This Thursday, the National Football League will kick off its 77th annual draft. By Saturday, 253 young men will be on their way to achieving their version of the American Dream. But there is one man for whom this year’s draft may be even more special. Jacksonville Jaguar’s new owner Shahid Khan will spend his first draft inside the situation room as he continues to fulfill his own American Dream. A native of Pakistan, Khan came to the United States in the winter of 1967 with nothing but an acceptance …
Should conservative leaders be talking about social issues? Do conservative positions on these issues still appeal to Americans? Jeffrey Bell, author of The Case for Polarized Politics: Why America Needs Social Conservatism, visited The Heritage Foundation on Friday to make the case that they do. His book discusses the fight for socially conservative values that has been going on since the 1960s as a result of the leftward cultural change in many institutions and the sexual revolution. The first question to be addressed is why the left chose to start …
If we were to grade our presidents on an A-F scale, which ones would make the cut? While most contemporary books about presidents focus on leadership and personality, author Steven F. Hayward prefers a different approach – how closely each president adheres to the Constitution. He recently discussed this approach while promoting his new book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents: From Wilson to Obama, at the Heritage Foundation (video above). Why start with Wilson and not Washington? Hayward explains: There are really two main presidencies to think of …
Wonder if it’s too hot to go outside at your workplace? Don’t bother checking the thermometer or stepping outside—the federal government has the answer for you. And it’s only costing taxpayers $643,997.60. Josh Peterson of the Daily Caller reports that the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is due to release a smartphone app that uses temperature and humidity data to warn workers if it is too hot outside. According to OSHA’s website, the “Heat Safety Tool”—available for Android, Blackberry and iPhone—“allows workers and supervisors to calculate …
As we celebrate the 101st birthday of President Ronald Reagan, we remember the profound impact he had on government policy, but more importantly on the spirit of the American people. Whether it was through humor, sincerity, or passion, President Reagan had that rare ability to inspire individuals to strive for their greatest potential and positively impact the country. Here are 10 of his most memorable quotations: Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong. Don’t be afraid to see what you see. …
Should the government regulate sugar so that Americans consume less of it? Does Jay Leno need to eat more fruits and vegetables? According to the calorie nannies, both are good ideas – regardless of whether or not we the people – or Leno – want the government dictating our diet. Let’s start with sugar. Laura Schmidt, a coauthor of a “groundbreaking” discovery that too much sugar is bad for the body, yesterday posted an opinion piece on CNN.com advocating for a government crackdown on nature’s sweetener, informing consumers of its …
Today, Senators Jim DeMint (R–SC) and Mike Lee (R–UT) introduced legislation that would move the United States a giant step forward in making our country’s energy market freer by eliminating targeted tax credits for energy sources and technologies. Their legislation, a companion to Representative Mike Pompeo’s (R–KS) bill, would force any tax policy that picks certain industries as winners and losers in the market to expire at the end of the year and expedite sunsets for tax credits extending multiple years. And it goes after all targeted tax credits: oil, …
Yesterday, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) spoke at The Heritage Foundation as part of National School Choice Week and to mark the release of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Report Card on American Education. The report ranks America’s K-12 schools in terms of performance and progress over the past year, as well as reforms and education policies. Senator DeMint says that in seeking to improve education, policymakers could take some lessons from the free market — a system that has served America well: “We were the only country that was …
Tensions are rising in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has recently yet again threatened to close the strategic strait down over the threats from the European Union to impose an embargo on buying Iranian oil. The Europeans want to do that as a part of increasing efforts by the West to halt Tehran’s nuclear program. If Tehran blockades the strait, through which 40 percent of world’s oil is shipped, such an action would have a major impact on the prices of oil and the world economy. Iran has used its …
Yesterday in Walt Disney World, the land “where dreams come true,” President Barack Obama appeared before Cinderella’s Castle to announce his latest plan to boost jobs in America–an effort to increase tourism to the United States. His announcement came one day after he flat out said “NO” to another plan that would have directly created at least 20,000 truly shovel-ready jobs–and 179,000 American jobs by 2035–while bringing more than 700,000 barrels of oil to the United States each day. That plan was the Keystone XL pipeline. Had the President approved …
