End of an era in Britain?
March 1, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward
Britain and America have been steadfast allies for decades. In fact, “Britain is the only nation the U.S. truly trusts as an ally,” Heritage’s Kim Holmes and Nile Gardiner write in The Wall Street Journal. “It is the British prime minister and not the German chancellor, the French president or the U.N. secretary-general, to whom the U.S. president looks first for partnership in addressing the big international security matters of the day.”
From Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher through to Tony Blair, Britain’s leaders have worked closely with the United States on nearly every major issue—to the benefit of both nations. “The special relationship is a two-way street that significantly enhances Britain’s ability to act as a major player on the world stage,” Holmes and Gardiner write.
Is Britain backing away from its pro-American stance? Click here to read more.
Take our poll: Should America and Britain work to mend their “special relationship” and ensure continued close cooperation in the 21st century?
Reforming health care in the states
In the absence of real health care reform in Washington—President Bush’s latest sound proposal has been held up in Congress—it is up to states to enact the necessary changes. That’s why Heritage’s health care experts are working closely with policymakers in state houses around the country.
In response to widespread demand for assistance in drafting state health care reform legislation, Heritage developed a model bill for health care reform that provides greater choice in health insurance, allowing individuals, including those now without health insurance, to purchase the care that fits their needs. Based on the principles of free markets, the Heritage concept offers a way for individuals to take their insurance with them when they change jobs and to pay for insurance with pre-tax dollars. And it accomplishes this without expanding the role of government or the burden on taxpayers.
Click here to read more about which states Heritage is working in to reform health care.
A new ally on federal spending reform
In a new series of advertisements, the AARP appears to have dropped its previous opposition to the fundamental reforms to entitlement programs that America so desperately needs, Heritage President Ed Feulner writes in The Chicago Sun-Times.
“The organization now seems to understand that the country's on the verge of a fiscal catastrophe,” he says.
Terrorists adopt brutal tactics
“Taking a page from Saddam’s vile playbook, the use of chemicals is just the latest effort by the insurgents to sow death and destruction in Iraq,” Heritage’s Peter Brookes writes, “not to mention to rattle Washington’s already shaky political will for the war.”
Click here for Brookes’ harrowing predictions of the terrorists’ next steps.
In other news
- Liberals in Congress are trying to hijack a bill to provide funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and use it to advance their pet causes. The AP reports that the Congressional leadership hopes to tack on everything “from aid for avocado growers to help for children lacking health insurance.”
- President Bush said he will veto a bill, championed by Big Labor, to eliminate workers’ right to a secret ballot in unionization elections. He also indicated he would veto a security bill that allows airport security personnel to unionize.
- The Food and Drug Administration is using taxpayer money to conduct safety tests on pills to prevent canine carsickness. Given the agency’s recent problems, perhaps this isn’t the best use of their efforts.
- A proposed Florida law would ban the use of the term “illegal alien” in official government documents, though the law would carry no penalty.
- A Seattle private school is instructing children that private property ownership is a great evil. The teachers at the school decried the “class-based, capitalist society—a society that we teachers believe to be unjust and oppressive.”
- Britain’s Prince Charles has proposed banning McDonald’s restaurants as a way to promote healthier eating habits.
- Liberal historian Arthur Schlesinger has died at age 89. The onetime adviser to President Kennedy used his books to defend the expansion of government initiated in the 1930s.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Friday, March 2 at noon, Ward Connerly of the American Civil Rights Coalition will discuss the ongoing drive to eliminate government race and sex preferences around the nation, including his recent success in Michigan. He promises to announce during his remarks the next states in which this battle will be waged.
- On Tuesday, March 6, three British representatives to the European Parliament will discuss the political integration of Europe and how that could affect American relations with longtime allies like Britain.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
