Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

The Iranian Elections and Public Diplomacy 2.0: A Tale of Untapped Potential

As demonstrated by the activities coinciding with Obama’s speech, the U.S. government has seized on the possibilities of cutting-edge communication.

Stronger Welfare Work Requirements Can Help Ailing State Budgets

Although the elimination of a state TANF program would not have the disastrous effect that some might expect, there are other less controversial ways for states to save substantial funds within their welfare programs.

A Free and Just Society

The institutions of civil society are important because they are neither created nor controlled by the state. While public funding requires accountability and some services require training, skills, and a professional approach, this is entirely within the capability of the voluntary sector. Government should not be allowed to seduce community groups into becoming its mouthpiece or an extension of itself.

Proposed Decrease in Charitable Tax Deduction Crowds Out Civil Society

President Barack Obama’s proposal to raise taxes and reduce charitable deductions for the wealthy mistakenly suggests that government bureaucracy can deploy citizens’ resources more effectively than nonprofit civil society organizations can. It moves the dial of social responsibility one more notch in the direction of the state at the expense of local institutions that serve the poor more personally and efficiently.

Renewing Conservatism: Lessons from Britain

Emphasizing social policy means rediscovering the conservatism of Edmund Burke. There will be no sustainable reduction in the size of the state if civil society doesn’t become stronger, nurturing self-sufficient and vigorous citizens; no possibility of light-touch regulation if certain moral values are absent from our culture; and no competitive economy if families don’t encourage their children to learn and excel.

Change views on marriage

From reality show stars like Jon and Kate Gosselin to politicians to the folks next door--what we thought were the most solid of marriages are falling apart.

Using God as father's guide

The facts are brutally painful -- More than 25 million children in America live in homes where fathers are absent. Millions more have experienced emotional wounds so deep at the hands of their dads it seems as if they can never break free from the bondage of suffering and bitterness.

Reliable dads deserve respect

Recently I saw a MasterCard commercial in which a preteen son arrogantly "teaches" the father environmental lessons while grocery shopping. Right.

To whom honor is due

Everybody loves a hero. But pop culture spends so much time worshipping athletes and Hollywood stars that many of our children don't know a true hero from an impostor.

Fighting admen for teens' minds

Today's adolescents spend an estimated $200 billion a year of their own money. They are the most affluent generation of young people in the history of the world, which also makes them the most marketed to.

Sex-ed texting threat to teens

There's yet another organized effort by sex "experts" to indoctrinate your children into their worldview without your permission or knowledge. Different from "sexting," where pre-teens and teens electronically send and receive semi-nude or nude photos of themselves, "sex texting" is promoted and run by adults.