North Carolinians, like many Americans, are concerned that opening the door to foreign companies will result in the loss of jobs, hurting the economic livelihood of the state and its residents. North Carolina’s elected officials have reflected their concerns on free trade through their voting patterns. Both the voters and their representatives should rethink their position on free trade. While expanding on trade relations with other countries may, in some circumstances, lead to a decrease in employment for certain sectors, the overall benefits far outweigh the costs. North Carolina continues …
It hasn’t been a good week for the Environmental Protection Agency, and today’s Washington Post editorial page didn’t make it any better. On Monday, EPA Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz resigned after video emerged in which he likened the agency’s “philosophy of enforcement” to Roman crucifixions. Today, The Post took up the issue of the EPA’s zealous enforcement overreach and slammed the agency for “earning a reputation for abuse.” On Armendariz’s “Roman” Remarks, The Post opined: The most reasonable interpretation is also among the most disturbing — that Mr. Armendariz …
A few weeks ago, around Tax Day, Heritage started warning of Taxmageddon—a one-year, $494 billion tax hike that slams the economy on January 1, 2013, unless Congress and President Obama act to stop it. At that time, Taxmageddon was merely a blip on Washington’s radar, because the conventional wisdom was that Congress and the President would deal with it in the lame duck period after the November election. We argued then that this was a bad idea. The uncertainty plaguing the economy today because of Taxmageddon lingering in the near …
In recent days, the international spotlight on Chen Guangcheng, the Chinese lawyer and human rights activist who has spent his life trying to expose and stop forced abortions and sterilizations in China, has refocused attention on coercive population control programs. Meanwhile, the 45th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) met at the U.N. last week to discuss the priority theme of adolescents and youth. The CPD meeting, typically a favorite of population-control activists and radical feminists, was no different this year. In UN parlance, “sustainable development” is …
During a recent missile defense conference in Moscow, Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov stated, “A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens.” Makarov was referring to U.S. plans to deploy its missile defenses in Europe to protect allies and forward-deployed troops. Russia’s threat exemplifies why the U.S. and allies need missile defenses: to protect themselves from such blackmail. Makarov’s outrageous threat raises questions about Russia’s seriousness as a partner for President Obama’s hallowed “reset” policy. It should give a pause to the …
On Monday, the Obama Administration signaled that another part of its signature health care law may not be working out as planned. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) put an end to a program that offered a $100 incentive to insurance brokers and agents for recommending eligible people to Obamacare’s Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP). Obamacare created the PCIP, commonly called a high-risk pool, as a temporary way to cover those with pre-existing or chronic conditions before 2014, when insurance companies will be prohibited from excluding people based …
Voters in five European countries—France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Serbia—go to the polls on May 6. Election outcomes, particularly in France and Greece, are likely to ratchet up uncertainty about the future of the European Union. In a somber, warning tone, a group of concerned French economists penned a public appeal for an informed decision on the country’s critical Sunday election. Making a strong case that France “should know better than to elect François Hollande,” they remind voters: Socialism has never succeeded in its extreme form, communism. As the past …
Meet Obama’s ideal woman. Her name is Julia. As told by Obama’s latest ad campaign, Julia’s parents didn’t teach her the alphabet or how to make friends; Head Start did. Her parents didn’t need to save for college, because she got a government grant and student loans (which she’ll spend a good portion of her adult life paying back). Her first job as a graphic designer didn’t have benefits, but that’s okay, because government provided free health care (since she couldn’t stay on her parents’ plan). Julia had free birth …
This is the last of our four-part series on Occupy Wall Street, transcribed from a recent Heritage Foundation event on the movement. In part four, Eric Teetsel, executive director of the Manhattan Declaration, explains why he’s hopeful about the Occupy movement. Teetsel believes some Occupiers, particularly young members of the movement, are headed in the right direction but need a helping hand on issues such as free enterprise, individual liberty, the rule of law and moral realism. Part 4: Capitalist Evangelism I was talking to my friend about this event …
