As expected, “Palestine” succeeded in gaining membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on October 31 with a vote of 107 in favor, 14 against, and 52 abstentions. The result was a foregone conclusion after UNESCO’s 58-member executive board voted 40–4 with 14 abstentions earlier this month to let the membership bid proceed. Reportedly, a number of delegations laughed when Israel voted no on membership for Palestine, and loud applause erupted in the chamber following the final vote. It is unlikely, however, that this good cheer …
In an interview late last week, House Minority Leaeder Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told CNBC that Boeing should either unionize its production facilities in South Carolina, or shut them down entirely. “Do you think it’s right that Boeing has to close down that plant in South Carolina because it’s non union?” asked host Maria Bartiromo. Pelosi’s reply: “Yes.” The minority leader quickly added that she would rather it simply unionize and stay open. But barring unionization, by Pelosi’s reasoning, it should simply shut down. Boeing is the target of a suit …
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article citing 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly half (48.5 percent) of America’s population now lives in households that receive some sort of government benefit. That is nearly a 10 percent increase over the middle of the recession in 2008, when that number was 44.4 percent. The above graph illustrates the alarming rate at which Americans are becoming more dependent on government. It serves as a nice complement to this graph, showing the explosion of government spending since the “War on …
President Obama promised to run the most open and transparent Administration in history. However, his Department of Labor (DOL) just announced more regulations rolling back financial transparency for labor unions. Congress passed the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) in 1959 following hearings documenting links between labor unions and organized crime. The act requires unions to publicly disclose how they spend their members’ money. Congress believed that this would discourage malfeasance and enable union members to hold their leaders accountable. Until recently, however, the act did little to achieve these …
When the government-backed Solyndra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, policymakers supportive of the loan-guarantee program said variations of the following: “If this were a venture capital firm and only one out of 10 projects failed, they would be a great success.” That would be fine if it were private money, not taxpayer money. But now a second company is going under. Reuters reports: Beacon Power Corp filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, just a year after the energy storage company received a $43 million loan guarantee from a controversial Department of …
Thanks to Obamacare, Americans looking to tie the knot may find that it’s a lot cheaper to stay single. Last week, the House Oversight Committee released a report and held a hearing to unpack its subject matter: a hidden penalty on marriage created by the structure of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) tax subsidies for low- and middle-income Americans to purchase health insurance. Obamacare’s new tax subsidies are linked to the federal poverty level, discriminating against married couples by failing to increase proportionally with household size. Heritage …
Tomorrow, the highly anticipated math and reading scores of our nation’s 4th and 8th graders will be released as part of the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Often referred to as the nation’s “report card,” the NAEP provides a snapshot of the educational performance of students throughout the country, which can be used to track progress over time and inform education policy. But don’t hold your breath for any drastic increase in student achievement. Sadly, tomorrow’s results, like the results of the past 40 years, could end up …
For population control advocates, it’s fitting that the projected birth of the world’s seven billionth child falls on Halloween. To them, it’s a scary development that portends more risk of poverty, famine, and financial instability. From another point of view, however, “this baby is a boon.” That’s how Kathryn Lopez of National Review Online describes the event in her interview with Anna Halpine, founder and CEO of the World Youth Alliance (WYA). This year the pro-family international youth organization is focusing on Population & Economics: Investing in the Human Person. …
Just in time for Halloween, big government education advocates are rolling out frightening new education policies. On the K-12 front, Senators Tom Harkin (D–IA) and Mike Enzi (R–WY) have been busy creating a monster 1,000-page proposal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), now known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Rather than sending the failed ESEA/NCLB to the graveyard, where it belongs, they are trying to grow the dead hand of big-government education. After eight authorizations of ESEA—and trillions in taxpayer dollars—we have little to show in …
Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Alter really missed the mark last week with a commentary singing the praises of “The Obama Miracle, a White House Free of Scandal”, as the headline stated. Alter’s limited discussion of a couple of the scandals that have plagued the administration comes up short, while a laundry list of dishonest and ethically questionable policies escape mention. Obama, Alter declares, “has one asset that hasn’t received much attention: He’s honest.” Alter begins his piece with a reference to defunct solar company Solyndra. He insists the administration’s handling of …
