May 15, 2008
Federal Funds and State Fiscal Independence
By Sven R. Larson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2136)
If the present trend in federal aid to states continues, federally sponsored programs will soon eclipse state budgets and turn the federal government into the ...
May 14, 2008
Improving Education in the Nation's Capital: Expanding School Choice
By Dan Lips and Evan Feinberg
(Backgrounder #2137)
Over the past decade, the District of Columbia has made strides in offering families greater choice about which schools their children attend, thanks to a ...
May 14, 2008
Blocking Medicaid Rules: Hurting Families and Taxpayers Alike
By Daniel Patrick Moloney, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1924)
Congress is about to make a bad decision on Medicaid that will affect taxpayers and families alike. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), ...
May 13, 2008
From Good Intentions to Bad AIDS Policy: The Moral Hazards of Redesigning PEPFAR
By Daniel Patrick Moloney, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1921)
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has received praise from across the political spectrum, both for its principles and for its successes in ...
May 13, 2008
The U.S. Should Oppose Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian Masters in Lebanon
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1922)
As President Bush prepares to travel to the Middle East, Lebanon's survival as a multi-ethnic, multi-denominational state is at stake. Hezbollah, the Shi'ite terrorist army ...
May 13, 2008
Mandatory Public-Safety Collective Bargaining Could be Made Less Onerous
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1923)
Many Members of Congress want to require state and local governments to bargain collectively with police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Congress should not deny ...
May 13, 2008
How Reforms in Mexico Could Make the U.S. More Secure
By James M. Roberts and Israel Ortega
(Backgrounder #2135)
Failures in Mexico's economic model have pushed millions of unemployed workers toward the U.S., creating a crisis on both sides of the border. President Felipe ...
May 13, 2008
Executive Summary: How Reforms in Mexico Could Make the U.S. More Secure
By James M. Roberts and Israel Ortega
(Executive Summary #2135)
Failures in Mexico's economic model have pushed millions of unemployed workers toward the U.S., creating a crisis on both sides of the border. President Felipe ...
May 12, 2008
Seven Reasons to Veto the Farm Bill
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2134)
Since the enactment of the last farm bill in 2002, crop prices and net farm income have more than doubled. Yet the new farm bill ...
May 12, 2008
The Economic Costs of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Change Legislation
By William W. Beach, David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., Ben Lieberman, and Nicolas D. Loris
(Center for Data Analysis Report #08-02)
The Lieberman-Warner climate change bill is, in many respects, an unprecedented proposal. Its limits on CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions would impose significant costs ...
May 12, 2008
Congress Should Not Tamper with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1920)
Congress is about to legislate that the U.S. government stop purchasing oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Some believe that this would bring gasoline ...
May 12, 2008
Just War and Endgame Objectives in Iraq
By Joseph Capizzi, Ph.D., and Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1081)
The just war theory connects the use of military force to politics, reminding statesmen that war and politics serve the same goals—namely, justice, order, and ...
May 8, 2008
China's Undervalued Currency Benefits Americans
By Ambassador Terry Miller
(WebMemo #1919)
Politicians looking for quick fixes to perceived U.S. economic ills have focused yet again on trade. The China Currency Manipulation Act of 2008 was introduced ...
May 7, 2008
NATO: "Finding a Way Ahead"
By Dr. Liam Fox, MP
(Heritage Lecture #1083)
The controversy surrounding the Lisbon Treaty should be viewed as a warning. It must be very clear on both sides of the Atlantic that NATO ...
May 7, 2008
The Best U.S. Export-Promotion Strategy: Free Trade
By Daniella Markheim
(Heritage Lecture #1084)
U.S. government programs that subsidize risk offer above-market returns by privatizing gains while socializing losses. Advancing freer trade through a comprehensive and substantive conclusion to ...
May 7, 2008
The Rulemaking Process and Unitary Executive Theory
By James L. Gattuso
(Testimony )
The Rulemaking Process and Unitary Executive Theory
May 6, 2008
The Bucharest Summit: NATO and the Future of the Transatlantic Alliance
By Kurt Volker
(Heritage Lecture #1082)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces diverse threats, such as terrorism, proliferation, and the consequences of failed states. NATO must sharpen its focus on ...
May 6, 2008
Meeting Energy Challenges in the Western Hemisphere
By Ray Walser, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1079)
Meeting the nation’s petroleum needs from affordable and secure sources is vital for national security. The best guarantee for future energy security remains a stable, ...
May 6, 2008
Consumer Product Safety Database Poses Risks
By Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1915)
The panic over lead-contaminated toys revealed a serious shortcoming in safety efforts: Consumers, particularly parents, lack trusted sources to turn to for detailed information on ...
May 6, 2008
H-1B Workers: Highly Skilled, Highly Needed
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1916)
H-1B visas enable businesses to temporarily hire highly skilled immigrants to fill vital positions. Immigration opponents argue that workers on H-1B visas are not especially ...
May 6, 2008
Russia's Presidential Transition: Vladimir Putin Remains in Charge
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1917)
Amid Kremlin pomp and circumstance, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev will be inaugurated the third president of Russia on May 7. His presidency, however, is likely to ...
May 6, 2008
H.R. 5830, the Frank–Dodd FHA Refinance Plan, Is Still the Wrong Policy for the Housing Mess
By David C. John
(WebMemo #1918)
Chairman Barney Frank (D–MA) of the House Financial Services Committee has proposed H.R. 5830, which would use the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to refinance at-risk ...
May 6, 2008
The FCC's Cross-Ownership Rule: Turning the Page on Media
By James L. Gattuso
(Backgrounder #2133)
Critics of the FCC’s decision to allow newspapers to be owned jointly with TV and radio stations under certain limited circumstances argue that cross-ownership would ...
May 3, 2008
April Jobs Report Provides a Glimmer of Sunlight
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1914)
The American economy continued to shed jobs in April due to the housing market crash, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ payroll survey, ...
May 2, 2008
The U.S. Is Right to Shun the U.N. Human Rights Council
By Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #1910)
The U.N. Human Rights Council is a sham that does not effectively promote or protect human rights. Until the Council takes its responsibilities seriously--censuring major ...
May 2, 2008
The Medicaid Regulations: Stopping the Abuse of Taxpayers' Dollars
By Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1911)
Congress may soon undermine efforts to instill integrity into the Medicaid program by weakening important safeguards against its abuse. These safeguards are embodied in seven ...
May 2, 2008
Ethanol and Other Biofuels: A Global Warming Solution Worse Than the Problem
By Ben Lieberman
(WebMemo #1912)
There are risks to global warming policy as well as risks to global warming, and although the former could be costlier than the latter, they ...
May 2, 2008
Magnequench: CFIUS and China's Thirst for U.S. Defense Technology
By John J. Tkacik, Jr.
(WebMemo #1913)
One of Senator Hillary Clinton's Asia policy advisers quit her presidential campaign several days ago, complaining that the candidate was engaging in "gratuitous China bashing." ...
May 2, 2008
The Crisis in the Andes: Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela
By Ray Walser, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1080)
On March 1, 2008, the Colombian military eliminated a key leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in a raid on a camp in ...
May 2, 2008
Free Trade Agreements: Promoting Prosperity in 2008
By Daniella Markheim
(Backgrounder #2132)
Congress has an opportunity to help America reap the rewards of free trade. If lawmakers can separate myth from fact and assess upcoming trade initiatives ...
May 1, 2008
The U.S. Should Reject the U.N. "Responsibility to Protect" Doctrine
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2130)
Advocates of "responsibility to protect" believe that the international community has an obligation to intervene, militarily if necessary, in another country to prevent acts of ...
May 1, 2008
Executive Summary: The U.S. Should Reject the U.N. "Responsibility to Protect" Doctrine
By Steven Groves
(Executive Summary #2130)
Advocates of "responsibility to protect" believe that the international community has an obligation to intervene, militarily if necessary, in another country to prevent acts of ...
May 1, 2008
Yucca Mountain Remains Critical to Spent Nuclear Fuel Management
By Jack Spencer and Nicolas Loris
(Backgrounder #2131)
Nuclear energy can be clean, safe, and affordable, but managing spent nuclear fuel has been a political sticking point for the advancement of nuclear energy ...
April 30, 2008
The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Strengthening a Good Friend in a Rough Neighborhood
By James M. Roberts
(Backgrounder #2129)
On April 10, the congressional leadership forced a vote that has indefinitely delayed consideration of the U.S.–Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Defeat of this agreement would ...
April 30, 2008
Executive Summary: The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Strengthening a Good Friend in a Rough Neighborhood
By James M. Roberts
(Executive Summary #2129)
On April 10, the congressional leadership forced a vote that has indefinitely delayed consideration of the U.S.–Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Defeat of this agreement would ...
April 30, 2008
More H-1B Visas, More American Jobs, A Better Economy
By James Sherk and Guinevere Nell
(Center for Data Analysis Report #08-01)
High-tech employers cannot hire needed new workers, and advanced fields like computers and mathematicals are at full employment. Raising the cap on H-1B visas for ...
April 30, 2008
The West Should Unite in Support of Georgia
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1907)
Throughout April, Russia has escalated its political and military pressure on its neighbor Georgia. At the NATO summit in Bucharest, President Vladimir Putin reportedly threatened ...
April 30, 2008
Petraeus Hearing Should Focus on Three Fronts, One Long War
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Lisa Curtis
(WebMemo #1908)
During the upcoming confirmation hearings, senators from both sides of the aisle should make clear to the incoming the U.S. Central Command commander that winning ...
April 30, 2008
Checking Out! A Proposal for Land Border Exit Checks to Improve Visa Management
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1909)
The United States Visitor and Immi¬gration Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program was established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to record foreign visitors and ...
April 29, 2008
Playing "Whack-a-Mole" with North Korea
By Bruce Klingner
(WebMemo #1905)
The U.S. intelligence community's revelation that North Korea was helping Syria to build a nuclear reactor "not intended for peaceful purposes" after seven months of ...
April 29, 2008
How Smart Growth Exacerbated the International Financial Crisis
By Wendell Cox
(WebMemo #1906)
The U.S. mortgage meltdown has dominated business news for months. The crisis seems to deepen daily, and its impacts are felt throughout an increasingly interdependent ...
April 28, 2008
The United States and Mexico: Helping One Another, Helping Ourselves
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Diem Nguyen
(WebMemo #1901)
The United States and Mexico share many of the same problems, including immigration challenges, inadequate border security, and drug smuggling. The two nations do not ...
April 28, 2008
Playing with Fire in Indonesia
By Walter Lohman
(WebMemo #1902)
Indonesia is an extraordinarily resilient society. Its tolerant culture, religious traditions, and diversity cannot be easily subverted. Ample proof resides in what has proven a ...
April 28, 2008
Congress Should Fund Development of Air-to-Air Missile Defense Technology
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1904)
Congress should make certain that development of the Network Centric Airborne Defense Element interceptor continues into the 2009 fiscal year. Assuming continued interceptor success on ...
April 23, 2008
State Health Reform: Six Key Tests
By Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1900)
State legislators are increasingly focused on health care reform. Escalating health care costs, state deficits, rising numbers of uninsured, and federal inaction have forced them ...
April 23, 2008
Health Care Reform: Design Principles for a Patient-Centered, Consumer-Based Market
By Edmund F. Haislmaier
(Backgrounder #2128)
The foundational insight behind consumer-centered health care reform is that the only way to achieve better value is to make the consumer (and patient) the ...
April 23, 2008
Executive Summary:
Health Care Reform: Design Principles for a Patient-Centered, Consumer-Based Market
By Edmund F. Haislmaier
(Executive Summary #2128)
The foundational insight behind consumer-centered health care reform is that the only way to achieve better value is to make the consumer (and patient) the ...
April 22, 2008
Abstinence Education: Assessing the Evidence
By Christine C. Kim and Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #2126)
Abstinence education provides life and decision-making skills that lay the foundation for personal responsibility and healthy relationships later in life. Eleven of the 15 authentic ...
April 22, 2008
Executive Summary: Abstinence Education: Assessing the Evidence
By Christine C. Kim and Robert Rector
(Executive Summary #2126)
Abstinence education provides life and decision-making skills that lay the foundation for personal responsibility and healthy relationships later in life. Eleven of the 15 authentic ...
April 22, 2008
The Subprime Mortgage Market Collapse:
A Primer on the Causes and Possible Solutions
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2127)
The collapse of the subprime mortgage market has created depression-like conditions in the housing market and driven the economy to the brink of recession, but ...
April 22, 2008
Executive Summary: The Subprime Mortgage Market Collapse: A Primer on the Causes and Possible Solutions
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #2127)
The collapse of the subprime mortgage market has created depression-like conditions in the housing market and driven the economy to the brink of recession, but ...
April 22, 2008
Furthering the U.N.'s Leftist Agenda: The U.N. CERD Committee Report
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1899)
In 1994, the U.S. Senate ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). As a party to the CERD, ...
April 21, 2008
A Nation Still at Risk: The Case for Federalism and School Choice
By Dan Lips
(Backgrounder #2125)
Twenty-five years after the seminal report A Nation at Risk, American education remains in a state of crisis. Millions of students continue to pass through ...
April 18, 2008
Both Bad and Good in Bush's Climate Change Speech
By Ben Lieberman
(WebMemo #1897)
President George W. Bush, in a speech delivered at the White House on Wednesday, April 16, suggested that he will support federal limits on greenhouse ...
April 18, 2008
Nuclear Power Critical to Meeting President's Greenhouse Gas Objectives
By Jack Spencer
(WebMemo #1898)
On April 16, President George W. Bush established a national goal to stop the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. His plan would first ...
April 18, 2008
The Value of American Leadership in the 21st Century
By the Honorable Mirek Topolánek
(Heritage Lecture #1076)
The Czech Republic is now witnessing a debate about the construction of the U.S. radar site for an anti-missile defense system. This issue primarily concerns ...
April 18, 2008
Missile Defense: The Way Forward
By the Honorable Jeff Sessions
(Heritage Lecture #1077)
The U.S. currently spends less than $10 billion on national missile defense and all our other missile programs. Maintaining funding for the European missile defense ...
April 18, 2008
Reagan's Strategic Vision for Missile Defense
By the Honorable Richard B. Cheney
(Heritage Lecture #1078)
In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan announced an initiative to build strategic defenses for the United States with a system to intercept and destroy ballistic ...
April 17, 2008
Moving Forward to Secure the Border
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Diem Nguyen
(WebMemo #1894)
Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has issued two waivers of laws hindering barrier construction and security improvements on the border with Mexico. The Department ...
April 17, 2008
Getting Better, Not Bitter, in Pennsylvania
By Ambassador Terry Miller
(WebMemo #1895)
The recent firestorm over Senator Barack Obama's comments about Pennsylvania's "bitter" voters has focused on charges of condescension and on the perceived denigration of gun ...
April 17, 2008
Durban II: The Administration Moves in the Right Direction
By Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #1896)
The Bush Administration has justifiably expressed its opposition to the 2009 Durban Review Conference, commonly referred to as Durban II. Durban II is the follow-up ...
April 17, 2008
The War in Afghanistan: More Help Needed
By James Phillips and Lisa Curtis
(Backgrounder #2124)
Greater international support is needed to secure and stabilize Afghanistan, a crucial front in the global war on terrorism. The February 18 Pakistani election provides ...
April 16, 2008
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire: 100,000 Stolen Votes in Chicago
By Hans A. von Spakovsky
(Legal Memorandum #23)
Chicago’s decades-long voting-fraud experience involved techniques that have come to light in recent elections in Philadelphia, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, among other locations, and point toward ...
April 15, 2008
Mr. Lee Comes to Washington
By Bruce Klingner
(WebMemo #1889)
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s April 15, 2008, trip to the U.S. is a valuable opportunity to affirm the strategic importance of the U.S.–South Korea ...
April 15, 2008
Losing Latin America? A Protectionist Congress Is Destroying U.S. Credibility
By James M. Roberts and Ray Walser, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1890)
In American election years, a theme sure to grab the nation’s attention is who "lost" a certain country. In 1952, it was "Who lost China?" ...
April 15, 2008
Economic Effects of Increasing the Tax Rates on Capital Gains and Dividends
By William Beach, Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and Guinevere Nell
(WebMemo #1891)
On December 31, 2010, the low tax rates on capital gains and dividends enacted in 2003 will increase to the higher level that applied prior ...
April 15, 2008
The Bush-Brown White House Meeting: A Chill in the Special Relationship?
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1892)
The Anglo–American Special Relationship continues at many levels behind the scenes, from intelligence cooperation to collaboration on missile defense, but it beginning to show significant ...
April 15, 2008
Stalling the Colombia FTA: A Major Blow to U.S. Public Diplomacy
By Anthony B. Kim
(WebMemo #1893)
In the Democratic response to President George W. Bush's 2004 State of the Union Address, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said, "As a nation we must show ...
April 15, 2008
Private Faith, Big Government: Understanding the Impact of Marginalizing Religion
By Ryan Messmore
(Backgrounder #2123)
In the 20th century, America witnessed a significant transition toward a privatized understanding of reli¬gion. Social and political pressures have prompted many to view religion ...
April 14, 2008
Coming Together on Tax Simplification: AMT and Extending the Tax Cuts
By Guinevere Nell
(WebMemo #1888)
Several proponents of small government oppose repeal of the individual alternative minimum tax (AMT) despite that tax's confusing strictures, bureaucratic nature, and excessive demands on ...
April 14, 2008
The Heritage Foundation's Leadership on Missile Defense
By Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1075)
One of The Heritage Foundation’s main objectives is for the U.S. to fully deploy a comprehensive missile defense system within the next decade. Heritage will ...
April 9, 2008
Next Steps for Homeland Security
By James Carafano
(Testimony )
Next Steps for Homeland Security
April 8, 2008
African Development: Promise and Peril
By Karol Boudreaux
(Heritage Lecture #1074)
Africa's future lies in the entrepreneurial spirit. More and more young Africans are being entrepreneurial, and as they move Africa forward in the 21st century, ...
April 7, 2008
Lessons Learned from the Basra Fighting for the Iraq Hearings
By James Phillips
(WebMemo #1887)
Congress tomorrow will begin a second round of hearings on Iraq featuring General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. A major topic is likely to ...
April 4, 2008
Keep Track of Crack Cocaine Facts
By Charles D. Stimson and Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1882)
The Department of Justice should collect and regularly publish facts on the effect of new guidelines granting retroactive application of lower prison sentences.
April 4, 2008
Economic Pessimism: No Excuse for Protectionism
By Anthony B. Kim
(WebMemo #1883)
Especially in a presidential election year, Congress must take a long-term view focused on strengthening economic fundamentals.
April 4, 2008
NATO Backs Washington's Missile Defense Plans: A Victory for U.S. Diplomacy
By Sally McNamara
(WebMemo #1884)
NATO's endorsement stands as testimony to the Alliance's strategic relevance in the 21st century and its enduring commitment to the principle of mutual defense.
April 4, 2008
March Jobs Report Confirms a Poor First Quarter for the American Economy in 2008
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1885)
The March jobs report shows a weakening economy. However, by historical standards the current job market remains strong. An unemployment rate of 5.1 percent is ...
April 4, 2008
All Aboard: Fifty States Now Compliant with Real ID
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Charles Stimson, Diem Nguyen
(WebMemo #1886)
This past week, the state of Maine agreed to comply with Real ...
April 3, 2008
Subprime Mortgage Problems: A Quick Tour Through the Rubble
By Ronald D. Utt
(WebMemo #1881)
Proposals for new federal spending and credit programs would greatly expand the role of government in the economy while doing little to alleviate the distress ...
April 3, 2008
Economic Freedom: Revolutionary Empowerment for Women
By Ambassador Terry Miller
(Heritage Lecture #1073)
To be informed voters, we have to read between the lines, be aware of nuance, judge emotional intensity, and look at the candidates’ records. Trade ...
April 3, 2008
The Impact of Welfare Reform on Declining Public Assistance Voter Registrations
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 required states to allow eligible persons to register to vote at various government locations, including public assistance offices. ...
April 3, 2008
Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education
By Dan Lips and Evan Feinberg
(Backgrounder #2122)
A growing number of American families are choosing to homeschool their children. While research evidence is limited, evaluations of student outcomes suggest that homeschooling is ...
April 2, 2008
More Transportation Spending: False Promises of Prosperity and Job Creation
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2121)
With the economy slowing and job growth declining, lobbyists are urging Congress to spend more on transportation to stimulate the economy, but creating jobs is ...
April 2, 2008
SOS: Congress Must Save the Aircraft Carrier Fleet
By Mackenzie M. Eaglen and Jim Dolbow
(WebMemo #1880)
Congress should reject the Navy's request to temporarily reduce its fleet of 11 aircraft carriers to 10.
April 2, 2008
Time for Second Thoughts on the Ethanol Mandate
By Ben Lieberman
(WebMemo #1879)
The federal renewable fuels mandate is an unfolding failure, and more Members of Congress are taking notice.
April 2, 2008
Providing for the Common Defense: Why 4 percent?
By The Heritage Foundation
(White Paper )
Providing for the Common Defense: Why 4 percent?
April 1, 2008
The Battle for Basra: Britain Should Launch a Troop Surge in Iraq
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1876)
Walking away from a front line of the war against terrorism would significantly increase the terrorist threat to the West.
April 1, 2008
The Sochi Bush–Putin Summit: Last Chance to Improve Relations
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1877)
Improved relations between the United States and Russia is in the interest of both countries, and President Bush can make it his legacy.
April 1, 2008
The Global Poverty Act: The Wrong Track for U.S. Aid Policy
By Ambassador Terry Miller and Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #1878)
The Global Poverty Act of 2007 is superfluous, misguided, and dangerous.
April 1, 2008
Trade Policy and Election Promises: Does the Rhetoric Match the Facts?
By Ambassador Terry Miller
(Heritage Lecture #1072)
To be informed voters, we have to read between the lines, be aware of nuance, judge emotional intensity, and look at the candidates’ records. Trade ...
April 1, 2008
New South Korean President Brings Conservative Policy Change
By Bruce Klingner
(Backgrounder #2120)
Lee Myung-bak’s pro-market economic principles, understanding of regional threats, and willingness to impose conditionality in South Korea’s engagement policy are more in line with U.S. ...
March 31, 2008
The Isakson Tax Credit: Another Approach that Won't Fix the Mortgage Mess
By David C. John
(WebMemo #1873)
Unfortunately, there are no simple or quick solutions to a highly complex financial situation.
March 31, 2008
The Housing and Financial Markets:
Congressional Action Could Disrupt Market Correction
By J.D. Foster
(WebMemo #1874)
Congressional action could prolong and exacerbate the current situation.
March 31, 2008
Increasing the Cap for H-1B Visas Would Help the Economy
By James Sherk and Diem Nguyen
(WebMemo #1875)
Congress should allow America's high-tech industries to hire more skilled foreigners to work in the United States.
March 31, 2008
Taking Back our Fiscal Future
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Alison Acosta Fraser and Other Authors
(White Paper )
Taking Back our Fiscal Future
March 28, 2008
The EPA's Prudent Response to Massachusetts v. EPA
By Ben Lieberman
(WebMemo #1870)
The EPA has taken the best course of action on the question of regulating carbon dioxide emissions.
March 28, 2008
Iraq: Pause in Troop Drawdown Makes Sense
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and James Phillips
(WebMemo #1871)
The Bush Administration and Congress should fully support the recommendation on force levels from the commander on the ground.
March 28, 2008
The FARC Files, Colombia, and International Terrorism
By Ray Walser, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1872)
On March 26, 2008, Colombian officials reported recovering 66 pounds of depleted uranium that was originally acquired by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. (FARC). ...
March 28, 2008
Courageous Women in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Beyond: A Record of Success in Democratic Transition
By Andrea G. Bottner
(Heritage Lecture #1071)
Throughout the world, even in places ravaged by conflict—such as Iraq, Afghanistan, as well as countries in the Middle East and the Africa—women are increasingly ...
March 26, 2008
The Conservative Movement: A Light in Dark Times
By J. Kenneth Blackwell
(Heritage Lecture #1070)
There have been times when there has been a gap between America’s promise and our practice. Now, as then, we must act to achieve moral ...
March 26, 2008
2008 Social Security Trustees Report Continues to Show the Urgent Need for Reform
By David C. John
(WebMemo #1868)
David C. John answers frequently asked questions about Social Security's financial outlook.
March 26, 2008
Congress Must Not Ignore the Medicare Trustees' Warning
By Greg D'Angelo and Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1869)
Congress should take steps to transform Medicare from a costly open-ended entitlement program to a defined-contribution program.
March 26, 2008
The Bucharest Summit: Time to Revitalize the NATO Alliance
By Sally McNamara
(Backgrounder #2119)
Washington has a small window of opportunity to mold NATO into a modern, effective alliance that advances the interests of the United States and other ...
March 26, 2008
Executive Summary: The Bucharest Summit: Time to Revitalize the NATO Alliance
By Sally McNamara
(Executive Summary #2119)
Washington has a small window of opportunity to mold NATO into a modern, effective alliance that advances the interests of the United States and other ...
March 25, 2008
Red Tape Rising: Regulatory Trends in the Bush Years
By James L. Gattuso
(Backgrounder #2116)
Contrary to much popular rhetoric about massive regulatory rollbacks, the regulatory burden has grown during President George W. Bush’s tenure, and the President’s final year ...
March 25, 2008
Uranium Mining Is Important for Securing America's Energy Future
By Jack Spencer and Nick Loris
(WebMemo #1866)
As nuclear power expands, it will be critical that uranium resources are accessible when mining can be done in a safe and economical way.
March 25, 2008
Medicare and Social Security: The Challenge of Giant Entitlement Costs
By David C. John and Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1867)
Today's report affirms the need for Congress to begin a serious overhaul of both of these vital programs.
March 24, 2008
The Bucharest NATO Summit: Washington and London Must Not Give in to French Demands
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., and Sally McNamara
(WebMemo #1863)
Paris should only be welcomed back into NATO’s leadership club on terms that are acceptable to all members. That means rejecting its proposal to build ...
March 24, 2008
Taiwan's Elections: Sea Change in the Strait
By John J. Tkacik, Jr.
(WebMemo #1865)
Now that Taipei promises to make peace with Beijing, Washington must move quickly to rebuild U.S. trade and security ties with Taiwan.
March 24, 2008
Frank-Dodd Approach Won't Fix the Mortgage Mess
By David C. John
(WebMemo #1864)
The most discussed proposals in Congress would make matters worse over the long term.
March 21, 2008
U.S. Africa Command: Challenges and Opportunities
By Brett D. Schaefer and Mackenzie M. Eaglen
(Backgrounder #2118)
The decision to create the U.S. Africa Command reflects the increasing strategic importance of Africa to the U.S. and recognizes that a single independent command ...
March 20, 2008
Preventing the Next Subprime Crisis
By David C. John
(WebMemo #1862)
If implemented properly, recommendations made by the President's Working Group on Financial Markets will help to prevent the next subprime mortgage crisis.
March 20, 2008
China's Expanding Global Influence: Foreign Policy Goals, Practices, and Tools
By Lisa Curtis
(Testimony )
China is expanding its diplomatic and economic activity in South Asia as part of an overall effort to enhance its global influence.
March 19, 2008
Finland's Rational Approach to Nuclear Power
By Jack Spencer
(Backgrounder #2117)
The U.S. should learn from Finland that nuclear power can be important in reconciling the desire to reduce pollution with the need to remain economically ...
March 18, 2008
The Fed Engages as Economy Wavers
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D. and David C. John
(WebMemo #1857)
The health of the economy will depend significantly on the actions of the Federal Reserve in the days and weeks ahead.
March 18, 2008
With Repression in Tibet, Rethink Olympics
By John J. Tkacik, Jr.
(WebMemo #1858)
Unofficial calls for a general boycott of China’s Olympics have gotten Beijing’s attention, but Beijing remains confident that Hollywood celebrities are neither serious about nor ...
March 18, 2008
Supporting Our South Korean Ally and Enhancing Defense Cooperation
By Bruce Klingner
(WebMemo #1859)
Legislation pending in Congress would facilitate foreign military sales to South Korea.
March 18, 2008
Iraq Five Years On: The Coalition Is Winning the War Against Al-Qaeda
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1860)
The U.S. and its allies must make a long-term military commitment to defeating the al-Qaeda threat in Iraq.
March 18, 2008
Economic Freedom Underpins Human Rights and Democratic Governance
By Anthony B. Kim
(WebMemo #1861)
Economic freedom is an indispensable means toward promoting effective, lawful, and democratic governance.
March 14, 2008
The Second Amendment Comes Before the Supreme Court: The Issues and the Arguments
By Nelson Lund, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1851)
D.C.'s effort to disarm the residents of that city is unconstitutional.
March 14, 2008
Kenya's Stability Is an Important U.S. Priority
By Tom Woods
(WebMemo #1852)
To protect U.S. interests and advance democracy in Africa, the U.S. must act as guarantor of the agreement signed between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition ...
March 14, 2008
National Security Letters: Three Important Facts
By Charles D. Stimson and Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1853)
National security letters are an indispensable tool in national security investigations.
March 14, 2008
Hong Kong in a Box
By Harvey Feldman
(WebMemo #1854)
To revive the energy and optimism that made Hong Kong unique, China must grant it more political freedoms.
March 14, 2008
How the U.S. Navy Inadvertently Supports Hugo Chávez
By James M. Roberts
(WebMemo #1855)
A U.S. designation of Venezuela as a terrorist-sponsoring state would allow the Navy to end its practice of buying gasoline from a company owned by ...
March 14, 2008
Off the Rails in the Philippines
By Walter Lohman
(WebMemo #1856)
A scandal in the Philippines has the potential to become a constitutional crisis.
March 14, 2008
The Urge to Over-Legislate: Criminal Law and Public Opinion in the United Kingdom
By Judge Inigo Bing
(Heritage Lecture #1064)
In the 10 years in which Tony Blair was Prime Minister in Britain a total of 3,023 new offenses were legislated--roughly two new crimes created ...
March 14, 2008
Public Diplomacy: Reinvigorating America's Strategic Communications Policy
By Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., Helle C. Dale, Colleen Graffy, Michael Doran, Ph.D., Joseph Duffey, Ph.D., and Tony Blankley
(Heritage Lecture #1065)
U.S. government agencies are hampered in their efforts to improve public diplomacy by a combination of poor leadership, inadequate coordination, and insufficient resources. As we ...
March 14, 2008
Liberty's Best Hope: Why American Leadership Is Needed for the 21st Century
By Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D., Henry R. Nau, Ph.D., and Dov Zakheim, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1069)
To counter the challenges to America's leadership at home and abroad, even by long-standing allies, we must be more persuasive, win the war on terrorism ...
March 13, 2008
Principles for Stability Operations and State-Building
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1067)
Historically, the United States has done very poor job of post-conflict planning before and during conflicts. In order to be successful in a post-conflict setting ...
March 13, 2008
The Surge in Iraq: One Year Later
By Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno
(Heritage Lecture #1068)
The 2007 Iraq surge allowed Coalition and Iraqi forces to hold the hard-earned ground that was wrested from the enemy, while continuing to pursue terrorists ...
March 13, 2008
Fair Tax Policy Requires a Fair Revenue Baseline
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1848)
Congress should use the budget resolution to correct the bias toward higher taxes in the CBO's budget projections.
March 13, 2008
Lawmakers Should Approach Wyden–Bennett Health Bill with Caution
By Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1849)
Although it proposes needed tax reforms, S. 334 would also replace the current health system with one that is heavily regulated by the federal government. ...
March 13, 2008
Questions on Iraq for the Petraeus-Crocker Hearings
By James Phillips
(WebMemo #1850)
When General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testify before Congress, Members must ask questions that will help Americans develop an informed opinion about the ...
March 12, 2008
FISA Modernization Is Not About "Warrantless Wiretapping"
By Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1847)
Making permanent the authorities of the now-expired Protect America Act has only an incidental relation to Americans' communications.
March 12, 2008
Securing the High Seas: America's Global Maritime Constabulary Power
By Mackenzie M. Eaglen, James Dolbow, Martin Edwin Andersen, and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(Special Report #20)
To meet 21st century threats to freedom and world commerce, greater emphasis needs to be placed on bolstering the Navy’s core warfighting mission while expanding ...
March 12, 2008
America's Unstable Health Insurance System: Recommendations for Increasing Stability and Coverage
By Michelle C. Bucci
(Backgrounder #2115)
Once regarded as stable and dependable, employer-sponsored insurance no longer addresses the needs of many workers in a changing labor market. Private ownership would guarantee ...
March 11, 2008
A Guide to Fixing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2114)
Unless lawmakers promptly reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, America faces a future of soaring taxes and government spending that will cause poor economic performance. ...
