Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

Marriage, Parentage, and the Constitution of the Family

Policymakers should adopt reforms to strengthen families and rebuild civil society as the engine of the greatest human goods.

Social Justice: Not What You Think It Is

For its proponents, "social justice" is usually undefined. Originally a Catholic term, first used about 1840 for a new kind of virtue (or habit) necessary for post-agrarian societies, the term has been bent by secular "progressive" thinkers to mean uniform state distribution of society's advantages and disadvantages. Social justice is really the capacity to organize with others to accomplish ends that benefit the whole community. If people are to live free of state control, they must possess this new virtue of cooperation and association. This is one of the great skills of Americans and, ultimately, the best defense against statism.

Twelve Anti-Family Gifts from Congress

There are at least a dozen detrimental policies included in the omnibus spending bill recently signed into law by the President.

Death Tax: Time to Kill It Forever

Congress should stick with current policy and permanently repeal the death tax once and for all. Abolition of this harmful tax will help spur economic recovery, put unemployed Americans back to work and increase the long-term growth potential of the economy.

Revenge of the Dirty Dozen: 12 Policies that Undermine Civil Society

Taken as a whole, these 12 policies serve to undermine traditional families, devalue life and human dignity, and weaken civil society in American life.

The Home Truth About Marriage and Family

With each new year comes a new State of the Union Address. Doubtless this year's address will focus on the economy. But as the president's speechwriters hunch over their keyboards to pound out drafts of this year's oration, they would do well to include some language about the state of our family unions.

Lessons From a Former Addict's Victory

He invited drug addicts into his home. So reads the obituary of Pastor Freddie Garcia, one of the great lights that left us in 2009 after nearly 40 years of ministry showing others the way.

How to Make Better News on Marriage

Prioritizing the health of marriage in public life begins with having the data to diagnose problems. But it also requires ideas to address the problems.

Same-Sex Marriage Would Force Departure of Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities is the social services arm of the Catholic Church, and each year 68,000 people in the District benefit from its work. However, some of these programs may be in jeopardy.

Assaulted by sex-ed

Much of what is being taught to our young girls and boys in sex-education classes is too graphic and vulgar to be quoted in the newspaper.

Culture wars and the political future of the U.S.

American soldiers engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan remind us that our debates about the state of American culture are far from actual "wars." Unlike other societies where division often leads to violence, we inherited a framework for resolving our differences according to shared principles and practices of constitutional government.