After dreadfully low growth in the last quarter of 2012—just 0.4 percent—gross domestic product (GDP) returned to a healthier rate of growth of 2.5 percent in the first three months of 2013. The autumn’s drop in private inventories was reversed as companies stockpiled more goods in anticipation of future consumer …
If confirmed as the next Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, Dr. Ernest Moniz will take over an agency that has increasingly injected itself into making investment decisions with taxpayer money that would be more efficiently made by the private sector. The Heritage Foundation disagrees with many of the policy recommendations …
A recent news report was headlined: “Lawmakers, business groups balk at trade deal with protectionist Japan.” A more accurate title would have been: “Protectionist U.S. lawmakers, special-interest groups balk at trade deal with Japan.” Over 40 Members of Congress recently wrote to President Obama to express concern about allowing Japan …
On February 26, the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights issued a white paper on the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which concludes that “the proposed ATT is consistent with the Second Amendment.” This conclusion neglects important facts about the treaty and the processes surrounding it, which we will …
The latest trade deficit figures are out, and, as always, most reports fail to accurately explain what these numbers mean. Consider the following widely reported statement: A narrower trade gap boosts growth because it means U.S. companies are earning more from overseas sales while U.S. consumers and businesses are spending …
Heritage Foundation President Dr. Edwin Feulner is in South Korea on Monday attending the inauguration of Park Geun-hye as that nation’s new president and successor to Lee Myung-bak. Feulner has remained a stalwart advocate for Korea-U.S. relations for more than 40 years, and in that time has met with every …
The Obama Administration recently announced its intention to begin negotiations on an agreement to expand international trade in the services industry, such as the telecommunications, banking, and insurance sectors. According to a letter from U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R–OH), the White House …
Greenville, South Carolina, is the ninth-fastest growing city in the United States, according to CNN Money. Two of the main contributors to this rapid growth are trade liberalization (free trade) and foreign direct investment. The upstate of South Carolina, which includes the city of Greenville and small towns of Spartanburg …
On February 8, the government will release data on imports and exports for 2012. This annual release often ignites a misguided debate about trade deficits. A recent news report perpetuated a popular misstatement about how international trade works: Net imports suck cash out of the economy, subtracting from gross domestic …
Commuters on Washington, D.C.’s Metro system may finally have something to look forward to on their commutes other than broken escalators and single-tracking. By 2014, Metro plans on introducing state-of-the-art new rail cars that include LCD screens and ergonomic designs. While these new features may sound exciting, the cost is …
