Various news outlets are reporting that Rod Beckstrom, chief executive of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), intends to leave the organization next July. For those who are not familiar with ICANN, the organization is a nonprofit corporation charged with regulating and managing the Domain Name System under which Internet Protocol addresses and registration of top-level domains (such as .org and .com) are assigned. “Governance” of the medium has been historically minimal—led by nongovernmental entities and overseen by the U.S. government, which has exercised a light regulatory …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. And check out the new e-newsletter from Ben Domenech, a research fellow for The Heartland Institute. It’s called The Transom and you can subscribe here. A malfunctioning ‘reset’ – Ed Feulner, Washington Times The Super-Rich Can Always Choose Not to Be Coddled – Michael G. Franc, National Review Online Government dollars fuel wealth – Annie Gowen, Washington Post Regulation Business, Jobs Booming Under Obama – John Merline, Investor’s Business Daily Compromise, …
In case you missed it, here is audio of Heritage Libertad Radio from August 7. Topics included the new jobs numbers, the economy, and a discussion with Heritage expert James Gattuso on the increasing number of government regulations. We also answered a number of member questions on air, including: When will we know who is on the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) created by Obamacare to review Medicare? How long will the terms of IPAB members be? To whom will IPAB answer? Are the Bush tax cuts responsible for the majority …
Tune in here at noon ET on Sunday to listen to Heritage Radio. Topics will include the new job numbers, the economy, and a discussion with Heritage expert James Gattuso on the increasing number of government regulations. We will also be answering a number of member questions on air including: When will we know who the 15 members of the IPAB of Obamacare? How long will their terms be? Whom do they answer to? Are the Bush tax cuts responsible for the majority of our deficits today? And how do conservatives …
Here’s a simple test for whether the President is serious about jobs and the economy: Does he rein in the Environmental Protection Agency? With the debt ceiling issue resolved for the time being, President Obama has stated his intention to “pivot” to focus on jobs and the economy. Economic growth is stagnant, and unemployment is at unacceptable levels—and that’s not even including millions of discouraged people who have dropped out of the workforce altogether. Jobs and economic growth are the right focus. But there is, understandably, some skepticism that the …
America is drowning in a torrent of red tape. According to our new report, there have been 15 new major regulations issued in just the first six months of the 2011 fiscal year and a total of $38 billion in new annual regulatory costs since the start of the Obama Administration. Click here to join the chat! We are joined Heritage Expert Diane Katz and she is taking your questions about the Regulatory State, how it affects our lives, and what can be done about. Be sure to also check …
The nation’s capital is wracked by indecision these days. Raise the debt limit, or no? Don’t ask, don’t tell, or do? And, how will President Obama obfuscate this week on Syria, Libya, Pakistan, Egypt, or Iran? But take heart, dear citizens, all is not so murky. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has settled on how to distinguish serious injuries from non-serious injury to seals, dolphins, whales, and their Cetacean kin. The task is in keeping with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which requires the good folks at the NMFS …
States are desperate for ways to make their budgets more cost-effective. Illinois found a way—but the federal government won’t let the state implement a requirement that would help repair its faulty Medicaid system. Federal government health care laws are preventing a new Medicaid ID requirement—passed by bipartisan majorities in the state—from going into effect. The legislation gained the support of Republican and Democratic caucuses in the state with Rep. Patti Bellock (R-Westmont) and Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) moving the bill forth. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed it into law. …
Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) officially opened its doors in Washington, making it the first major new federal agency in nearly 10 years. Americans should take notice, and they ought to be concerned. Heritage’s Diane Katz explains in The Daily Caller that the sheer scope of the agency’s power–and its lack of accountability–poses concerns for every American: This is a regulatory agency with unparalleled powers, including consolidated and expanded regulatory authority over credit and debit cards, mortgages, student loans, savings and checking accounts, and most every other consumer …
According to many experts, the United States stands to be the Saudi Arabia of natural gas production. Last month, the New York Times reported otherwise, questioning the economics of shale gas extraction and overstating the amount of gas available in the vast formation in the United States. The story included links to hundreds of e-mails from some independent energy executives and state geologists calling shale gas a Ponzi scheme and inducing fears of another Enron-like scandal or a subprime mortgage crisis. Yesterday, the Energy Information Administration’s Howard Gruenspecht testified Tuesday …
