Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Officials of the Export-Import Bank have gotten themselves into quite a pickle. The “small business” they continuously showcase as proof of their success actually has a different history than the promotional version. In a variety of videos, press releases, news accounts and blogs, bank Chairman and President Phil Hochberg extols Ex-Im for transforming Miss Jenny’s…
The more we dig into the Export-Import Bank, the more unbelievable it seems that this agency still exists. American taxpayers’ money is at risk—backing loans to foreign governments and businesses to buy products from politically favored U.S. companies. This is killing jobs in several American industries. We recently exposed the Export-Import Bank’s false claim that…
In November, American will have a chance to elect a new Congress. But if some lawmakers have their way, we’d better be quiet about our intentions. The Senate Judiciary Committee today held a hearing to discuss a constitutional amendment aimed at allowing lawmakers to limit spending on political campaigns by giving Congress the power to…
What is “cronyism,” and why does it matter? Merriam-Webster defines it as “the unfair practice by a powerful person (such as a politician) of giving jobs and other favors to friends.” This matters because there are only a few in power, and chances are you’re not one of the favored “friends”—but it’s your money they’re…
President Barack Obama has an appalling track record when it comes to insulting Poland, a key U.S. ally in Eastern Europe. In 2009, his administration humiliated Warsaw when, in deference to Russian demands, it pulled out of an agreement over Third Site missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. In 2010, the president…
Much of the U.S. budget is flying on auto-pilot and on course to crash. Congress should grab hold of the steering yoke. In the 1980s comedy “Airplane!”, Otto, the inflatable doll, takes over as auto-pilot when the cockpit crew becomes incapacitated because of food poisoning. To prevent a crash and safely land the plane, an ex-pilot…
A majority of Americans, regardless of which pollster asks the question, say the country is on the wrong track. And as polls close in the eight states holding primaries today, there will be plenty of prognosticating as to what the latest election results tell us. The media likely will continue its obsession with tea party…
The other day, I came face-to-face with communism and was unimpressed. At the heart of the longest continuing cease-fire in American history, the divisions between North and South Korea are stark. One building—used for the occasional negotiation—is situated so that the border actually bisects a conference table in the middle of the room. As I…
President Obama had a perfect model for how to respond to the scandal in the wake of the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. He could have turned to the actions of another president—Ronald Reagan—to show him how to quickly regain the trust and confidence of Congress and the American people. The 1986…
Draft regulations released Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency could cut carbon dioxide from existing power plants by 30 percent. Such a drastic cut will amount to a massive energy tax devoid of any benefit. President Obama warned us it was coming, when he said in in 2008 that electricity prices would “necessarily skyrocket” under…
Following Indiana’s lead, state legislatures in Oklahoma, South Carolina and Missouri have approved measures to exit and replace the national standards and tests known as Common Core. A proposal in Oklahoma would repeal Common Core and replace it with new standards developed by the state board of education. In the interim, Oklahoma’s prior state standards,…
Before long, the House Select Committee on Benghazi will start its work. At The Heritage Foundation yesterday, a panel of experts discussed the challenges facing the committee and the numerous areas of inquiry the committee will need to investigate. The idea that all questions on Benghazi have been answered is manifestly wrong. The administration has…
Common Core’s national standards are an effort to define what every child in the nation should learn to be considered “college and career ready.” But content matter experts have serious concerns about the impact Common Core will have on the rigor of college-level work down the road. According to a Pioneer Institute study, “Lowing the…