opened his speech to the National Council of La Raza yesterday by publicly acknowledging the Hispanic group’s close ties to the White House, a relationship that has aligned the two on nearly every policy issue during his presidency. “Right off the bat, I should thank you because I have poached quite a few of your alumni to work in my administration,” Obama said to laughter. “They’re all doing outstanding work. … Latinos serving at every level of my administration.” Those alumni have rewarded La Raza generously with taxpayer funding. …
The House Ways and Means Committee welcomes former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a 2008 Republican presidential candidate, to testify on alternative tax systems. The hearing will examine the value-added tax and FairTax. It will also explore consumption tax and the issues surrounding it. Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) will speak at today’s Bloggers Briefing at Heritage. The freshman lawmaker serves on the Budget, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Oversight & Government Reform committees. He will be joined by Iain Murray, CEI’s vice president for strategy, and author of “Stealing You Blind.” Finally, Sam …
It’s hard to understand why President Obama took to the airwaves tonight at prime time. He still has no plan for dealing with government overspending and overborrowing, and he gave the nation very little except a repetition of his never-ending call for tax hikes. In noting the risk of ever-increasing debt, President Obama said every family knows that “a little credit card debt is manageable.” The government has racked up $14.294 trillion in debt — thought of by no-one as a little credit card debt. The spend-tax-and-borrow crowd, currently headed …
As the day debt ceiling of reckoning fast approaches, dueling proposals are flurrying around Washington fast and furious. The latest two are from House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Americans, and global financial markets, are watching Washington nervously for a real plan—one that will put the nation squarely on a path to solving our twin crises of spending and debt. Without strong structural changes in spending, our debt will balloon out of control. At stake are two issues. The short-term is obvious – will there be …
In this week’s Heritage Libertad Radio Show on WBER in Fairfax, Virginia, we packed in a solid hour of the latest news and information. The first half is in Spanish, covering topics from the debt ceiling to the Latino community, and includes an interview with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R–FL). The second half is in English, covering topics from jobs to the debt ceiling fight, and includes an interview with Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC). Be sure to listen to the full show, here. Heritage Libertad will host its next show on …
