S&P Suit: No New Laws Were Needed for 2008 Collapse
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil suit against credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) shows that laws that existed well before the financial crash… Read More
Trade Deficit Doesn’t Matter – Trade Freedom Does
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…. Read More
Union Head Convicted, Showing Need for Union Transparency
Last week, the government convicted Tyrone Freeman, president of SEIU Local 6434 in Los Angeles, of 14 counts of illegally diverting union dues into his… Read More
Reagan’s Legacy: Economic Freedom
In his January speech, the President spoke eloquently: “One of the greatest contributions the United States can make to the world is to promote freedom… Read More
Eric Cantor Speaks on American Opportunity
Fiscal cliffs, debt, and unbalanced budgets have made raising a family in America more difficult, but pursing opportunity-oriented policies centered on creating prosperity can turn… Read More
DeMint on Fox News: “The President Is Not Willing to Cut Spending”
Lawmakers in Washington cut a deal on the dreaded fiscal cliff last month — hiking taxes without cutting much spending. Now, President Obama wants to… Read More
Obama’s Sequester Proposal: Details AWOL
In another stunning failure of leadership, President Obama today asked Congress to delay the scheduled across-the-board spending cuts, including those that will decimate the national… Read More
White House Dismisses Budget Deadline
We knew President Obama would be late in submitting his fiscal year 2014 budget proposal. White House press secretary Jay Carney largely dismissed yesterday’s legal… Read More
Rotten Tomato Trade Policy from the Obama Administration
U.S. consumers will soon be paying more for tomatoes thanks to the Obama Administration’s new trade policy. Under a just-announced agreement with Mexico, Americans reportedly… Read More
“Buy American”: Path to an Economic Train Wreck
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,… Read More
On Fox News: Government Waste Is Just the Tip of a Massive Federal Spending Iceberg
Senator Mary Landrieu (D–LA) recently stated, “I am not going to keep cutting the discretionary budget, which by the way is not out of control,… Read More
The Income Tax Turns 100 Years Old
The federal income tax is now a centenarian. On February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment to the Constitution was ratified. The revenue the income tax… Read More
Labor Department Incorrectly Calculates Davis–Bacon Wage Requirements
Should government agencies use the best information possible? For more than 80 years, the Labor Department has answered that question in the negative. The Davis–Bacon… Read More
Politicians Should Listen to Economists on Free Trade
On February 8, the government will release data for 2012 imports and exports. This annual release often ignites a debate about trade policy. But among… Read More
Mongolia: Advancing the Rule of Law Key to Economic Success
Mongolia continues to make strides toward economic freedom. The Economist recently predicted that Mongolia would have the second-fastest-growing economy in the world in 2013. Mongolia… Read More
Morning Bell: A Blow to Obama’s Imperial Presidency
President Obama has gone around Congress in as many ways as he can find. One way is by abusing the presidential power to make appointments… Read More
Time for More Accountability for Unions—and the Department of Labor
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigned on January 22. It would be beneficial if President Obama’s next Labor Secretary would do more to protect workers from… Read More
Don’t Gut Our Military: $150 Billion in Commonsense Proposals to Prevent Sequestration
Unless Congress acts, March 1 will trigger a $55 billion-per-year ($43 billion in 2013, as the fiscal cliff deal delayed the cuts for two months)… Read More
Chart of the Week: Union Membership Continues to Decline
Union membership fell by 400,000 to the lowest level since the 1930s, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced this past week. As a percentage of… Read More
Scholars Agree: High Tax Rates Do Harm Growth
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) stirred controversy last year when it released a study claiming that tax rates do not influence economic growth. Predictably, those… Read More
Tales of the Red Tape #38: OSHA Advances Worker Risk—and Not Much Else
If the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulated its own doings in the manner it does private business, the agency’s doors would surely be… Read More
Foreign Aid: There Are Many Ways Conservatives Can—and Should—Help the Poor
Daniel Hannan, a member of the European Parliament and one of Great Britain’s rising conservative political stars, reminds us that the fundamental error of the… Read More
EconomyNews
The Curious World of Jack Lew, Treasury Secretary Designate
President Obama has nominated White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew to succeed Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary. Lew could be in for some tough… Read More
Obama Picks a Prosecutor: Mary Jo White Appointed to Head SEC
President Obama, moving quickly to complete the lineup for his second-term regulatory team, nominated attorney Mary Jo White yesterday to chair the Securities and Exchange… Read More
Heritage in Focus: What IS the Debt Ceiling?
Research Coordinator Romina Boccia discusses the phrase “debt ceiling,” which the mainstream media have been focusing on for weeks, and how policymakers can improve our… Read More
Conversations with Conservatives: Congressmen Weigh in on Debt Ceiling Deal (VIDEO)
In advance of Wednesday’s vote on suspending the debt ceiling, six Republican congressmen joined The Heritage Foundation’s Bloggers Briefing to discuss conservative viewpoints on the… Read More
Phil Mickelson and His Tax Bogey
Professional golfer Phil Mickelson, one of California’s many but dwindling wealthy, apparently carded a bogey when he intimated over the weekend that the near 60… Read More
CFPB Servicing Rules Are Excessive and Unauthorized
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has imposed yet more regulation on the mortgage market, as required by the Dodd–Frank statute. The latest set of… Read More
Chile’s Strong Economy: A Case of Positive Policy and Freedom
Chile continues to lead Latin America in 2013 in both economic growth and economic freedom. These positive outcomes reflect well on the solid policy choices… Read More
Morning Bell: It’s Time to Balance the Budget
Today, the House will vote on a proposal that would suspend the debt ceiling until May 19, buying a bit more time for the overarching… Read More
