Fact-checking the White House on health care
August 19, 2009 | By Amanda Reinecker
The Obama administration recently launched a taxpayer-funded Web site to "reality check" credible criticisms and arguments against big-government health care. So The Heritage Foundation is fact-checking the White House.
To help concerned citizens prepare for town hall discussions on health care, The Heritage Foundation has constructed a list of five important questions that the liberal plan's proponents need to answer.
Audio: Nina Owcharenko on public health care
On Tuesday, hundreds of Heritage Foundation members and supporters tuned in to hear Heritage health policy expert Nina Owcharenko discuss President Obama’s public health care proposal. Listen to the audio of the teleconference.
More soldiers, less equipment
President Obama has agreed to temporarily expand the United States Army by 22,000 troops -- an important move to help ease the burden on soldiers serving multiple tours of duty overseas. But to pay for this increase, expected to cost about $1.5 billion, the President will redirect funds from important programs to purchase new equipment and modernize the military.
"It's terrible policy to scrimp on acquisition in order to pay people," writes Mackenzie Eaglen, a national security expert at The Heritage Foundation. Why add more men and women in uniform, she asks, "if we're not going to give them the tools they need to fight and win?"
"Instead of discussing what the military can do without, sacrifices often paid for with life and limb," she continues, "the real debate should focus on how to best pay America's military and ensure that new enlistees retain the military superiority possessed by today's forces."
The Heritage Foundation has long advocated committing sufficient funds to national security. Spending four percent of GDP on defense, Heritage experts argue, would provide sufficient resources to protect the United States from current threats and prepare our military to meet tomorrow's dangers.
» Join over 100,000 concerned Americans and sign our petition to protect defense spending
But the Obama administration would further slash defense funding in coming years. His "budget blueprint drastically reduces defense spending to just three percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2019, far below the current spending levels of approximately four percent," Eaglen explained in an April analysis. This means that needed investment in critical tools like the F-22 and missile defense -- which the President called "lower-priority" programs -- would fall by the wayside.
Strengthening the military by bringing on additional troops is an important step, but it is not enough. Such an expansion needs to be coupled with increased funds to equip all servicemen and women with the tools to defend this country.
"The military deserves more than enough to barely get by," argues Eaglen. "Congress will regret any decision to continue cutting equipment at the expense of people."
Other Heritage work of note
- Attorney General Eric Holder may soon appoint a special prosecutor to determine whether to charge CIA interrogators with crimes. But this is a terrible idea, Heritage legal experts Todd Gaziano and Robert Alt argue: "Holder most definitely should not appoint a special prosecutor, even assuming a criminal investigation is warranted." They point out that such an appointment would undermine our legal system's accountability and transparency. Instead, they urge Holder to appoint an experienced career prosecutor from within the Department of Justice.
- During an interview yesterday on CNN, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) was seen sporting a Heritage Foundation necktie.
You can order your Heritage neckwear -- made by Vineyard Vines -- from the Heritage bookstore.
- Heritage Asia expert Bruce Klingner warns of the dangerous precedent former President Bill Clinton may have set by traveling to North Korea to free two kidnapped journalists. "Clinton's visit signals to Iran, Syria, Myanmar and other rogue regimes that a country can disregard the U.N. and eventually be rewarded," he argues. America should continue to demand Pyongyang's full compliance with U.N. sanctions.
- "A legitimate right of those who own company stock, the shareholder proxy process is increasingly being co-opted by political issue activists," writes Heritage Distinguished fellow and former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. This process has granted activists broad power to advance their political agendas by micromanaging the firms they invest in. Chao warns that this "politically motivated proxy activity" endangers ethical investments and may lead to individuals unknowingly supporting a cause they otherwise would not.
- Since taking office, President Obama and his Congressional allies have pushed "an ambitious agenda highlighted by several trillion dollar proposals (stimulus, health care and climate), all of which deserved substantive debate and cautious consideration," writes Heritage Senate relations expert Daniel Holler. But, in each of these cases, the Left has attempted to stifle the debate by verbally attacking dissenters, rushing the legislative process and dismissing common-sense alternatives. If the Left truly wants debate, "they should recognize that they don't hold a monopoly on ideas, community organizing or the passion of the American people."
In other news
- President Obama says he will work with Congress to scrap the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that permits states to set their own policies when it comes to recognizing out-of-state same-sex unions.
- After a massive backlash, the White House has discontinued the e-mail account it used to track "fishy" messages regarding its health care proposal.
- A new Gallup poll finds that 40 percent of Americans identify themselves as conservative, as opposed to the 21 percent who identified themselves as liberal.
- Conservative columnist and former CNN "Crossfire" host Robert Novak has died at age 78 after a battle with cancer. A strong anti-Communist and a leading advocate of supply-side economics, Novak was a invaluable contributor to the advancement of conservative principles.
- Due to overwhelming conservative opposition to proposed health care legislation, liberals have decided to ram through their legislation without bipartisan support.
- House GOP whip Eric Cantor argues that the $787 billion stimulus bill has "not worked as advertised," as joblessness has surged well beyond where the Left said it would peak under the plan.
- Economist Rose Friedman, wife of Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman and a tireless advocate for freedom, passed away Tuesday at age 98.
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 Thursday, August 27 at noon, a panel of experts explores the implications of the Afghan elections.
- On Tuesday, September 1 at noon, former Israeli diplomat Dore Gold discusses his new book on the rise of Iranian nuclear power.
Amanda Reinecker is a writer for MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Nathaniel Ward, the Editor of MyHeritage.org, contributed to this report.
