Ed Feulner
Ed Feulner
Red Tape on the Rise
In fact, it was President Obama himself who said that, in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. He was right. The rules are indeed out of balance. Instead of having only those regulations that are truly necessary to protect the public, we have a plethora of rules that go far beyond that. And yes, they are making it difficult for businesses to innovate, invest or hire.
May 12, 2013 - 12:20:17 AM
Ed Feulner
Amnesty by Any Other Name ...
It's not amnesty, we're told. Oh, no. Yet the immigration bill that was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would give legal residency to the 11 million people who are here illegally. News flash: That's amnesty. The immigration reform bill of 1986 was built on a promise to crack down on the flow of unlawful immigrants in exchange for giving amnesty to the three million who were then here illegally. Judging by the fact that the unlawful population has almost quadrupled since then, we can see how well that worked out.
Apr 24, 2013 - 8:29:22 PM
Ed Feulner
School Choice on the March
These days, freedom is under fire in many ways. So it's nice to be able to report that, in one area at least, freedom is marching in the right direction: education. "Indiana's highest court ruled unanimously in Meredith v. Pence that the Choice Scholarship Program, which provides vouchers to low-income and middle-income families in the Hoosier State, is constitutional," The Heritage Foundation's Lindsey Burke reported recently. "The suit, brought by the teachers unions, sought to end the country's largest and most inclusive school voucher program."
Apr 21, 2013 - 12:17:24 AM
Ed Feulner
Obamacare: An Alarming Check-Up
Hate to tell you this, but it gets worse. See this? That's the number of people who are going to lose their current health insurance because of you. Not thousands, but millions. Seven million, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). And this isn't guesswork; it's already happening.Take Universal Orlando, which recently announced that it won't continue to cover its part-time workers. Why? Not because they're mean-hearted. Because they can't afford it. Your prohibition of annual benefit limits beginning next year is making Universal's health plans too expensive. Word is, this will affect about 500 Universal employees.
Mar 31, 2013 - 12:15:26 AM
Ed Feulner
The Battle of the Budgets
Fortunately, the "other employee" in the scenario laid out above has come up with a smarter approach. The House plan, spearheaded by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) would balance the budget in 10 years, and cut the annual growth in spending from 5 percent to 3.4 percent. Even better, it would repeal Obamacare. And it dares to reform Medicaid and Medicare.
Mar 24, 2013 - 10:19:52 PM
Ed Feulner
A Lesson in Education Hyperbole
"It just means a lot more children will not get the kinds of services and opportunities they need, and as many as 40,000 teachers could lose their jobs," he said in an interview with Face the Nation. "There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can't come back this fall." Turns out, though, that it isn't true.
Mar 10, 2013 - 12:13:07 AM
Ed Feulner
The Energy Potential of Fracking
Fracking involves shooting a mixture of water and chemicals deep underground to release the trapped natural gas. Certain states have been using this technique for years, and very successfully. They have sensible rules in place to ensure that companies obtain the gas in an environmentally responsible manner.
Feb 24, 2013 - 12:17:12 AM
Ed Feulner
Unions and "Democracy"
Protesters tore down a tent filled with activists from the group Americans for Prosperity. A protester punched Fox News contributor Steven Crowder as he covered the protests, leaving him bloodied. State troopers in riot gear swept the area clear.
Dec 23, 2012 - 12:50:06 AM
Ed Feulner
No Time to Get LOST
"The nations that have joined LOST cannot prevent the United States or any other nation from mining the seabed any more than they can prevent the U.S. from exercising the freedom of navigation and overflight, the freedom of fishing, or any other high seas freedom."
Dec 21, 2012 - 6:29:13 AM
Ed Feulner
Paying the Price of Preparation
At the memorial to the USS Arizona, you can watch droplets of oil from the sunken ship drift to the surface. Some say the ship is weeping for the 1,177 service members killed at Pearl Harbor 71 years ago this month. It's a chilling reminder of the heavy price our country paid when it was caught unprepared.
Dec 5, 2012 - 4:23:49 AM
Ed Feulner
Battling a Bailout Culture
Some Americans believe in the founding principle that individuals are responsible for their own well-being and will voluntarily aid those in need. Others believe that people should be required to take care of their fellow citizens. This latter group aims to use the power of the state to enforce its belief. Thus, one group believes in personal responsibility and private charity. The other imposes "charity," with the threat of prison behind it, on the productive sector of the economy through taxation and the redistribution of wealth.
Dec 2, 2012 - 4:23:15 AM
Ed Feulner
Taking Down Twinkies
A union-backed strike has killed what the Great Depression couldn't. Hostess announced recently that they are suspending operations and will be laying off more than 18,000 employees. (Both sides had subsequently agreed to a mediation, but a judge ordered the bankruptcy to proceed.)
Nov 30, 2012 - 5:40:59 AM
Ed Feulner
The Way Ahead
An election is a time to choose our leaders, and Americans have done so. Now we need to hold those leaders responsible, as we try to solve the big problems our country faces.
Nov 18, 2012 - 12:17:34 AM
Ed Feulner
Thank a Veteran
Millions of Americans headed to the voting booth recently to exercise one of their most cherished rights. But let's pause and remember those who help make it possible. Simply having rights isn't enough. They must be defended, often at great personal cost. And it's the members of our armed forces, past and present, who put their lives on the line every day to do just that.
Nov 14, 2012 - 4:07:07 AM
Ed Feulner
The Spiraling State of Welfare Spending
Annual welfare spending: It's approaching the $1 trillion mark. We're talking about more than 80 means-tested programs, comprising a maze of forms, bureaucrats and regulations -- and, all total, they're close to hitting the magic number. Roughly 100 million people -- one-third of the U.S. population -- receive aid from at least one means-tested welfare program each month. Average benefits come to around $9,000 per recipient.
Oct 26, 2012 - 6:28:44 AM
Ed Feulner
A Look Back at the Cuban Missile Crisis
If the phrase "missile gap" rings a bell, you probably remember one of the most frightening periods of the Cold War era: when the United States and Soviet Russia, 50 years ago this month, came perilously close to launching World War III.
Oct 16, 2012 - 11:45:46 PM
Ed Feulner
A Costly "Proposal"
The fate of Proposal 2 likely will have repercussions elsewhere. Other states are struggling with the same economic pressures that led union leaders to push for it in Michigan. Like the fight over Gov. Scott Walker's controversial reforms in Wisconsin, and the strike staged by the Chicago Teachers' Union, the fight over Proposal 2 is something of a bellwether.
Oct 14, 2012 - 7:29:19 AM
Ed Feulner
Preserving an Endangered Institution
Again, the social science is clear here: single parenthood tends to go hand-in-hand with poverty. In fact, some 70 percent of poor families with children are headed by single parents -- usually single mothers. Yes, many are doing a heroic job, but there's no denying the fact that single-parenthood often leads to long-term problems.
Sep 28, 2012 - 12:33:53 AM
Ed Feulner
Commemorating Constitution Day
As chief executive, a president has crucial responsibilities. But presidents lack the power to enact laws, or to determine that some laws won't be enforced. Our constitutional framework of limited government requires a president who will actively use his granted powers, but also recognize the strict limits on those powers.
Sep 19, 2012 - 12:21:01 AM
Ed Feulner
A Recovery in Name Only?
There's another important number to consider when you examine this recovery, the slowest we've had in 70 years. And that's how many people have dropped out of the labor force. Today, nearly 5 million fewer Americans are working or looking for work. This drop accounts for virtually the entire reduction of the unemployment rate since 2009 -- those who aren't looking for work don't count as unemployed.
Sep 5, 2012 - 5:25:18 AM
Ed Feulner
School Choice: Passing the Test
Hearing teachers' unions complain about extending school-choice options to American families is nothing new. They've been spreading misinformation about efforts to break up their monopoly on education for years. And with millions of students going back to school, we can, unfortunately, expect them to turn up the volume.
Aug 30, 2012 - 12:18:59 AM
Ed Feulner
What Sets America Apart
Look again at the Declaration of Independence. Our inalienable rights include "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Note the phrase "the pursuit of." However much certain politicians may want insist otherwise, no one is guaranteed happiness -- only the right to strive for it.
Aug 24, 2012 - 1:40:41 AM
Ed Feulner
Food-Stamp Folly
Do you know what Maryland gives its welfare recipients so they can access cash and food benefits? An "Independence Card." If that sounds a bit Orwellian, consider the perverse spending increases that the Obama administration has planned for food stamps and an array of other forms of welfare. Why perverse? Because the whole goal of the successful welfare reform of the 1990s was to reduce dependence. And the president's budget would do just the opposite.
Aug 15, 2012 - 12:24:31 AM
Ed Feulner
The Furor Over "Fast and Furious"
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder may show up on "Jeopardy!" one of these days. No, not as a contestant. As an answer. The clue: "He's the first attorney general in U.S. history to be held in contempt of Congress." The answer: "Who is Eric Holder?"
Aug 8, 2012 - 8:19:04 AM
Ed Feulner
Of Free Speech and Chick-Fil-A
At this point, we've moved well beyond debate. It's a free-speech issue now. These officials did not merely express an opposite point of view. They threatened to use their political power to punish a man, and those who work for him, for saying something they disagree with. The message this sent is crystal-clear -- and chilling: Conform to the "accepted" view, or else.
Aug 1, 2012 - 9:52:04 PM
Ed Feulner
Fighting for Free Markets
Even if you've never heard of Milton Friedman, you've likely heard some of the famed economist's pithy sayings. "Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program." "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand." "Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless." And the classic: "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
Jul 25, 2012 - 12:33:20 AM
Ed Feulner
Dodd-Frank: Dangerous Dead End
It's been two years since President Obama signed the Wall Street-reform bill that has come to be known as Dodd-Frank. So has it succeeded in creating "safer and more modern rules of the road for the financial industry," as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner claims?
Jul 19, 2012 - 12:10:17 AM
Ed Feulner
States Have a Say in Immigration Policy, Too
Reporters and pundits don't always get it right. Take the Supreme Court's decision on Arizona's immigration law. Many media outlets said the Court struck down most of the law. In reality, nearly all of the law had already been upheld in a federal district court ruling. Only four provisions remained at issue before the Supreme Court.
Jul 11, 2012 - 12:17:06 AM
Ed Feulner
A Call for Courage
When we Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, what word comes readily to mind? Freedom -- and rightly so. But you can't have freedom without other virtues. Consider one that's particularly appropriate as we mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence: courage. -- How easy it would have been for Reagan to acquiesce [To Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 in Iceland]. He would have been praised far and wide for whatever deal resulted. But he didn't. He stood up for what was right. Just a few years later, the Soviet Union collapsed -- an event that Reagan's courage helped make possible.
Jul 4, 2012 - 12:30:46 AM
Ed Feulner
Making the Moral Case
Conservatives, beware: You can have reams of information, piles of studies and folders of charts at your fingertips. And you can still lose the debate. That's because you've overlooked a crucial component: the moral case. And that, according to Arthur C. Brooks, can often make or break your argument.
Jun 30, 2012 - 3:41:01 AM
Ed Feulner
An Aggravating Ag Policy
The artificial demand that ethanol creates for corn and other biofuel "feed stocks" has pushed farmers to devote more acres to them. They grow fewer soybeans and other crops, shrinking supplies -- and making it more expensive to pay for groceries. The nation's agricultural policy is obviously ripe for re-evaluation. Net farm income is way up; it hit a record $98.1 billion last year. Yet the federal budget deficit keeps climbing at an alarming rate. Congress needs to put needless subsidies and other outdated farm policies out to pasture.
Jun 10, 2012 - 12:45:23 AM
Ed Feulner
A Budget Plan That Adds Up
By substantially reducing the size and scope of the federal government, Lee's plan rightfully moves government towards its core responsibilities that fit within the Constitution and original intent of our Founding Fathers.
May 20, 2012 - 12:15:18 AM
Ed Feulner
Behind "Fakegate"
On Feb. 14, Gleick sent several documents he had stolen from the Heartland Institute to more than two dozen fellow activists. And he threw in a fake memo for good measure -- one that purportedly showed the institute trying to spread misinformation about climate change. This was followed by the gasps of horror from left-leaning pundits. Why Heartland? Because this free-market non-profit group has been at the forefront of the climate-change debate. They've published books, articles and reports, held conferences, and debunked the hysterical claims of the radical environmental movement. Their efforts have earned them the scorn of liberal activists who would rather smear their opponents than debate them.
May 6, 2012 - 12:33:52 AM
Ed Feulner
A Century of Service
The men listed above all have at least one thing in common. All achieved the highest honor possible for a member of the Boy Scouts of America: the rank of Eagle Scout. It's been 100 years since the first one was awarded. Since then, more than two million young men have reached this milestone, including my son-in-law.
Apr 22, 2012 - 3:40:34 AM
Ed Feulner
Taming "Taxmageddon"
According to The Washington Post, the looming tax hike is "Taxmageddon."
All told, Americans will see taxes go up $494 billion, starting at the
beginning of 2013. That's less than nine months from now.
Apr 13, 2012 - 7:08:20 AM
Ed Feulner
A Whispering Campaign
On missile defense, we left two allies twisting in the wind. Both
Poland and Czech Republic had ignored Russian threats and agreed to host
missile-defense sites that would have helped protect U.S. territory and
our European allies. President Obama cancelled both sites shortly after
taking office. But this, and New START, apparently aren't enough for
the Kremlin. Hence the president's whispered hint that more is coming.
Apr 6, 2012 - 7:10:57 AM
Ed Feulner
Restoring Fiscal Sanity
"I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and
public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared," Thomas Jefferson
once wrote. "To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers
load us with perpetual debt."
Mar 31, 2012 - 7:05:41 AM
Ed Feulner
Demoting America's Staunchest Ally
While I was in Britain, David Cameron, the current prime minister,
was in the United States on an official visit with President Obama. At
least, I think it was an official visit. From their much-publicized
attendance at an NCAA basketball game to the gushing praise Cameron
lavished on his host at every turn, it played more like an extended
campaign ad.
Mar 25, 2012 - 5:55:45 AM
Ed Feulner
A Century of Cherry Blossoms
"Every night before going to sleep," Japanese Ambassador
Ichiro Fujisaki told reporters recently, "I pray: 'Fall the snow. Blow
the cold wind.'" It's not that Fujisaki wants to witness at firsthand
the capital city's famously inept response to winter weather -- he's
just hoping that the city's cherry trees will wait a few more weeks
before blooming.
Mar 10, 2012 - 7:43:16 AM
Ed Feulner
A Nation of Takers
Americans pride themselves on being a self-reliant people. We know
that the freedom to make our own fortune sets us apart from many other
nations. It's what has drawn generations of immigrants to our shores --
men and women risking their lives to live a life in which they, not the
government, are in charge. But with each passing year, that portrait flies more and more in the
face of reality. The numbers plainly show that we are becoming a people
dependent not on ourselves, but on government.
Feb 19, 2012 - 12:52:08 AM
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