• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • federalism

    Kline and Rokita Unveil Rewrite of No Child Left Behind

    House Education and the Workforce Committee chairman John Kline (R–MN) and Representative Todd Rokita (R–IN) have introduced the Student Success Act (SSA)—a proposal to rewrite No Child Left Behind (NCLB). While restoring excellence in education will require more than a fix to the bureaucratic NCLB, Kline’s proposal makes some improvements … More

    Heritage Briefing: Internet Sales Tax

    With talk heating up for Congress to create an Internet sales tax, Heritage pulled in leading telecommunication and tax experts yesterday for a Capitol Hill briefing on the potential fallout that the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) could have on e-commerce. Katie McAuliffe, federal affairs manager for Americans for Tax … More

    The Good Ol’ Progressive Contempt for the Founding

    Any conservative who takes his bearings from America’s founding principles can’t help but miss the candor with which the early Progressives dismissed our founding documents as antiquated relics of a bygone era. Unlike liberal politicians from FDR onward who couch their statist agenda in the rhetoric of the Founding, Woodrow … More

    PBS Constitutional Road Trip: Smooth Ride with a Few Bumps

    This week, PBS premiered part one of a four-part series on the Constitution. In it, Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, rode around America astride a decked-out flag motorcycle to investigate the Constitution in modern America. And the first leg of his journey was surprisingly good. … More

    New Graduates Heading Back to Parents’ Houses

    As commencement season winds down, it’s discomfiting to think that almost half of new graduates know exactly where they’re headed when school’s out: Back to their parents’ homes. The Pew Research Center reports that 45 percent of college grads younger than 25 are “living with family.” That percentage is almost … More

    Senate Passes Marketplace Fairness Act: Real Battle to Be in the House

    Last night the Senate passed the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA), popularly known as the Internet sales tax, by a 69–27 margin. The troubling bill will now move over to the House. The bill would grant states the authority to force online retailers (with online sales over $1 million per … More

    Electric Cars and Crony Federalism

    Competition is good—but only when it encourages a “race to the top.” That’s true in business and among the states as well. Competition can encourage policy innovation. For example, Pennsylvania carefully (but reasonably) regulates hydraulic fracturing, and it is reaping the benefits as companies create jobs by safely extracting oil … More

    The Diversity of the Founding

    In the latest paper in the Makers of American Political Thought series, Colleen Sheehan looks at the long career of James Madison. In it, we see that “diversity” was a key component of the American Founding. Of course, Madisonian diversity had nothing to do with tallying up racial, ethnic, or … More

    Morning Bell: The Marriage Debate Through a Child’s Eyes

    Earlier this month, 11-year-old Grace Evans appeared before a panel of Minnesota lawmakers considering a redefinition of marriage in that state. She testified to the significance of her mother and father and the different contributions each makes to her life. Then she ended with a simple question: “Which parent do … More

    Marriage and Faux Federalism

    George Will opens his recent column criticizing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on federalism grounds by quoting from a 1948 Supreme Court case: “[U]nder the Constitution, the regulation and control of marital and family relationships are reserved to the States.” What he doesn’t point out is that the citation … More