FEATURED VIDEO
Heritage energy policy expert Jack Spencer discusses government intervention in BP on CNBC. More videos »July 2, 2010 | By Amanda J. Reinecker
234 Years Later, We Still Hold These Truths
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress declared to the world America's independence from the British crown. They stated with great conviction that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." The rights are natural and are not the creation of any man, monarch, or government.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence proposed a new theory of government: that the authority of the government should arise from the people and should depend on "the consent of the governed." This model of self-government was a pioneering experiment. Many expected the Founders to fail.
But two hundred and thirty-four years later, we still hold these truths to be true.
The Declaration of Independence is one the greatest statements of human liberty ever written. Its bold statements and timeless truths reveal to men of all ages that "they have a right to claim it as though they were blood of the blood and flesh of the men who wrote that Declaration," proclaimed Abraham Lincoln. "And so they are." After all, they're our Founding Fathers.
The Founders recognized that governments depend on imperfect men, and they worried about the threat of an all-powerful central government, where the few dictate to the many. In 1787, as the Constitutional Convention completed its work to enshrine the principles of the Declaration into law, Ben Franklin famously said the Constitution established "a republic, if you can keep it."
In an address before the Naples Committee for Heritage, Heritage Foundation scholar Matthew Spalding recounted a story from the Revolution. It was the story of a man who fought in the battle of Concord. His name was Levi Preston. Many years later, Capt. Levi Preston was asked by a young historian why he had fought in the American Revolution. Was it the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, perhaps the treatises of John Locke? But Capt. Preston explained that he didn't use stamps. He didn't drink tea. And he never read Locke.
"Then why?" The interviewer asked. "It's very simple," Capt. Preston responded. "What we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had been free, and we meant to be always free. They didn't mean we should."
» Watch a video of Spalding's remarks on the importance of first principles.
The fight to remain free continues today. Today's progressives are enacting policies that expand government and limit our freedoms. Heritage President Ed Feulner explains that Americans face a new set of "Intolerable acts" -- Wall Street bailouts; "stimulus" packages; cap-and-trade legislation; and, perhaps most harmful of all, Obamacare.
But the Founders warned us of this ongoing threat to liberty: Thomas Paine once warned that "the greatest tyrannies are always perpetrated in the name of the noblest causes."
This Fourth of July, America's greatest defense is our commitment to the principles of our Founding. We must take pride in our heritage and echo the words of Capt. Preston, "We have always been free. And we always intend to be free." And we must do so with the same conviction, tenacity and foresightedness as those individuals who, on that glorious day in July of 1776, brought to life the United States of America.
From all of us at The Heritage Foundation, have a safe and happy Independence Day!
> Other Heritage Work of Note
- The United States cannot afford the massive increases in welfare spending -- $10.3 trillion over the next 10 years -- planned by President Obama and his allies in Congress. Like most government spending, welfare spending is on an unsustainable course, and it is in dire need of reform. In a recent analysis, Heritage experts Robert Rector and Kiki Bradley outline important reform measures. They include: slowing the growth of the welfare state; promoting personal responsibility and work; providing a portion of welfare assistance as loans, not grants; ending the welfare marriage penalty; and limiting low-skilled immigration. Rector's research led directly to the 1996 welfare reforms.
»Watch Heritage's latest video explaining welfare spending and the need for reform.
- Online media is in its "teenage phase of growth" reports Heritage Foundation vice president Mike Gonzalez, and boy does it have an attitude. Gonzalez attributes the snarky tone of new media in part to the millennial generation, who "trust nothing and no one, least of all society's institutions." Unless something changes, he argues, it could ultimately be the death of this new form of communication as prominent voices are forced to step down after their words come back to haunt them—as happened recently with Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel.
- With the recent discovery of a sloppy Russian spy ring in America, Heritage Foundation senior fellow Peter Brooks argues there is more here than meets the eye. "The Russian government still sees us as an important target and competitor, no matter how often Team Obama mashes the U.S.-Russia 'reset' button," he writes in the Orange County register.
If these sub-par Russian spies were able to operate under our noses for so long, one can only wonder how many other covert agents are living among us right now. The Chinese are widely heralded for having a great spy program. Could terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida have covert operations also operating as we speak? These are some major holes in our counter-intelligence operations that must be addressed now before it is too late.
- Join Heritage at the Family Research Council Action's Values Voter Summit 2010 in Washington, DC, from September 17-19. The event will feature prominent conservatives including Phyllis Schlafly, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), Bill Bennett, Star Parker, and many more. Heritage will hold a screening of Let Me Rise, our powerful documentary on education reform, and host a panel discussion about the connections between social and economic conservatism. Register at ValuesVoterSummit.org.
> In Other News
- Despite slim chances that anything could pass this year, President Obama is again pushing immigration reform and asking for broad, bipartisan support.Republicans remain skeptical, arguing that the President's "reform" really means amnesty for illegal immigrants.
- The June unemployment numbers are in, and they're worse than expected. Though the jobless rate fell to 9.5 percent, the economy shed 125,000 jobs.
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) used her time questioning Elena Kagan to ask: "I keep wanting to ask you about the famous camp of Edward vs. Jacob or the vampire vs. the werewolf."
- According to the CBO, the federal debt will represent 62% of the nation's economy by the end of this year, the highest percentage since World War II.
Amanda Reinecker is a writer for MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Nathaniel Ward, the Editor of MyHeritage.org, and Stephen Congdon, a Heritage intern, contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Fwd: MyHeritage.org: 234 Years Later, We Still Hold These Truths
Fwd: Morning Bell: Reclaiming Our Founding Principles
07/05/2010
Reclaiming Our Founding Principles
Happy Birthday America! America is 234 years old. She was born on July 4, 1776, with the passage of the Declaration of Independence. Since then, America has grown from thirteen colonies on the east coast to fill a vast continent. Her economic and military power is envied around the world. And the American people are hardworking, churchgoing, affluent, and generous.
Independence Day is an opportunity each year to remember the root of our success—our founding principles as set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence serves as a philosophical statement of America's first principles. As Matthew Spalding describes, the Declaration affirms that all men are created equal. By nature, men have a right to liberty that is inalienable, meaning it cannot be given up or taken away. And because individuals equally possess such inalienable rights, governments derive their just powers from the consent of those governed. The purpose of government is to secure these fundamental rights, and the people retain the right to alter or abolish a government that fails to do so.
Fwd: Issue in Depth- Why We Need to Keep the Coast Guard Afloat
Issue in Depth:
The U.S. Coast Guard
From the recovery in Haiti to the continuing oil cleanup effort in the Gulf the Coast Guard continues to be at the forefront of important U.S. missions. Despite these roles, it is facing a 3.3% cut in the FY 2011 budget in addition to a 2.6% cut in active-duty personnel. The Coast Guard has continuously been stretched thin following the expansion of its mission and its transfer to the Department of Homeland Security. Admiral Thad Allen has pointed out that while the average age of a Coast Guard cutter is 41 years, the average Navy vessel is only for 14 years old. The proposed budget cuts will greatly hinder modernization efforts and can only lead to a slower response when the next emergency hits. In the words of the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), the President's budget cuts of Coast Guardsmen are "pennywise and pound foolish." Please see our most recent research on the Coast Guard and its ongoing efforts in the Gulf in this week's National Security Update.
Latest Research:The Heritage Foundation: Reject Coast Guard's Maritime Security and Counterterrorism Mission Budget Cuts
The U.S. Coast Guard's advanced interdiction and counterterrorism capabilities are being scaled back at a time when they should be expanded. President Obama's fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget request for the Coast Guard explores killing five of the 12 Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSSTs) in addition to nine aircraft and five cutters.The Heritage Foundation: U.S. Coast Guard At Risk: Modernization Plans Sinking Under Budget Constraints
Given the backbreaking demands currently placed on American forces around the world, the U.S. military's significant humanitarian response efforts in Haiti have been extraordinary. This response has been led by the frequently forgotten fifth member of the U.S. Armed Forces: the U.S. Coast Guard.The Heritage Foundation: Massive Oil Spill Makes Case For Reversing Obama Coast Guard Cuts
The recent disaster in the Gulf Coast, where a massive oil spill now threatens to cause billions of dollars in environmental damage, demonstrates how under-funding the Coast Guard is adding unacceptable risk to the safety, security, and prosperity of all Americans.The Heritage Foundation Special Report: Stopping the Slick, Saving the Environment: A Framework for Response, Recovery, and Resiliency
On April 20, 2010, the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a mas¬sive, continuing release of underground oil. Washington must develop a comprehensive response to the crisis that mitigates damage, promotes economic and environmental recovery, and delivers solutions to ensure resiliency in the face of future catastrophes.More Blogs and Commentary:
The Foundry: Coast Guard Deserves More Than A Thank You
Unfortunately, if one follows the money trail, America is falling short when it comes to adequately resourcing the military—including the U.S. Coast Guard. As a consequence of President Obama's fiscal year 2011 budget request, the Coast Guard is being "forced to make asset reduction decisions without full appreciation of the impact of those reductions to operational performance."The Foundry: Obama's Oil Spill To-Do List
The oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico gets worse by the day. Oil spews from the broken well, further polluting our water and shores. The clean-up efforts drag on with bureaucratic interference, making matters worse.The Foundry: You Can Bet These Clowns Are No Joke
Just when you thought that bumbling Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale had retired for good, the FBI uncovers an 11-person, deep-cover Russian spy ring stretching from Boston to Washington.
More Events: July 8, 2010, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Washington, DC
The Heritage Foundation: U.S. Capabilities To Manage Irregular Conflicts in the 21st Century
Roy Godson and Richard Shultz argue that the United States needs a set of tools and skills suited to the world as it is and as it is likely to evolve, not as it was.
July 14, 2010, 12:00 p.m.
Location: Washington, DC
The CATO Institute: What to do About North Korea?
Stephen Linton will discuss what he has learned about Pyongyang's international objectives and suggest possible strategies for the U.S. to use in engaging the North.The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400
Fwd: Morning Bell: Remember the Gulf
07/06/2010
Remember 9/11. Remember Katrina. Remember Haiti. Often, after a disaster of epic proportions, we are urged to remember the victims and the lessons of how to avoid a similar catastrophe. These reminders are necessary because after the moment of impact passes, people's attention is drawn to other major events. Rarely ever, however, is the phrase used while the crisis continues unabated; while the administration that the media needs to hold accountable flounders in a sea of ineptitude, red tape and finger pointing.
Yes, we're talking about the Gulf oil spill. It may be the first time in U.S. history that a president and the national media's attention need to be refocused on a crisis while it is still, in fact, underway. Remember the Gulf.
We at The Heritage Foundation are not forgetting it. Starting today, a team of respected energy, environment, homeland security and response experts are traveling to the Gulf region. Over the coming week, we'll investigate what is and is not working and what more needs to be done (or in many cases, where the federal government should simply step out of the way), and we'll report our findings back to you.
Fwd: Warning: Dismissing State Sovereignty May Be Hazardous to Your Health
What does it mean to be an American patriot?
Have you heard the story of why Levi Preston fought in the Revolutionary War? Check out some of our favorite stories about the Founding.
Around the Country
Is it better to be a sports star in China or to work in a restaurant in America? Learn about Kai Chen's story in Coral Ridge Ministries' latest documentary "Socialism: A Clear and Present Danger."
"Why are we going to America? Because, we were born Americans, but in the wrong place." Learn about the story of Peter Schramm's escape from Hungary and journey to become an American Citizen. Quick Thoughts
What does Elena Kagan think about Natural Rights? The Declaration of Independence is still an expression of the American mind all year round. What We're Reading: 1776 by David McCullough
Warning: Dismissing State Sovereignty May Be Hazardous to Your Health
The recently passed health care bill represents an unprecedented federal incursion into state sovereignty, and thereby threatens the core of American federalism. It not only requires every American to purchase health insurance; it also turns state governments into mere instruments of the national government's authority.
In his latest backgrounder "Revitalizing Federalism: The High Road Back to Health Care Independence," Robert Moffit argues that states must respond forcefully to the legislation's federal intrusion into state sovereignty. Rather than passively waiting to respond to federal regulations, states ought to assert their proper role in the health care debate. If states do not actively fulfill their roles, people may look to the federal government for assistance in times of need. Such an expansion of the federal government's power not only damages state sovereignty but also threatens individual liberty.The federalist system is one of the most important safeguards against tyranny in American politics. In this system, state and federal governments have separate spheres of authority to form "a double security" for the people, as James Madison wrote. The tension between state and federal government created a "certain rivalship" that would protect American liberty. The founders established a Constitution of enumerated powers to protect individual liberty and carve out a distinct role for the states. The Tenth Amendment which and furthermore explicitly supports federalism stating "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
Thomas Jefferson warned that "to take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, not longer susceptible of any definition." The recently-passed health care legislation represents such a transgression of the constitution boundaries. States must respond to this federal intrusion with force and vigor. Several states have already filed lawsuits to halt the mandate's enforcement. Others have enacted legislation that would challenge this incursion on constitutional grounds. Such firm action is necessary to protect America's federalist system and the future of American liberty.Read More about the Challenges to Federalism in the Health Care Bill
Forward this message to a Friend! Quote of the Week
Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families.~ Benjamin Rush
On PatriotismFor more quotes, visit westillholdthesetruths.org
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400
Friday, July 2, 2010
Fwd: Morning Bell: Recovery Summer Vacation
07/02/2010
On June 17, Vice President Joe Biden crashed the daily White House press briefing to kick off the Obama administration's "Recovery Summer," a six-week-long campaign to promote the belief that "the Recovery Act is working." VP Biden claimed: "We knew that the hole dug by the recession that was created by the policies of the last administration resulted in a loss, a real loss of somewhere between $2 trillion and $3 trillion in the economy. We never thought that $787 billion was going to fill those holes -- that hole."
There are so many things wrong with this statement, but we'll identify just three: 1) according to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost of Obama's stimulus has soared passed $787 billion and now stands at $862 billion; 2) data show that as bad as Biden makes the current recession out to be, more jobs were lost in the first seven quarters of the 2001 recession than were lost in the first seven quarters of this recession; 3) Biden's personal economic adviser, Jared Bernstein, co-authored a January 9, 2009, report promising the American people that the Obama stimulus would never allow unemployment to rise above 8% and guaranteeing that the U.S. economy would support 138.6 million jobs by December 2010.
So by the White House's own standard, what verdict does the actual real world data give the Obama stimulus? The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor and Statistics released its monthly jobs report today showing the economy lost 125,000 jobs in June as 225,000 temporary Census jobs ended. Just 83,000 private sector jobs were created in June. All told the U.S. economy has now lost 2.3 million jobs since President Barack Obama signed his stimulus bill and his administration is now 7.4 million jobs short of what he promised the American economy would support by 2010. There is only one word that can adequately describe the gulf between the President's economic promises and his economic performance: failure.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fwd: Federal Debt Could Reach 100% of America?s GDP by 2025, Says Congressional Budget Office
Today's Headlines Thursday, July 1, 2010
Federal Debt Could Reach 100% of America's GDP by 2025, Says Congressional Budget Office
(CNSNews.com) – On the same day President Barack Obama told a Wisconsin town hall gathering that his policies mean "the economy is headed in the right direction," the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected that federal debt could reach 87 percent of America's gross domestic production by 2020, and surpass 100 percent of GDP by 2025. Nevertheless, the president told the crowd in Racine, Wisc. – a town with the second highest unemployment in the state – that the economy is turning the corner.
Neither Sessions Nor Cornyn Directly Say Kagan's View on Abortion Will Cause Them to Vote Against Her
(CNSNews.com) – While Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan's paper trail from her time as associate counsel in the Clinton White House indicates that she thinks abortion is a constitutional right, two top Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee would not say whether this would compel them to vote against her as the next associate justice of the court.
Obama's Pick to Administer $20 Billion Oil Spill Compensation Fund Will Insist Claimants are U.S. Citizens Who Pay Taxes
(CNSNews.com) – The man who will administer the claims process for individuals and businesses seeking compensation from the $20 billion fund established by BP in the wake of its oil rig explosion said he will follow federal immigration and tax laws when deciding the eligibility of claimants. When CNSNews.com asked if the claims process would include requiring proof of U.S. citizenship, Kenneth Feinberg said "of course" it would.
As Obama Calls Out Republicans on Campaign Trail, Republican Leader Blasts His 'Childish Partisanship'
(CNSNews.com) - "The President should be focused on solving the problems of the American people -- stopping the leaking oil and cleaning up the Gulf, scrapping his job-killing agenda, repealing and replacing ObamaCare -- instead of my choice of metaphors," House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said on Wednesday. He was responding to President Obama's attack on Boehner and on Republicans in general at a town hall gathering in Racine, Wis., yesterday.
Suspected Spy-Ring Paymaster Vanishes, As Russians Mull Conspiracies
(CNSNews.com) – Despite some scoffing about a scenario straight out of a Cold War-era spy novel, some U.S. analysts caution that the Russian spy case reveals troubling issues that need to be tackled. "In Moscow, the U.S. is still an intelligence target, not a 'partner' the Obama administration believes it is," one analyst said.
CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO
Chairman Leahy: Supreme Court Nominee Kagan's Standard on Recusal 'Appropriate'
(CNSNews.com) – Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan testified that she would recuse herself from "any case" in which she served as "counsel of record" or for which she had "signed any kind of brief" as solicitor general in the Obama administration. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said that most senators found Kagan's view on this issue "appropriate."
OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES
Millions of Swine Flu Vaccine Doses Have Expired and Will Be Burned
Obama Argues for Immigration Overhaul on Thursday
Petraeus Briefs NATO on Situation in Afghanistan
Arizona to Release Immigration Training Plan for Police Officers
NATO Arrests A District Taliban Chief in Afghanistan
U.S. Envoy Concerned About Fraying Commercial Ties With Venezuela
1.3 Million Long-Term Unemployed Won't Have Jobless Benefits Extended
House Passes Sweeping Bank Rules, But No Senate Action Yet
Bipartisan Agreement That Elena Kagan 'Will Be Confirmed'
With Russian Spy Case in the Headlines, Hillary Clinton Heads to Former Soviet Satellite States
Governors Push for More Health Care Money
Jimmy Buffett Gives a Free Concert on Alabama Coast
Cash-Strapped Greeks Hit by Higher Sales Tax
China Welcomes Visit by U.S. Defense Secretary – Some Day
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NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP
Disclose Act requirements might end 30-second campaign advertisements
Lawsuit prompts NCAA to screen all athletes for sickle cell
'High-risk' pool medical insurance program set to begin
L.A. council turns back last-minute plan to delay layoffs
California begins fiscal year with no budget
Anthem Blue Cross again seeks rate hikes for Californians
Costs rise as U.S. Capitol crumbles; $200 million in repairs needed
1 in 4 headsets tourists use at Capitol Visitors' Center doesn't work
Provincetown school system revising its condom proposal
Polls indicating that Sen. Blanche Lincoln was losing may have been bogus
Passport fees are going up July 13
Democrats won't decide fate of Bush-era tax cuts until after midterms
New Seattle law will cook restaurant waste into compost
Top al Qaeda figure is tied to failed New York City subway bombing plot
EPA rejects air permits of 122 Texas plants, putting jobs at risk
COMMENTARY
Kagan on the 'Right' to Suction Someone's Brains
By Terence P. Jeffrey
Elena Kagan was not only to the left of President Bill Clinton on partial-birth abortion, but a fair reading of a memo she wrote in 1996 indicates she believed Clinton was a little squishy on the issue. The memo, recently released by the Clinton Presidential Library, demonstrates Kagan was intent on preserving an absolute right to kill "pre-viable" babies—even if it had to be done by sucking out a baby's brains.
The Best Place to Be Poor
By Walter E. Williams
Imagine you are an unborn spirit whom God has condemned to a life of poverty but has permitted to choose the nation in which to live. I'm betting that most condemned, unborn spirits would choose the United States. Why? Because what historically has been defined as poverty no longer exists in the U.S. Let's look at it.
Fwd: Constitution Comes First in Virginia's Obamacare Challenge
Constitution Comes First in Virginia's Obamacare Challenge
RICHMOND, Va. – Visitors in Ken Cuccinelli's modest office overlooking the state Capitol can readily see the appreciation of Virginia's attorney general for the Founding Fathers. (Watch Cuccinelli's interview with Heritage here.)
Paintings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry hang on his wall. The Gadsden flag stands next to his desk. And when you ask Cuccinelli about Obamacare, he immediately shifts the conversation to the U.S. Constitution.
"I don't think in my lifetime we've seen one statute that so erodes liberty than this health care bill," Cuccinelli said in a recent interview.
The Scoop
"Certainly, we view our lawsuit as being not merely about health care. That's actually secondary to the real important aspect of the case, and that is to protect the Constitution as we essentially define the outer limits of federal power. If we lose, it's very much the end of federalism as we've known it for over 220 years."
Virginia's lawsuit asserts that President Obama's health care law is unconstitutional on the basis of its individual mandate requiring Americans to buy insurance. The suit seeks to protect a Virginia statute, passed by the state legislature in March, which says Virginians cannot be compelled to buy health insurance or to pay a penalty if they refuse insurance.
A federal court in Richmond will hear oral arguments in the case on Thursday, July 1. That makes Cuccinelli's office ground zero in Virginia's battle to undo Obamacare.
Aside from the lawsuit, the state is also facing the fiscal burdens that come with Obamacare.
Official estimates put the law's cost to the state at $1.5 billion through 2022. That's because about 80,000 low-income children and teens in Virginia will no longer be covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program, which supplies states with a generous federal match. Instead, they'll be enrolled in Medicaid -- and Virginia will have to foot more of the bill.
And those 80,000 children won't be the only people added to the rolls: The state will eventually have to extend Medicaid coverage to some 400,000 additional people.
While these fiscal challenges pose a threat to Virginia's budget, Cuccinelli is focused on the law's constitutionality. He believes the case will ultimately end up at the U.S. Supreme Court within two years.
Another lawsuit from 20 attorneys general and the National Federation of Independent Business could make its way there, too. That case is currently in a federal district court in Florida.
Virginia decided to pursue its own legal path independent of the other states because of the action of its legislature. Cuccinelli believes that, as more states enter the courtroom, the Supreme Court will recognize the importance of the issues at stake.
"Never before has the federal government ordered individual Americans to buy something from other Americans," Cuccinelli said. "It is an extraordinary extension of power by the federal government and it is also an imposition on our state's law."
The Obama administration views things differently. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius filed a motion to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the state doesn't have standing to sue -- a move Cuccinelli predicted and had been preparing to counter. He filed a response June 7. Oral arguments are expected in July.
Regardless of what happens in the district court, Cuccinelli said he's prepared for a lengthy legal fight. And because he just took office in January, he vowed to remain vigilant.
"We are absolutely in it for the long haul, and that's important," he said, noting that he's also suing the Environmental Protection Agency for its claim that greenhouse gases jeopardize human health. "I'm going to be in this office to see these cases all the way through. And we are going to see them all the way through."
As he sees it, this is something the Founding Fathers would want the states to do, provide a much-needed check in the system of checks and balances outlined by James Madison in the Federalist Papers.
"We can protect our citizens, and be in a position to protect our laws, where we represent our citizens, even against the federal government. Virginia is a sovereign entity in this constitutional system," Cuccinelli said.
"We created, along with 12 other states at the time, the federal government as it's currently structured. And we intend to remind them of that with this lawsuit."
This article, by The Heritage Foundation's Rob Bluey, originally was posted on The Washington Examiner. Read more here.
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Fwd: Budget Bulletin: The Three Biggest Myths About Tax Cuts and the Budget Deficit
Hoyer Makes, and Misses, His Mark CBO Reveals Magnitude of Reform Needed for Sustainable Fiscal Future The Three Biggest Myths About Tax Cuts and the Budget Deficit
By Brian Riedl
The surging budget deficit will likely dominate the national economic debate for years to come. Even after the recession ends, persistent trillion-dollar deficits are projected to double the national debt by the end of the decade. In the absence of reform, the financial markets will eventually respond by withdrawing capital, pushing up interest rates, and demanding immediate budget reforms—much like Greece is currently experiencing.
Putting the federal budget on a sustainable path will require drastic reforms. Balancing the budget by 2020 would require either eliminating one-third of all spending, raising taxes by 50 percent, or a combination of the two. This enormous budget constraint will set the framework for all budgeting decisions—from taxes to health care, from education to Social Security.
Finding a solution to growing deficits requires first correctly diagnosing their cause. Both recent and future budget deficits have been blamed largely on the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, and to a lesser extent on the war on terrorism, but the data contradict these myths. In reality, spending is almost exclusively the problem:
- The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts were responsible for just 14 percent of the swing from the projected cumulative $5.6 trillion surplus for 2002–2011 to an actual $6.1 trillion deficit. The vast majority of the shift was due to higher spending and slower-than-projected economic growth.
- President Barack Obama's assertion that most future deficits will result from the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Medicare drug entitlement is based on faulty methodology, but is still wrong even using that methodology.
- Above-average spending, not below-average revenues, accounts for 92 percent of rising budget deficits by 2014 and 100 percent by 2017.
- Nearly all rising spending will occur in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and net interest payments.
Deficit reduction efforts should focus on the source of the problem: rising entitlement spending. Any attempt to split the difference between broad-based tax hikes and spending cuts should be rejected outright as a false solution.
>> Click here to read Brian Riedl's full report
Get more charts with Heritage's Federal Revenue and Spending Book of Charts
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400
Fwd: Morning Bell: The Limitless Power of the Obama-Kagan Congress
07/01/2010
The Limitless Power of the Obama-Kagan Congress
This Sunday, our nation will celebrate Independence Day, which commemorates the Continental Congress' adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration preamble reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The fact that we as a nation came together every year to celebrate this document might lead many Americans to believe that a Supreme Court Justice should take the Declaration of Independence into account when they are interpreting the Constitution. Elena Kagan is not one of those Americans. Under questioning from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) yesterday, Kagan admitted: "To be honest with you, I don't have a view of what are natural rights independent of the Constitution."
And Kagan's disturbing indifference to the existence of natural rights is just one of the many frightening revelations her confirmation hearing has produced. On Tuesday, Sen. Coburn pressed Kagan about the limits the Constitution places on Congress' power to control what Americans do:
Coburn: If I wanted to sponsor a bill and it said Americans, you have to eat three vegetables and three fruits every day and I got it through Congress and that's now the law of the land, got to do it, does that violate the Commerce Clause?
Kagan: Sounds like a dumb law
Coburn: Yeah, but I got one that's real similar to it that I think is equally dumb. I'm not going to mention which it is.
Kagan: But I think that the question of whether it's a dumb law is different from whether the question of whether it's constitutional and I think that courts would be wrong to strike down laws that they think are senseless just because they're senseless.