Heritage’s impact
April 26, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward
When Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) formally announced that he was running for President earlier this week, he published an article in the Financial Times outlining his economic agenda.
Notably, he turned to The Heritage Foundation as an inspiration for this agenda. In his article, the Senator cited “a recent study of economic freedom [that] ranked the US only fourth in the world”—and that study is none other than Heritage’s 2007 Index of Economic Freedom.
“My administration would be committed to preserving and enhancing economic freedom in the US and round the globe,” he wrote.
Click here for more on Sen. McCain and Heritage’s impact.
How Washington, D.C. can vote in Congress
The House of Representatives voted last week to grant the District of Columbia a voting representative in Congress. “It makes sense that D.C. should have a vote,” Heritage scholar Matt Spalding explains in a new Heritage video. “But it’s unconstitutional.”
He argues that granting the city representation violates three separate Constitutional provisions. Instead, he proposed two ways Congress can give Washington residents a say in the national government.
Click here to read what Spalding recommended.
Recent research of note
With Congress back in session, Heritage Foundation experts are turning out research papers to help members make decisions on the issues. Here’s a sampling of their latest work.
- James Sherk and Paul Kersey take an in-depth look at the Employee “Free Choice” Act, which eliminates the secret ballot in unionization elections.
- Baker Spring outlines the need for a strong missile defense and recommends a series of steps America should take to ensure the country is protected against ballistic missile attack.
- A new historical preservation law, Ron Utt reports, would threaten the rights of property owners while largely benefiting well-to-do estate owners and environmentalists.
- China’s recent space weapons tests are a signal that the Communist nation has less than peaceful intentions, John Tkacik writes.
- Brett Schaefer examines yet another flawed United Nations proposal, this time giving more authority to the corrupt U.N. Development Program.
Wear red on Fridays
Heritage’s Rob Bluey reports on a new grassroots effort to display support for the troops: wear red on Fridays. Even some large corporations like Southwest Airlines are getting in on the act, he explains.
“I know I’ll be wearing red this Friday,” Bluey writes. “Will you have your red on?”
In other news
- Both houses of Congress have now passed war-funding legislation including unconstitutional limits on the President’s ability to fight the war in Iraq. The Senate version of the bill passed by a margin of 51-46; the House bill passed Tuesday by a vote of 216-208. President Bush has pledged to veto the bill, which is also weighed down with vast amounts of wasteful spending.
- Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Cheney. He does not appear to have much, if any, support among his colleagues in the House.
- Radical lawyer Lynne Stewart was disbarred today for helping a terrorist client communicate with his followers.
- Some scientists have proposed halting climate change with artificial controls on the weather. This seems like extraordinary hubris.
- Oakland’s mayor and city council members have introduced resolutions pledging not to cooperate with federal officials who seek to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.
- Liberals, including former Vice President Al Gore, have often urged the use of “carbon offsets,” through which individuals and companies can counteract their carbon emissions by paying others to engage in “green” bahavior. But the Financial Times reports today in an exposé that many of these programs “yield few if any environmental benefits.”
Coming up at Heritage
To attend the following 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 Monday, April 30 at noon, John Blundell of Britain’s Institute for Economic Affairs will describe the lessons Margaret Thatcher teaches us about policy success.
- On Wednesday, May 2 at noon, author Linda Bridges will discuss her new book on William F. Buckley and how his magazine National Review shaped the conservative movement.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
