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    Time to Rethink Federal Highway Trust Fund Spending

    The Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which funds most surface interstate transportation programs, from roads to bridges, faces insolvency in a few short years. In a House Budget Hearing today, one witness—Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation—offered lawmakers a near-term solution akin to what The Heritage Foundation has proposed: Recommit HTF … More

    Can’t Afford a New Car? Washington Partly to Blame

    The average price of a new car in 2012 was $30,500. Wondering why? One contributing factor is the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. All models from a single manufacturer must reach an average of 35.3 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016 and 54.5 mpg by 2025. The current … More

    Morning Bell: See America’s Ranking in the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom

    When we talk about “economic freedom,” what do we mean—and why does it matter? Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labor and property. In an economically free society, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they … More

    Kaiser Study on Medicare Assumes Seniors Don’t Like Lower Prices

    The Kaiser Family Foundation just released a study that grossly misrepresents the premium-support model of Medicare reform and apparently misunderstands normal market dynamics and the differences between efficiency, choice, and higher premiums. The Kaiser study assumes that an entire class of Americans—senior citizens—is insensitive to price. In reality, seniors are … More

    What Productivity Really Means

    A recent Heritage post responded to an article in The New York Times that suggested we be less productive. One comment challenged our rebuttal: The takeaway you should have gotten is that we are so addicted to the concept of efficiency that we forget that in some instances being more … More

    VIDEO: How Rep. Darrell Issa Would Save the U.S. Postal Service

    The U.S. Postal Service faces a bleak future without reform. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), a successful businessman before coming to Congress, has just the plan to save it from financial collapse. Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, spoke at Heritage yesterday about the Postal Service’s problems … More

    And Then There Was Light: Will Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs Increase Energy Use?

    It seemed so simple: To reduce energy use, Americans must abandon the old-fashioned incandescent light bulb in favor of new energy-efficient lighting. Congress even passed legislation in 2007 mandating a phase-out of the familiar “Edison” bulb in the name of saving energy. Now comes a study concluding that energy-efficient lighting … More