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Charles Krauthammer speaks to Heritage members in Dallas.

Overpaying at the pump

Energy prices are on the rise. The service station down the street from The Heritage Foundation charges $3.71 per gallon of regular gasoline—and some places in the country charge even more.

» Take our poll: What’s the most important energy policy the government should pursue?

Heritage expert Ernest Istook places the blame for rising energy prices squarely on our elected leaders, who have declared our nation’s plentiful natural energy resources off limits and suppressed development of new refineries or nuclear power plants.

And what of alternative energy sources like ethanol? Istook reminds us that alternative energy “remains far in the future, and much of it will be more expensive than $4-per-gallon gasoline”

Now, to compound the problem or rising energy costs, the government is considering a proposal put forward by radical environmentalists to add the polar bear to the endangered species list.

If enacted, this policy would pose a serious threat to America’s economy, as Heritage Foundation energy expert Ben Lieberman explains. And perversely, it could actually end up harming the bears it looks to protect.

Heritage President Ed Feulner sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne on Thursday pointing out the origins and consequences of the polar bear plan.

» Read Dr. Feulner’s letter to Secretary Kempthorne (PDF format)

“Adding the polar bear to the list of threatened species is nothing more than a back door way of ensuring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is never opened to energy production, regardless of how slight the impact to the environment will be,” he wrote.

“We must prevent alarmist environmentalists from finding yet another way to limit our national energy consumption and production,” Feulner continued. “Today’s high energy prices will continue to rise unabated if we further limit domestic production and usage of our natural resources.”

Is there religious freedom in America?

Thanks to a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation, the American Spectator is publishing a ten-part series of articles on the components of individual liberty as it evolved in the West and the state of individual liberty in the future – not only in the West but in the rest of the world.

The Heritage Foundation is pleased to offer for free download the first article in the series, a discussion of religious liberty by Kevin J. “Seamus” Hasson which appeared in the February, 2008 issue of the American Spectator.

» Download the article in PDF format

Other Heritage work of note

The government mandate for biofuels with ethanol “is contributing to the very global warming problems it was designed to prevent,” Heritage’s Ben Lieberman explains. Global warming alarmists claimed that rising temperatures would cause widespread hunger and urged the use of biofuels to limit greenhouse gas emissions. But Lieberman explains that “diverting crops from food to fuel use has raised food prices.”

Last week, Heritage Vice President Stuart Butler hosted a teleconference with Heritage members to discuss the economy and what the government should—and should not—do to restore economic vitality. Read a transcript of the call online.

Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer spoke Wednesday to Heritage Foundation members in Dallas. He delivered the Drayer/Wettreich Lecture at an event sponsored by the Dallas/Fort Worth Committee for Heritage. You can watch a recording of Krauthammer’s remarks online.

The Heritage Foundation has released its 2007 annual report, which includes an overview of our activities and a financial statement. Download the full report in PDF format.

Heritage’s Brian Darling asks an important question: “Are we getting closer to socialized medicine?” His answer isn’t encouraging. “Some in the Senate are pushing for a bill to replace our current flawed health system with one that involves a complete federal takeover of our health care system, complete with mandates and federally approved, state-crafted plans.”

In other news

The jobs report for April contains some good news: the unemployment rate dropped to five percent, and job losses were smaller than in past months.
The Supreme Court has upheld Indiana’s voter identification rules. Liberals have argued that the common-sense regulations to preserve the integrity of elections are an imposition on low-income and minority voters.

History is rife with examples of the law of unintended consequences in action, but too few lawmakers have taken this lesson to heart. So it was heartening when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), speaking about the counterproductive ethanol mandates, recently acknowledged that big-government programs can backfire: “Obviously, sometimes there are unforeseen or unintended consequences of actions.”

For the third straight year, advocates of amnesty for illegal immigrants took to the streets on May Day. Their protests this year, however, were far smaller than in the past.

Cuba’s communist government held a May Day rally to urge workers to increase productivity and strengthen the economy. Cuba could use a dose of economic freedom. Unlike socialist rhetoric, this is a proven way to improve quality of life.

Britain’s Conservatives appear poised to win the country’s local elections. Notably, early returns suggest that Conservative Boris Johnson has unseated Ken Livingston, London’s left-wing mayor.

Coming up at Heritage

To attend these or any other events at Heritage please RSVP at Heritage’s website. Or you can view these events live online. All times are Eastern.

On Monday, May 5 at noon, a panel of experts including Asa Hutchinson discusses how America can effectively secure shipping containers.

On Tuesday, May 13 at 9:30 a.m., Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) joins a panel of experts including five British members of the European Parliament to discuss American policy towards Europe and the European Union.

Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Chris Albright contributed to this report.