Fwd: Morning Bell: An Admission of Failure

07/26/2010 An Admission of Failure It is established practice in Washington that if you have to release bad news, it is best to do it on a Friday ... the later in the day the better. So not only did the White House schedule the publication of the "Mid-Session Budget Review" for last Friday, but they then released it three hours late to ensure that as few reporters as possible were left in the nation's capital to cover it. But Heritage's dedicated budget team patiently waited the Obama administration out, and their analysis shows that this year's mid-session review is nothing short of a complete admission of failure of the White House's economic policies. When President Obama sold his $862 billion economic stimulus to the American people, he promised that, if enacted, it would prevent unemployment from ever rising above 8%. With unemployment currently at 9.5%, the American people are now well aware that the President's stimulus has been a complete failure. But Friday's report was the first time this Administration was forced to admit just how long Americans will have to suffer for their failed economic policies. According to Friday's report, the Obama administration now projects that unemployment will average 9% throughout all of next year and 8.1% throughout 2012. And if that news wasn't bad enough, the report pegs this year's budget deficit at $1.471 trillion, or 10% of the entire U.S. economy. In nominal dollars, it's the largest deficit in American history; and as a percentage of the economy, it's the largest deficit since World War II. To pay for that $1.471 trillion hole, our government will borrow 41 cents of every dollar it spends. And the Obama Administration concedes that these large deficits are here to stay. It projects another $1.42 trillion deficit in 2011, which is $150 billion worse than previously predicted. Looking ahead, the President's budget includes deficits that never fall below $698 billion and leaves our children with $18.5 trillion in debt by 2020. And all this assumes the economy will grow 4% from 2012-2014. The only times the economy performed that well in the past thirty years was from 1997-2000 and from 1983-1985. These future deficits are driven almost exclusively by rising spending. As Heritage Foundation analyst Brian Riedl noted earlier this year: "Before the recession, federal spending totaled $24,000 per U.S. household. President Obama would hike it to $36,000 per household by 2020 — an inflation-adjusted $12,000-per-household expansion of government." There is a way out of this deficit nightmare: stop spending. If the federal government managed to return to the per-household spending level of the Reagan administration, the budget would be balanced by 2012 without any tax hikes. Too ambitious? Just returning to the per-household spending levels that existed before the current recession would balance the budget by 2019. But that is not the route this President wants to take. President Obama wants to close the gap between what our government spends and what it takes in by raising taxes by $3 trillion. His Treasury secretary was on television yesterday claiming this massive tax tsunami would have no effect on economic growth. After last Friday's Mid-Session Budget Review exposed the failure of this Administration's economic stimulus claims, does anybody believe anything this Administration says anymore? Print | Comments | Forward RECENT ENTRIES House and Senate Cloakroom: July 26-30, 2010 North Korean Threats Show Need for Robust Defenses White House Confirms Continued Trillion-Dollar Budget Deficits DISCLOSE Act Assault on First Amendment Continues What's 2 + 2? When the Russians Say 3, START to Worry QUICK HITS Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) identifies Eight Problems with New START at NRO. The day before President Barack Obama spoke to leftist activists in Las Vegas last weekend, former White House aide Van Jones told the same conference not to worry about deficits, that there are plenty of rich companies to raise taxes on, and "the only question is how to spend it." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the same leftist activist conference, "We're going to have a public option, It's just a question of when." Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) who is not a lawyer, has earned millions of dollars working for a lobbying firm, but still has not registered as a lobbyist. China has given Brazil $10 billion to develop offshore oil drilling projects and plans to invest another $240 billion. Share Today's Morning Bell Facebook Myspace Digg Linkdin Twitter   Know anyone who shares your conservative values and principles and may want to receive the Heritage Foundation newsletters?  Please refer them to Heritage today! Connect with Heritage Facebook Twitter YouTube Kindle Flickr Support our work by becoming a member with your gift of $25 or more. The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002-4999 Call us at (202) 546-4400 Add morningbell@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us. H

Fwd: Sen. Kerry Predicts ?Ice-Free Arctic' In '5 or 10 Years?

Today's Headlines Friday, July 23, 2010

Sen. Kerry Predicts 'Ice-Free Arctic' In '5 or 10 Years' (CNSNews.com) – Speaking at a town hall-style meeting promoting climate change legislation on Thursday, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) predicted there will be "an ice-free Arctic" in five to 10 years... Lawmaker Who Wrote Arizona Immigration Law Intervenes in Obama Administration Lawsuit (CNSNews.com) – The author of the Arizona immigration law filed a court motion to stop the federal government's effort to prevent the law from going into effect on July 29... Liberals, Conservatives Agree: Re-Imposing the Death Tax Designed to Penalize the Wealthy (CNSNews.com) - Unless Congress acts to extend its repeal, the death tax is scheduled to return in 2011-- a tax that liberals and conservatives alike seem to agree is designed only to attack the "pockets" of the wealthy... NATO's Education Training Chief Unsure When Afghan National Security Force Will Be Fully Literate (CNSNews.com) - An objective for when to expect a fully literate Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) has not been established despite an ongoing U.S.-led education training program in place, according to NATO's education training chief... As Separatists Welcome Int'l Court Kosovo Opinion, US Insists it's Not Applicable Elsewhere (CNSNews.com) – The International Court of Justice's long-awaited opinion on Kosovo Thursday may be non-binding and Kosovo-specific, but it resonated around the world, buoying secessionist movements and prompting anxiety in countries grappling with separatism... CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO HHS: Abortions and HIV Status Don't Have to Go in Electronic Health Records Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, says that abortions and HIV status do not need to go in the electronic health records all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the economic stimulus. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Al-Arabiya Director Calls Nuclear Iran 'Most Dangerous Threat That is Facing Our Region in 100 Years' White House Backs Bill to Collect Employee Pay Information from Businesses Senate Republican Leader Won't Campaign in Nevada Against Senate Democratic Leader University of Illinois Says Professor 'Has Not Been Fired' for Teaching Catholic Doctrine On Homosexuality in Catholicism Class – He's Just Not Teaching Classes Don't Limit Lockerbie Probe to BP Claims, Campaigners Urge US Senators Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  COMMENTARY The Democrats' War on the West By Michelle Malkin "Why do they hate us?" It's a burning question on the minds of border-dwelling taxpayers, small-business owners, farmers, and Rocky Mountain oil and gas industry workers suffering under punitive Democrat policies. Eighteen months into the Barack Obama administration, the war on the American West is in full swing... Hollywood Shocked as Family Films Flourish By L. Brent Bozell III The surprise box-office boom for the cartoon "Despicable Me" is making it clear again to Hollywood this summer that family films are the most likely to be top-grossing films. "Toy Story 3" is number one for 2010, not only among the critics, but among the people as well. "Despicable Me" already has broken into the top ten box-office hits for the year to date with almost $130 million in ticket sales...

Fwd: Morning Bell: New START, New Slogan ... Trust But Don't Verify

07/23/2010 New START, New Slogan ... Trust But Don't Verify In 1987, at the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), President Ronald Reagan summarized his approach to arms-control by citing an old Russian proverb: "doveryai, no proveryai." Translation: trust, but verify. When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev noted, "You say that at every meeting," Reagan shot back, "I like it." Like everything else the Obama administration does, their approach to arms control is the exact opposite of President Reagan. As the following exchange from this Tuesday's Senate Armed Services Committee New START hearing shows, the Obama administration approach to arms control might as well be, "trust, but don't bother to verify." Here is the crucial exchange between Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and U.S. Strategic Command Commander, Air Force General Kevin Chilton:

Fwd: Morning Bell: The Obama Tax Tsunami is Here

07/22/2010 The Obama Tax Tsunami is Here The American people are already well aware of President Barack Obama's historic expansion of government spending: his $862 billion economic stimulus that has completely failed to keep unemployment below 8% as promised; his still-expanding health care law which the Congressional Budget Office now admits will cost more than $1 trillion; and an Obama budget that increases government spending by $12,000 per household. But all that spending is just the first half of President Obama's game plan. The second half of Obama's attempted transformation began last night when the Senate rejected Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-SC) effort to end the Death Tax. This year is actually the first year since 1916 that Americans do not have to pay any federal taxes when a family member dies. But thanks to the way Congress had to pass the legislation that phased out the Death Tax in 2001, it is set to go from zero percent to 55 percent at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2010. The Death Tax is but one of many government taxes on capital and entrepreneurship, and its reinstatement will be yet another job killer from the Obama administration. It rewards estate tax lawyers, insurance companies and big businesses at the expense of small family-owned enterprises. According to a study by the American Family Business Foundation, a full repeal of the death tax, like the one rejected by the Senate last night, would create 1.5 million jobs. Before the vote, Sen. DeMint described the tax as an "unfair, immoral double tax on property and assets that folks have already paid taxes on throughout their lives." He added: "The Obama death tax is just the latest example of this administration's assault on small businesses."

Fwd: Obamacare Is Not Entitlement Reform

Obamacare Is Not Entitlement Reform   The United States faces financial collapse due to out-of-control government spending, and entitlement programs have a lot to do with it. Washington has promised more than it could ever possibly deliver. Medicare in particular puts the government on the hook for $38 trillion in long-term unfunded liabilities, and reform to address this is sorely needed. The Scoop In Pictures: Entitlements Will Consume All Tax Revenues by 2052   Federal Bailouts of Medicaid Encourage the Unsustainable Status Quo   Obamacare: Impact on States   Video: ObamaCare Impact on States Change must address not only spending but also the system by which the program operates, which currently encourages inefficient use of health services. This trend has penetrated the health care system at large. According to the Obama Administration, the health care overhaul passed in March addressed the need for entitlement reform. However, at a recent event hosted by the Galen Institute, expert James Capretta introduced his research that shows that this is not the case. Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, identified the main driver of increased spending in Medicare as soaring costs in the health care system at large. This argument was used to claim that Obamacare would "bend the cost curve," reducing federal commitments and overall health spending. But Capretta points out that the Administration was incorrect in this assessment. He writes that "CBO's long-term budget projections from last year show that before enactment of the health law, population aging would be responsible for at least 56 percent of the spending growth for the major entitlement programs between now and 2035, and rising health care costs would account for just 32 percent of the cost growth." Obamacare ignores the issue at the heart of growing Medicare expenses: an increasing population of senior citizens eligible for Medicare's benefits. What's more, the new law will not even really address the problem that it sought to solve. The main issues with Medicare's high costs arise from its fee-for-service payment system, which gives doctors and patients little incentive to control cost. Obamacare addresses this through top-down delivery system reform, which will have dubious effects on controlling costs. Capretta explains that "there is nearly half a century of experience with the Medicare program indicating that confidence in 'government-engineered' efficiency improvement is entirely misplaced. Efforts to control costs from the top-down have always devolved into price setting and across-the-board payment-rate reductions, which is detrimental to the quality of American medicine. Price controls drive out willing suppliers of services, after which the only way to balance supply and demand is with waiting lists." Instead, Congress should reform Medicare by overhauling the current system and replacing it with one where cost control works from the bottom up. Congressman Paul Ryan's (R–WI) "Roadmap for America's Future" provides an example where consumers would make choices that rewarded providers for offering better quality care at lower prices. This would encourage greater productivity that would extend throughout the entire health care system. The good news is that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have displayed awareness that it is not high costs in health care that make Medicare so costly but rather Medicare itself, which drives cost trends within the overall health care system. The next step is to repeal the top-down approach taken in Obamacare and replace it with a consumer-driven approach that provides better value at a lower price. forward message   or visit our website   The White House has launched a taxpayer-funded Web site to "reality check" credible criticisms and arguments. Problem is the Obama administration's videos "debunking" each "myth" are low on facts. Click here to see our response.   Facebook Twitter YouTube The Heritage Foundation - 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC Call us at 202-546-4400

Fwd: CNSNews.com E-Brief

Today's Headlines Friday, February 5, 2010

Advertisement - Immigration Reform… Should the U.S. follow Arizona's lead? PersonalLiberty.com, America's #1 news site for independent-minded individuals is conducting an urgent immigration poll. We want to know if you think America should follow Arizona's lead when it comes to immigration reform. The results of the poll will be available to you after you submit your vote and we'll also share the poll results with major media outlets across the country. Thousands will vote, so take a moment right now to stand up and be counted... your opinion matters! Cast Your Vote! Hoyer: 'I Don't Think TEA Party Is Racist'; But House Dem Leader Not Sure 'Who the TEA Party Is' (CNSNews.com) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that he does not think that the Tea Party is racist, but admitted that he also does not know "who the Tea Party is."... Brownback: Obama's Pick to Run Medicare, Medicaid 'Not a Person Who Should Be Appointed to This Job' (CNSNews.com) - Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) told CNSNews.com that Dr. Donald Berwick, who President Barack Obama recess-appointed to run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, is "not a person who should be appointed" to the job... Obama Administration's Actions in Auto Bailout Added to Unemployment, Audit Says Washington (CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration's policies in steering the auto bailout drove unemployment up, according to an audit by the Office of Special Inspector General for the Troubled Assets Relief Program (SIGTARP)... Ban Ki-Moon in the Firing Line Over Leadership, Reforms (CNSNews.com) – The question of whether Ban Ki-moon will serve a second term as U.N. secretary-general is set to generate new debate, after the second leak of an internal document scathingly critical of the South Korean diplomat in less than a year... British PM Doesn't Plan Full Inquiry of Lockerbie Bomber Release or Alleged BP Connection Washington (CNSNews.com) – British Prime Minister David Cameron does not think there should be an inquiry into the release of the Lockerbie bomber and also does not believe that BP Global played a role in lobbying Scottish officials to free the terrorist... CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Hatch: 'All Kinds of Pressure' by Democrats Not to Hold Hearings on Berwick Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a member of the Finance Committee, said there is "all kinds of pressure" by the Democratic Caucus on Finance Chairman Max Baucus not to call in President Obama's recess-appointee to run Medicare and Medicaid, Dr. Donald Berwick, for hearings, which are constitutionally mandated.   OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES A Lockerbie Timeline: From the Murder of 270 People in the Flight 103 Bombing through the Release of the Killer on 'Compassionate' Grounds Obama Job Approval Lowest Among 'Conservative' States Hatch: There's 'All Kinds of Pressure' by Democratic Caucus Not to Have Hearings on Berwick Supreme Court Police Told School Teacher It's 'Definitely Contrary to the Law' to Pray on Supreme Court Steps, Says Alliance Defense Fund Census Officials in New York Instructed Workers to Falsify Questionnaires, Says Inspector General Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  COMMENTARY How Financial Reform Discriminates -- Unless Your Daughter Goes to Wellesley By Terence P. Jeffrey If your child is the correct gender and has the right grades, and you are poor enough to get financial aid or rich enough to pay the $49,898 in annual fees, your daughter can attend Hillary Clinton's alma mater of Wellesley and put herself in position to capitalize on a special provision in the financial reform bill that just passed Congress that mandates that the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve banks and all other federal financial regulatory agencies recruit people like her as workers... Making Americans Sick By Walter E. Williams Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius promised, "The U.S. government plans to increase funding to battle obesity and views healthcare reform as an opportunity to encourage better eating habits." Rather than spending money and attacking the food industry, the secretary and others concerned with the health of Americans ought to go after the U.S. Congress. Let's look at it... Dealergate: Destroying Jobs in the Name of 'Shared Sacrifice' By Michelle Malkin Everything you need to know about the nightmare of government-controlled businesses can be found in a damning new inspector general's report on Dealergate...

 

 

Fwd: Morning Bell: The Special Relationship Beyond BP

07/21/2010 The Special Relationship Beyond BP British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the White House for the first time as Prime Minister yesterday. At a time when the United States is engaged in a war in Afghanistan, when Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, and while the world economy is teetering through a weak recovery, one would hope our press corps would focus on lasting issues of physical and economic security. Unfortunately the press conference and the media coverage focused exclusively on the Scottish government's release of the 1988 Lockerbie bomber and whether BP was involved in the decision. This must have been especially galling to Cameron, since as leader of the opposition party in Britain at the time, Cameron objected to the terrorist's release when it happened. As Cameron said yesterday, there is "violent agreement" between him and President Barack Obama on the issue, adding: "It was the biggest murder in British history, and there was no business letting him out of prison." Unfortunately Cameron parroted President Obama on another key issue as well, telling BBC News about Afghanistan: "People in Britain should understand we're not going to be there in five years' time, in 2015, with combat troops or large numbers because I think it's important to give people an end date by which we won't be continuing in that way." This echoes President Obama's mistaken decision to identify July 2011 as the beginning of U.S. withdrawal from the region. As long as we are being frank, we ought to acknowledge that the biggest problem with the President's entire strategy was setting that artificial timeline for withdrawal. That led our military leaders to question the strategy in Afghanistan and put tremendous, unnecessary pressure on our armed forces to accomplish the task at hand. It also gave a psychological advantage to the Taliban, who will convince their recruits that the American will is lacking and thus they can just "wait us out."

Fwd: Why We Honor the Tea Party Movement

New Common Sense Applying First Principles to the Issues of Today At Heritage How do Heritage experts apply First Principles to economic policy? Let's ask William Beach, Heritage's Director of the Center for Data Analysis. What makes America Exceptional? Around the Country Does science give us definitive policy solutions? What is the future of American Free Enterprise? Is ordered liberty possible in Haiti? Check Out Houston Baptist University's The City, a free journal on faith, learning, and the critical issues of the times. Who is America's Ruling Class? Angelo Codevilla, a Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, explains its unique origin and influences. Quick Thoughts The Senate Judiciary Committee votes today on the latest nomination to the Supreme Court. Tony Blankley asks who they will choose: Abraham Lincoln or Elena Kagan? America is not in the heyday of the Progressives and the New Dealers. Michael Barone argues that we are a republic of property owners. What We're Reading: Decline and Fall: Europe's Slow Motion Suicide by Bruce S. Thornton. Watch his Heritage lecture.   Reclaiming America: Why We Honor the Tea Party Movement Remember when Conservatism was supposed to be dead, and America was primed for a New New Deal? Well, a funny thing happened on the road to the latest iteration of progressive liberalism—The Tea Party Movement. The Tea Party Movement has been one of the most significant citizen efforts in our times to revive America's founding principles. Across the country, people who had before never been engaged in politics—people like Billie Tucker of The First Coast Tea Party—began to attend rallies with homemade signs begging for fiscal common sense and a return to constitutional government. These individuals were not organized by one person or group. Their motive was not one policy issue or partisan agenda. Instead, it was a deepening commitment and advocacy of the truths of the Declaration of Independence and the basic principles of the United States Constitution. The Tea Party Movement has been much maligned and rarely honored for their activities. Until now. At The Heritage Foundation's 2010 Resource Bank, the Tea Party Movement received the Henry Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship, which is annually given to American citizens who uphold and advance America's principles, embody the virtues of character and mind that animated America's Founders, and exemplify the spirit of independence and entrepreneurial citizenship in the United States. The funding from the Salvatori Prize has been used to help meet the tremendous demand for educational materials from tea party organizations across the country. So far, 265 Tea Party Movement leaders from every state and the District of Columbia have received a collection of First Principles resources, monographs, and books: including copies of We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future, The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, and How to Read the Federalist Papers. An even greater number of groups has received bulk copies of the pocket Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and Heritage fact sheets to distribute at their events. Like their 18th century brethren, today's Tea Party Movement faces an impetuous vortex of government that everywhere extends its sphere of activity. But, as Matthew Spalding reminds us in his address, "Reclaiming America: Why We Honor the Tea Party Movement," there is a key difference between those early patriots and the movement today: "Those early patriots had to establish their independence and to start anew. Our task is different. It is not about fixed bayonets but fixed principles; not about bullets but ballots. Our task is not to overthrow; it is not revolution; it is renewal and restoration of those self-evident truths of constitutional government at the heart of America." Keep Reading about Why Heritage Honors the Tea Party Movement                        Forward this message to a Friend!   Quote of the Week                            Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country; he should lisp the praise of liberty, and of those illustrious heroes and statesmen, who have wrought a revolution in her favor. ~ Noah Webster, On the Education of Youth in America For more quotes, visit westillholdthesetruths.org About The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400

Fwd: Morning Bell: White House Admits Obamacare's Individual Mandate is a Tax

07/20/2010 White House Admits Obamacare's Individual Mandate is a Tax Throughout his presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama promised the American people: "If you're a family that's making $250,000 a year or less, you will see no increase in your taxes." After he became President, Barack Obama reiterated that pledge, promising the American people in his September 9th health care press conference: "The middle-class will realize greater security, not higher taxes." But Obamacare does contain tax hikes. Tons of them. From taxes on tanning beds to taxes on employment and investments, Obamacare is a certified job-killing machine. None of these taxes touches the lives of every American as closely as the individual mandate to purchase health insurance. For the first time in American history, Obamacare forces all Americans to purchase a product or face sanction from the Internal Revenue Service. This is clearly a tax, as pointed out by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos during a September 20th interview with the President himself. In an exchange that can only be described as "Clintonesque" Stephanopoulos pressed President Obama to admit his individual mandate was a tax. But President Obama refused to acknowledge reality and denied it. Stephanopoulos was forced to read the definition of "tax" straight from Merriam Webster's Dictionary. But even then Obama refused to come clean: "George, the fact that you looked up Merriam's Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you're stretching a little bit right now. … Nobody considers that a tax increase." Well nobody but President Barack Obama's Justice Department.

Fwd: Ahead of Key Kabul Meeting, Clinton Woos Pakistan With Aid, But Wants More Counter-Terror Measures

Today's Headlines Monday, July 19, 2010

Ahead of Key Kabul Meeting, Clinton Woos Pakistan With Aid, But Wants More Counter-Terror Measures (CNSNews.com) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai's plans to reconcile with elements among the Taliban will take center stage in Kabul Tuesday, when the world's foreign ministers meet to discuss the country's future... Maryland Becomes Second State to Offer Federally Funded Abortions under Obamacare (CNSNews.com) - Maryland will join Pennsylvania as the second state to use federal tax dollars to pay for abortions under the new health care law signed by President Barack Obama in March, according to information released by Maryland's State Health Insurance Plan... New Regulations Outline Content, Transmission Standards for Every Americans' Electronic Health Records (CNSNews.com) – New regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday outline federal standards for the electronic health records that every American must have by 2014... Obama to GOP: Restore Unemployment Benefits Now Washington (AP) - President Barack Obama took aim at Republican lawmakers Monday, accusing them of holding the public hostage to Washington politics by blocking extended unemployment benefits for millions of out of work Americans... Pro-Lifers Win a Round in Health Care Overhaul Washington (AP) - Abortion foes have scored a victory and traditional allies of the Obama administration are grumbling about a decision to ban most abortion coverage in insurance pools for those unable to purchase health care on their own... CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Mikulski Says Senators Will Question Recess-Appointed Berwick at His Confirmation Hearings Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D.-Md.) told CNSNews.com that senators will question Dr. Donald Berwick during his confirmation hearings--even though Berwick was given a recess appointment by President Obama... OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES GOP Lawmakers Say US Is Backing Draft Kenyan Constitution That Expands Access to Abortion Accusing US of Backing Terror Group, Ahmadinejad Says He Will File Int'l Complaint Over Bombing Judge Extends Order Blocking Oklahoma Abortion Law Islamic Revolutionary Guard Firm Pulls Out of Gas Deal Surprise SC Senate Candidate Makes First Speech Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  COMMENTARY Gitmo, Free Markets and Red Tape By Rich Tucker It's all downhill from here for fans of irony. We've already enjoyed the most ironic news story of the year... A Libertarian's Misplaced Attack on the Constitution By Ken Connor American conservatives are generally associated with a "strict constructionist" view of the U.S. Constitution. They believe America's founding legal document should be interpreted in accordance with the original intent of the Framers when the document was ratified by the original States...