Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
You may not own a dog-eared, underlined copy of Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” but if you’ve been watching Netflix’s political drama “House of Cards,” believe me — you don’t have to. It’s a crash course in how to lie, cheat and steal your way to the top. And I do mean the top. By the end…
An exchange Thursday in a House hearing illustrated what’s wrong with America’s energy policy. During the Department of Energy budget hearing Thursday, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., had a few choice words for Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, saying that the Energy Department had not invested enough in carbon capture and sequestration technology (which has been…
The United States should pay attention to the threats from Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab. On Jan. 31, al-Shabaab lost high level commander Yusef Dheeq and 45 other al-Shabaab militants in a drone strike. Less than a month later, on Feb. 21, the group released a propaganda video calling for Western-based extremists to “target the disbelievers…
Don’t expect Amtrak to stop selling $16.15 burgers for $9.50—and asking taxpayers to subsidize the loss. In a 2012 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, then-chairman Rep. John Mica, R.-Fla., expressed outrage about Amtrak’s $16.15 hamburgers: $9.50 is paid by passenger and the rest subsidized by taxpayers. He went on to say that Amtrak’s $84…
On Wednesday, a closely-divided Supreme Court issued a decision holding that tossing a few undersized fish back into the ocean from a boat is not the same thing as shredding a document. While that might be common sense for some, there was a serious legal debate whether a fisherman should be prosecuted under a law…
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, an anti-discrimination case involving a Muslim teenager who applied to be a model at the clothing store. Samantha Elauf was not offered a job and filed a complaint with the Commission, alleging that Abercrombie refused to hire…
What happens when Social Security Disability Insurance, an integral program that provides benefits to the disabled who are unable to work, runs out of money in 2016? All disability insurance beneficiaries currently face a nearly 20 percent benefit cut. Lawmakers are understandably scrambling to find a solution that prevents this indiscriminate and sudden benefit cut,…
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to place massive “net neutrality” restrictions on America’s Internet providers, in the process redefining them as public utilities. If the decision stands, it would be a significant blow for the Internet and for its users. The issue is far from settled, however: the FCC’s rules will almost certainly…
The U.S. government’s plans to strengthen and coordinate its counterterrorism communications is a ray of good news. Last week, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Rick Stengel announced that the State Department will increase the staff and funding of its Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communication, the spearhead of the U.S. government against the propaganda…
The Federal Housing Administration, a primary government mortgage insurance guarantee agency, is leading a renewed push for government-insured “affordable” home loans. In an attempt to spur the stagnant first-time home buyer market, the FHA has moved to reduce the standard fee they charge for risk on the loans they insure. The FHA does not issue home…
If funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapses on Friday, there should be no confusion as to who is “defunding” Homeland Security. The House passed a spending bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The legislation would prohibit funding for implementation of President Obama’s illegal executive actions on immigration, while still funding the…
The growing number of cyber attacks in recent years has highlighted the risks that U.S. interests, critical infrastructure, and military operations face in cyberspace. Cyber threats, once relatively weak in nature compared to other military offenses, are now potential weapons of war, and considered hard-power tools of armed attack. Yesterday, The Heritage Foundation released the…
Close to 500 pages of Pentagon Benghazi-related documents obtained last week by the non-profit group Judicial Watch prove the U.S. military was operating on the assumption terrorists killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on the night of Sept. 11, 2012. The papers confirm statements about the nature of the attack to congressional…
Although the White House Council of Economic Advisers’ annual report to Congress largely restates the President’s State of the Union address on “middle-class economics,” it includes a welcome suggestion. This glimmer of hope is a lone, but surprising sentence in the report’s energy chapter: “The regulatory structure for addressing local environmental concerns, especially around land…
Should an individual be able to commit fraud and not face jail time or at least serious civil consequences? Too often we have seen multi-billion dollar fraud at large banks or investment banks, yet the individuals who engineered the fraudulent schemes are not held accountable for their actions. Shareholders pay huge fines, but the individuals…
As I listened to the acceptance speeches at the Academy Awards, I was struck by the constant references to a long litany of human and other rights now denied. Each charge brought the black-tied, silk-gowned audience to their feet, wildly applauding and cheering. Nearly every imaginable right was mentioned—women’s rights, civil rights, incarceration rights, immigration…
Earlier this month, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a joint hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed rule defining “waters of the U.S.” under the Clean Water Act (CWA). This proposed rule is an attempt to define…
It’s that time of year again – the week when conservative activists and politicians convene in the Washington, D.C. area for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Anyone who has attended CPAC knows it’s a feat of endurance. Only the tried and true politico sits through hours upon hours of speeches. And since the repetitive…
In recent years, fewer Americans have been working. That’s the finding from new research conducted by The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis. The new report shows there has been a shift in the composition of the labor force by age and marital status. It’s true that there has been a recent decrease in unemployment….
President Obama’s new executive order, “Promoting Private Sector Cybersecurity Information Sharing,” issued on February 13, attempts to address the lack of a central hub or of uniform standards for sharing information on cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. However, in order to produce actionable results, improvements to information sharing must increase the ability of Information Sharing and…