Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Two threats from lawmakers in Washington could hamper the still ongoing development of the Internet and raise taxes on Americans already struggling under a hefty tax burden. The first comes from proposed legislation to allow states to require out-of-state retailers to collect sales taxes on online purchases even if the retailer has no physical presence…
This afternoon, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management will hold a hearing on “Wasteful Spending in the Federal Government.” Romina Boccia, the Grover M. Hermann Research Fellow in Federal Budgetary Affairs and Research Manager at The Heritage Foundation, will testify on eliminating wasteful government spending by cutting corporate welfare. Corporate welfare, one form of crony capitalism, redistributes taxpayer resources to well-connected interest groups, rather…
In the next three weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court will be wrapping up its 2014-2015 term. By the end of this month, the Court will hand down opinions in the most anticipated cases of the year. Here are seven cases to watch for in the coming weeks: Reed v. Town of Gilbert: The Town of…
Did you ever hear the one about the Columbian Chemicals factory in Centerville, La., blown up by ISIS terrorists on Sept. 11? Possibly not—because it did not happen. On Twitter and YouTube, however, such a “news story” did make the rounds, planted it appears by a St. Petersburg-based Russian propaganda outfit, innocently named the Internet…
Freedom requires that one be safe and secure in one’s possessions—a world in which criminals steal or destroy others’ property at will is neither free nor secure. The same is true in cyberspace, where digital criminals have a great interest in stealing sensitive data or disrupting critical services. And, with everything from military systems to…
The growing battle over the College Board’s Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) framework is being described by Politico and others as the usual scrape over American exceptionalism. It is that to a point, of course. But it is really about national survival. The continuation of self-government and liberty depends on the willingness of citizens to…
Congress has a particularly bad habit of bailing out federal programs without addressing the underlying problems that caused failure in the first place. This round, we’re punting the ball on the Highway Trust Fund. However, this time is different. We have a common-sense solution to reform our nation’s transportation policy, modernize America’s outdated transportation infrastructure…
It’s déjà vu all over again. President Obama’s comments about King v. Burwell during a press conference at the G-7 summit in Germany earlier this week echo those he made when the Affordable Care Act was before the Supreme Court in 2012. Putting on his constitutional-lawyer-in-chief hat in 2012, Obama said, “I’m confident that the…
The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled in a 5-2 decision today in favor of the Chris Christie administration, reversing a lower court’s ruling that found Gov. Christie’s roughly $1.6 billion cut in 2015 pension contributions violated an enforceable contractual obligation. The state’s high court ruling effectively allows that and future proposed cuts to stand….
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval made education reform history last week when he signed the nation’s first universal education savings account program into law. The accounts are designed to give every Nevada student who has been enrolled in public school for at least 100 days an opportunity to have an educational experience tailored to their individual needs….
New Labor Department regulations will soon require employers to pay overtime to many salaried workers. The administration bills this as a way to raise wages; opponents argue it will kill jobs. One thing is certain: The change will kill flexible schedules for entry- and mid-level salaried employees. Federal law requires employers to pay overtime rates…
Should the contents of email messages be protected from unwarranted law enforcement scrutiny to the same extent as physical letters sent through the mail? The answer seems obvious. Email is today’s postal service, and the personal contents of email messages are as private to people as the letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service. But…
Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Turkey yielded a resounding vote of no confidence in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian and pro-Islamist policies. Erdogan’s political party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP is the Turkish acronym), which has dominated Turkish politics since 2002, suffered a decisive setback, garnering less than 41 percent of the vote. According…
In the final days before the charter of the Export–Import Bank (Ex–Im) is set to expire, supporters of its export subsidies are claiming that Congress must reauthorize and expand Ex–Im if the U.S. commercial nuclear industry is to succeed internationally. We should take the concerns of the nuclear industry seriously—but not accept Ex–Im as a…
The State Department isn’t being honest with Americans about Russia’s violations of arms control treaties and other politically binding commitments. Take the State Department’s annual compliance report, which was published earlier this month. The report outlines U.S. and international compliance with arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements, both legally binding and political. The State Department’s…
Later this month The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling on state marriage laws. Here are the three most important things you need to know about the case, and what to do after the Court rules. 1. Whatever people may think about marriage as a policy matter, everyone should be able to recognize the…
For many, high school graduation is a key milestone not only in the life of the graduate, but also in the lives of his or her family members. Could you imagine being threatened with jail time for cheering for your loved one as she received her diploma? It sounds outrageous, but it is exactly what…
This past Thursday, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a statement that a cyber intrusion was detected in April. In the attack, which according to those familiar with the case, originated in China. The personal information of 2 million current and 2 million former federal employees’ was reportedly stolen. Chinese hackers attacked OPM last…
Thomas Edison once said that “a good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” Diana Furchtgott-Roth and Jared Meyer’s Disinherited: How Washington is Betraying America’s Young, discusses how while many of Washington’s policies seem to have future generations’ best intentions in mind, some approaches can have adverse consequences for the economy…
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill and the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln—two men whose lives and achievements shed light on the fragility of freedom and the statesmanship necessary to preserve it. As noted in my recent essay, “Champion of Liberty: Winston Churchill and His…