Innovation and market disruption can be powerful forces for economic growth. But government involvement in the market tends to be a force against disruption, and hence a force against innovation. The drive to protect the dominant companies – often justified in the name of job preservation — prevents success for companies that offer better, cheaper, or different products or services. The European Union received a frank lesson in these economic truths when it brought Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary to speak at its recent innovation convention. In a rousing and thoroughly …
Be sure to listen to Matt Spalding discuss the history and importance of Christmas in America. Tune in here! How did early Americans celebrate Christmas? Since Christmas is also a time of giving, what are traditional ways Americans have done so? Is there a particular story about Christmas from the founding or other times in America that is relevant today? Be sure to tune in to hear Spalding answer these questions and more!
“Occupy” protesters wear their movement’s leaderless decentralization on their collective sleeve. The attitude fits with a group that claims “democracy” as its chief political end. But it also makes ascertaining their conctete political objectives far more difficult, since, in theory, there can be no established political platform. Polling conducted at some of the Occupy tent cities offers a glimpse into the views of the protesters. But market research firm Frontier Lab decided to look a bit deeper into what drives the protesters. Scribe sat down for an interview with Frontier …
The plastic bag police scored a victory in Seattle this week. The liberal enclave imposed a ban on plastic bags and a 5-cent tax on paper bags, joining other major cities in the latest nanny-state crackdown sweeping the nation. Seattle’s ban applies to all grocery, retail and convenience stores. It exempts farmers’ markets, however. The ordinance takes effect in July 2012. Seattle’s action comes three years after the City Council tried to impose a 20-cent tax on all bags. That idea was shot down by voters in a referendum. It’s …
It’s easy to complain in the midst of a stressful holiday season. But my family has a unique remedy: We remember one special Christmas in 1919 that gave us the freedom and liberty we enjoy today. This will be the 89th anniversary of the year my father celebrated Christmas Eve deep in the snow-laden woods of Russia as he fled the Communist takeover of his homeland. When I tell people that my father was an officer in the White Army who fought the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war, they …
Let us turn one more time to Ronald Reagan, in his centennial year, for some Christmas cheer. President Reagan loved America, his shining city on a hill, but he loved one thing—or rather one person—more: Nancy, his wife of more than 50 years. Theirs was a marriage of affection and devotion and commitment, captured in this Christmas letter of December 1980 addressed to “My Beloved First Lady.” I do not think it is possible to read it without a tear or two or more. December 25, 1980 My Beloved First …
Chinese officials have recently been discussing the possibility of establishing a naval facility in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. Unlike the comments made by Chinese Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo last year when he raised the prospect of China establishing overseas naval bases, however, these comments appear to be approved by the Chinese leadership. China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean region, often referred to as the “string of pearls,” has raised concerns from New Delhi to Washington. As Chinese companies have built port facilities in Burma, Bangladesh, Sri …
As Christmas approaches, malls and big-box stores are packed with parents seeking that special gift that will bring a smile to their children’s faces. Yet the greatest gift they can give will not be found in a store, though it does require substantial investment. The best present that parents can give is their presence: It’s a gift that will have far-reaching and long-term benefits for their children’s well-being. As research briefs on Heritage’s FamilyFacts.org demonstrate, children whose parents are present at key times in the day—when they wake up, go …
Gratitude, it’s been observed, is a hallmark conservative virtue. We prize the heritage passed down to us through the generations. We look beyond ourselves to the wisdom of the ages to shape our outlook and to the enduring principles of America’s founding to ground our decisions today. Gratitude for what we’ve received makes us respond by giving, especially at this season. This year, the season of gifts is particularly poignant, as Heritage research fellow Ryan Messmore writes in an op-ed this week: Christmastime is a season of gratitude. Whether it’s …
Marine Master Sgt. Robert Allen sings a song he wrote for his wife for Christmas. Allen is deployed in Afghanistan, and we’re proud to share this video with you today. Our thoughts and prayers are with our armed forces stationed around the world this holiday season. We thank them for their sacrifice in defending our freedoms and keeping us safe.
