Over the coming months, we will witness one of the most remarkable aspects of American political life — the peaceful transfer of political authority from one administration to another. Because this is commonplace in America, we tend to overlook the novelty of this phenomenon. However, Americans from our founding generation understood the significance of this fact. Many people have observed, approvingly, that the election of 1800 was the first time in human history that power shifted from one party to another without violence and bloodshed. One woman wrote at the …
National Journal’s health care experts’ blog today asked its contributors how the health care reform debate will change after Americans cast their votes tomorrow. Heritage’s Stuart Butler, vice president for domestic and economic policy studies, weighs in with this answer: It would indeed be wise for all those committed to major health reform to be cautious as they contemplate how to advance their agenda after the election. One lesson congressional Democrats should bear in mind is that ignoring the need for bipartisanship after a triumphant election is likely to doom …
In what some observers are calling a reshaping of Wall Street, two of the world’s largest investment banks, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, are set to disappear. Lehman has announced it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and Merrill Lynch was bought by Bank of America. For all the complicated financial instruments and relationships involved in the current financial turmoil, the underlying cause is still relatively simple: the bursting of the housing bubble. One market strategist told The New York Times: “We are in the grip of a vicious …
On the seventh anniversary of 9/11, an important movie tells the story of behind the censorship of “The Path to 9/11.” Written and directed by John Ziegler and produced by David Bossie of Citizens United, “Blocking the Path to 9/11” includes deleted footage from the ABC docudrama and commentary from those involved in the making of the film. Controversy over the docudrama erupted in 2006 after former President Bill Clinton and his liberal surrogates said the “The Path to 9/11″ inaccurately portrayed Clinton-era decisions in the hunt for Osama bin …
In his speech today on faith-based programs, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) proposed that religious groups cannot compete for government contracts unless they give up their freedom to consider religion in their hiring decisions, a radical proposal that effectively repeals Charitable Choice: In order to receive federal funds to provide social services, faith-based organizations … must comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Religious organizations that receive federal dollars cannot discriminate with respect to hiring for government-funded social service programs. This is a …
Since liberals took over Congress, they’ve chosen to abandon the pro-free trade policies of President Bill Clinton in the ’90s and embrace a neo-protectionism that is costing the U.S. economy millions and undercutting our reputation as a reliable ally in South America. Heritage scholars James Roberts and Ray Walser lay out just some of the costs: A race is on for influence and, ultimately, for power in the Western Hemisphere. Strangers from the Eastern Hemisphere, from China to Russia, from Europe to Iran, are interested in trade and secure supplies of resources, …
Remember back when some Democrats supported free trade? It was called the 90s. Of course, some Democrats still support free trade, but as Speaker Nancy Pelosi demonstrated yesterday, the protectionist wing of party is in full control today. The only Democrats that seem to support free trade today no longer have any power … like Bill Clinton who can be seen telling an audience in Colombia below that “the best thing we can do is to do the Andean Trade Pact, then finish the Free Trade” agreement with Colombia. Watch …
