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A small victory for fiscal restraint

June 13, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward

Congress proved last week that it can stick to its self-imposed limits.

Congress proved last week that it can stick to its self-imposed limits.

Last week, a joint House and Senate committee managed what many had considered impossible: they came to an agreement on a bill funding the war in Iraq and Katrina relief that meets the president’s requests. At the insistence of President Bush, the conference committee stripped out all sorts of wasteful pork projects, including the now-infamous “railroad to nowhere” in Mississippi and the wasteful farm bailout. The House overwhelmingly approved the modified bill earlier this afternoon; the Senate is considering it.

This demonstrates that our lawmakers can, in fact, hold to their self-imposed limits. Now that we know our politicians can stick to their limits, we can insist that they keep to their other limits, like the annual budget cap. “When fiscal restraint is principled, clearly defined, and strongly championed, good things can happen, even in Congress,” write Heritage’s Alison Fraser and Brian Riedl. “Congratulations are due to the President for this impressive outcome.”

There is still much to be done before we can reasonably say that our fiscal situation is on firm ground. But we know that, with the right encouragement, lawmakers will spend only on their priorities.

Pushing consumer-based health care

Our health care team has been working long hours recently to ensure that America gets the health care system it deserves: one driven by consumers, not government bureaucrats. The Washington Post reported yesterday that The Heritage Foundation has long been an advocate of “private-sector insurance and self-reliance” and a backer of reforms to Medicaid programs to allow more consumer choice.

Our experts have been working overtime in the states in an attempt to bypass the blocks to health care reform imposed by Washington. Heritage’s Teri Ruddy reports that in the last week alone, our health care experts have crisscrossed the country to advocate consumer-based care and free enterprise:

  • Ed Haislmaier traveled to the Empire State to testify before the New York State Senate’s Joint Insurance Committee on the Massachusetts reform plan and before the Tennessee Health Safety Net Committee and the General Assembly’s Health and Human Resources Committee, again on the Massachusetts plan.  Ed also traveled to Louisiana, where he’s been advising the Louisiana Medical Society on its proposal for a complete post-Katrina overhaul of their health care system. Ruddy quipped that Haislmaier “has been outpacing Members of Congress in number of trips taken.”
  • Bob Moffit spoke at a major health care reform conference at the University of California-Irvine.
  • Nina Owcharenko gave the keynote address at the Washington Policy Center’s health care conference, and reviewed innovative health reform initiatives in Florida, South Carolina, and Massachusetts.

Good news in Iraq

President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq today—a trip that surprised even the country’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

The President’s visit comes just days after Iraqi terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed and the completion of the new government. Tomorrow, 75,000 Iraqi and coalition forces will impose a massive crackdown on insurgents, a follow-up action to last week’s raids on terrorist hideouts—raids based on intelligence from Zarqawi’s safe house. Finally, the judge in Saddam Hussein’s trial told the defense to get on with it and stop stalling, indicating that today would be the final day for witnesses supporting the deposed dictator

While many challenges certainly remain in Iraq, we have seen several days of heartening news. But liberals nevertheless remain committed to retreat. A Senate proposal, for example, would redeploy combat troops from Iraq by the end of this year. The House leadership has a better idea in its proposed resolution that rejects artificial timetables for withdrawal.

America must do what it takes to ensure victory, and Heritage’s James Carafano has outlined a plan for success: push for political solutions; fix the police; disarm the militias; and promote good governance.

In other news

  • Ending months of frenzied speculation and dashing hopes on the extreme left, it was announced Tuesday that Presidential adviser Karl Rove will not be charged with any crimes in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. Now that this is out of the way, perhaps we can focus on issues of real importance like winning the war on terror, curbing illegal immigration and reining in federal spending.
  • Preliminary data from the FBI indicates that violent crime rose 2.5 percent in 2005, the largest such rise in 15 years and the first rise since 2001. The solution, of course, is to remain committed to firm anti-crime policies like keeping offenders locked up—and to discontinue wasteful spending on programs that simply don’t work, like COPS.
  • A Philadelphia cheesesteak shop has drawn the ire of local officials after posting a sign reminding patrons that “This is America: When Ordering, Speak English.” The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has formally complained that his sign about language violates city laws against discrimination based on national origin and restrictions on making certain groups feel unwelcome.
  • A bit of a stir has arisen after the magazine SHOCK reprinted without permission a photograph of an American soldier rescuing an Iraqi girl. The photo, taken by respected freelance war reporter Michael Yon, was featured on the magazine’s cover in order to illustrate a radical political agenda.
  • Despite hurricane warnings, Tropical Storm Alberto never reached hurricane strength before hitting Florida this morning.

Coming up at Heritage

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Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.