House Cloakroom: October 24 – October 28 Analysis: This week the House will take up two important changes to the tax code. The first would change the way income is calculated when with respect to eligibility requirements for certain healthcare tax benefits. The second would end the 3% withholding on payments to businesses by the government. This second bill has already failed in a cloture vote in the Senate, but is expected to fair better in the House. Major Floor Action: HR 2576: – To amend the Internal Revenue Code …
Last week, The Heritage Foundation hosted a very timely discussion on the future of the U.S.–Thailand Alliance featuring well-known Southeast Asia experts Catharin Dalpino of Simmons College, Kelley Currie from the Project 2049 Institute, and Walter Lohman, director of Heritage’s Asian Studies Center. Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S.–Thailand Alliance, despite ample cooperation across several critical areas, has drifted, victim to the changing strategic environment in Asia, the political instability in Thailand, and the divided attention of U.S. policymakers. As Lohman highlighted in his opening remarks, “at …
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi visited Turkey over the weekend and met with Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davuto?lu. On a very broad agenda—which included a formal retraction from Davuto?lu stating that he did, in fact, take seriously U.S. claims that Iran was involved in a plot to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington—was the issue of missile defense. As a NATO member and U.S. ally, Turkey has agreed to host an early warning radar as part of a joint U.S.–NATO missile defense system. However, Iran has repeatedly criticized Turkey’s …
Whatever became of President Barack Obama’s vaunted foreign policy czars, who were to transform America’s international relations through soft power diplomacy? The answer is nothing good. One by one the czars have fallen by the wayside, leaving a trail of bureaucratic irritation and diplomatic failure behind them. The Administration now at least tacitly acknowledges that the whole operation was a mistake. Last week’s resignation of Stephen Bosworth as special representative for North Korea marks a milestone in the czars’ decline and fall. In the words of Foreign Policy magazine’s blog, …
The illegal immigration of Mexicans to the U.S. has “sputtered to a trickle” due to an increase in economic and educational opportunities in Mexico coupled with a surge in border violence. At least, that is what The New York Times reported earlier this year. Ignoring that the apprehension of 447,500 illegal immigrants along the southwest border in fiscal year 2010 can hardly be called “trickle,” has the economy in Mexico really seen such drastic improvements that economic conditions are pushing fewer and fewer Mexican citizens to head to the U.S.? …
Last week, a federal judge approved a settlement agreement that will help ensure that religious freedom is respected at the Houston National Cemetery and other national cemeteries around the country. Several veterans groups, represented by the Texas-based Liberty Institute, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agreed to a consent decree that requires the VA to acknowledge the religious freedom rights of veterans’ groups and families and allow the inclusion of religious language and prayers in military burials. The rifle salute, the solemn playing of Taps, and the presentation …
Russia is bemoaning the passing of Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi, an old friend and client of the Soviet Union and a reliable customer for Russian arms sales. But Qadhafi belongs to the 20th century. In the 21st, Russia has new interests in Africa, and the Libyan strongman’s passing will not derail them for long. Russia is creating a new economic platform that will allow cross-investment between its members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). The Wall Street Journal reports that exchanges from Brazil, Russia, India, Hong Kong, and …
As marriage rates plummet and the percentage of intact families sharply declines, experiments that challenge the fundamental nature of the family are adding to the chaos that threatens civil society. A new report released this month by the Institute for American Values and the Commission on Parenthood’s Future explores the impact on children of such experimental arrangements throughout the world. The findings are cause for concern. The spectrum of associations referred to as “families” ranges from single parenthood by choice to networks of multiple adults called “parents.” Often masking the …
Bahrain and Syria are countries ruled by sectarian minorities. Bahrain’s Sunni royal family rules over a Shia majority whereas the Assad regime, which rules over a Sunni majority, belongs to the tiny Alawite sect. While this division has exacerbated both of the uprisings, the similarities end here. Bahrain’s royal family has reacted to the protests through a combination of force and negotiation, whereas Assad, who lacks the same degree of popular legitimacy, has sought the brutal repression of the opposition movement. Bahrain. Despite attempts by Bahrain’s monarchy to engage the …
The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on America’s economic relations with China. This is easier said than done—there’s a lot of ground to cover. One topic gets the most attention, of course: China’s currency policy. We should all hope that the committee can move beyond currency. More than enough time has been wasted on this. There is no real relationship between the exchange rate and our unemployment rate. And there are plenty of other things to talk about. On China’s side, there are a number …
