A new generation of conservatives
August 8, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward
Every summer, dozens of young people come to Washington, D.C. for the experience of a lifetime: an internship at The Heritage Foundation. Not only do Heritage interns help our policy experts prepare research papers and advance conservative principles, they also gain valuable experience in conservative ideas and learn the principles that will help them lead the next generation.
Three Heritage interns share their experiences below.
Teaching principles to the next generation
Amidst the heated Washington debates over national security, federal spending, health care and more, it’s important to take a step back and consider the principles involved. What course would the Founders of our nation navigate for America’s future? How would Thomas Jefferson combat international terrorism? What answers would George Washington give when confronted with failing big-government programs?
An antidote to liberal academia
Refreshing. That one word can sum up my summer working as an intern at The Heritage Foundation.
Coming from a university campus, it was wonderful to spend several months in an environment where people wholeheartedly support the same principles I do: limited government, free enterprise, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Sure, my political science professors pay lip service to the Founding Fathers, and business professors do talk about supply and demand. But more often I hear the undertones of an entitlement mentality, collectivism, moral relativism, and omnipotent government.
Find out how Heritage serves as an antidote to liberal ideas.
—Lauren Volpe
A different kind of internship
A few years ago, The New York Times published an article praising The Heritage Foundation’s internship program as one of the best gigs in town. As the summer comes to a close, it’s clear that the Times was right: the Heritage internship program truly deserves its reputation of being the best in Washington, D.C.
Find out about the experiences offered to Heritage Foundation interns.
—Stephanie Herbert
Senator cites Heritage on health care
Last week, both houses of Congress approved a vast expansion of a government-run health care program for children—even those from higher-income families. President Bush has pledged to veto this step towards socialized medicine, which Heritage’s Mike Franc dubs “the march toward HillaryCare.”
While conservatives may have lost the vote, they came to the debate armed with facts and analysis from The Heritage Foundation. Speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) cited Heritage proposals for alternatives to big-government health care:
According to The Heritage Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank, this amendment will broaden and intensify competition across health care plans and medical providers, encourage a serious review of existing health care regulation in every state, and expand [the] choice[s] of millions of Americans for affordable health insurance policies.
Watch the video on MyHeritage.org.
Heritage fights to defend talk radio
As liberals step up their efforts to regulate the media in order to silence conservative voices, The Heritage Foundation has launched a campaign to defend talk radio.
Find out more at DefendTalkRadio.com.
In other news
- The Times of London reports on a new environmental study. Since exercise depends on food production, and since food production emits “harmful” amounts of carbon dioxide, “the climate could benefit if people avoided exercise, ate less and became couch potatoes.”
- Fire crew bosses in Oregon who can’t speak Spanish can be relieved of duty, according to a state policy. The government requires these leaders to speak the same language as their subordinates for safety reasons, yet there is no requirement that firefighters speak English.
- A union affiliated with the United Auto Workers tells the Associated Press it’s interested in organizing bloggers into a union. And left-wing online writers say they’re all for it, citing the time many devote to writing for the Web. One can only wonder whether they will next propose a “closed shop” for the Internet, where only authorized union members can post their thoughts.
- USA Today rounds up recent stories about the Bush administration’s supposed “politicization” of science. We should remember that so long as government is involved in scientific research, politics will be involved as well. Only when government is removed from science can politics be removed from science.
- A new study finds, to nobody’s surprise, that preschoolers respond to marketing campaigns and find unhealthy McDonald’s food to be appetizing. The researchers said their work supports regulation of corporate marketing to help fight childhood obesity. But wait—don’t parents have some responsibility here? Maybe parents could choose not to buy unhealthy food for their kids, even if the kids want it.
- “Two Middle Eastern men arrested near a Navy base after police found a suspicious item in their car were charged Monday with possession of an incendiary device,” the AP reports.
- As British troops withdraw from southern Iraq, the security situation there is deteriorating.
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 Wednesday, August 8 at 11:30 a.m., former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar will discuss how Estonia transitioned from communism to a modern free-market democracy.
- On Tuesday, August 14 at 11:00 a.m., author Rowan Scarborough talks about his new book, Sabotage: America’s Enemies Within the CIA.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. DeEtte Chatterton, Stephanie Herbert and Lauren Volpe contributed to this report.
