Fred Thompson speaks at a Heritage event. Photo: Chas Geer
Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) will be broadcasting live from The Heritage Foundation’s Robert H. Bruce Radio Studio this afternoon, filling in for Sean Hannity.
Thompson, who ran for President in 2008, will be co-hosting the show with his wife Jeri.
For many Americans, this coming weekend is a long holiday marked by barbecues and fireworks.
But the Fourth of July—which this year celebrates 235 years since our nation’s independence—is also a time to remember what makes this country great.
The Heritage Foundation’s vice president of American Studies, Matthew Spalding, gives the history of the Declaration of Independence and explains why Americans celebrate the Fourth of July:
The ringing phrases of the Declaration of Independence speak to all those who strive for liberty and seek to vindicate the principles of self-government. But it was an aged John Adams who, when he was asked to prepare a statement on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, delivered two words that still convey our great hope every Fourth of July: “Independence Forever.”
At the end of his essay, Spalding shares quotes about why the Declaration of Independence is so important for America.
Of the quotes, which is your favorite? What does the Fourth of July mean to you? Tell us in the comments.
Lindsey Burke, a Heritage Foundation expert in education policy, appeared on Fox Business News this week to discuss the ineffectiveness of federal education spending.
Burke argued that state and local leaders should be able to make decisions based on what is best for their community—without federal manipulation. She explained,
We have seen federal per-pupil expenditures triple, and yet reading achievement is flat. Academic achievement gaps persist. American students still rank in the middle of the pack with their international peers. Graduation rates are the same today as they were in the 1970s. It’s definitely a business model we need to rethink, and one that needs to put more power in the hands of parents and local leaders, not the federal government.
Watch the video of her appearance after the jump.
Peter Brookes
The Heritage Foundation’s Peter Brookes, a senior fellow in national security affairs, is trying his hand at a new job this week: radio host. Connecticut’s number one talk radio station, WTIC in Hartford, has asked Brookes to fill in for host Jim Vicevich Thursday and Friday of this week and Monday of next week.
If you’re in the area, tune into WTIC NewsTalk 1080 from 9:00 a.m. to noon today, Friday and Monday.
The station also makes its broadcasts available online, so tune in!
Read Brookes’ latest commentaries on Heritage.org.
Since the 1960s, the federal government has taken more control of schools from local municipalities and states. Washington now has a say over the qualifications of teachers, the frequency of testing and even the food served in school cafeterias.
Yet despite increased spending and added regulations, or perhaps because of them, student performance has stagnated.
The Heritage Foundation has produced a new video describing in layman’s terms how this federal overreach has affected students and communities.
How do you think education can be reformed? Tell us in the comments.
Ed Feulner
David Azerrad
This week, Heritage President Edwin J. Feulner wishes our listeners a happy 4th of July, and scholar David Azerrad discusses the power of the Declaration of Independence.
David Weinberger hosts.
Ken Gardner
Like most organizations, Heritage relies on our members and supporters to get the message out about our research to their friends and family. Ken Gardner is one of The Heritage Foundation’s most effective supporters on social media, promoting our work to his friends and family on a daily basis.
Despite working full-time as a lawyer tackling issues unrelated to politics, Ken works hard spreading Heritage research to his fan base on Twitter and Facebook. When the Morning Bell is sent each day, for example, Ken posts snippets of the most relevant information to 4,000 Twitter followers. Continue Reading »
While President Obama often touts the importance of spending money on the environment, huge sums of taxpayer money earmarked for such purposes are being spent on grants to overseas groups like Interpol, the international police organization.
And now, after The Heritage Foundation exposed how the Environmental Protection agency was doling out your money, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has launched an investigation into the Obama administration’s dubious grants.
Heritage expert Robert Gordon explains how your tax dollars were used: Continue Reading »
“Over the past 10 years, traversing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally has become increasingly dangerous for would-be immigrants,” a new Heritage Foundation report explains. “Illegal immigrants face kidnapping, murder, and rape at the hands of violent drug cartels and ever more ruthless human smugglers,” while hundreds die of heat exhaustion and dehydration.
But that’s not the only cost of illegal immigration, Heritage’s Ray Walser, Jena McNeill and Jessica Zuckerman argue. “It is costly to societies and nations as a whole.”
To fight illegal immigration and reduce the toll on human lives, they recommend a far-reaching program that includes increased border security, a rejection of amnesty for illegal immigrants, revised immigration procedures, plus new diplomatic efforts to foster reforms and crack down on human smuggling in Latin America.
What do you think of Heritage’s proposals? Do you have any additional suggestions? Tell us in the comments below.
By http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomasfano/
In the 24 hours after the death of Osama bin Laden, Heritage Foundation experts appeared on local and national media outlets over 70 times explaining what this event meant for America’s national security.
One of these interviews was recently published by one of the top-selling publications in the country: People Magazine.
They called, we answered. On page 80 of the May 23 edition of People magazine, smack in the middle of a two-page spread on “Bin Laden’s Last Days: Life with a Terrorist,” is this paragraph:
With the kids studying downstairs—a whiteboard and Arabic books indicate a first-floor classroom—Bin Laden, 54, would have turned to work. “From what we know, Osama was very active,” says James Phillips of the Heritage Foundation.
This isn’t the first time People has turned to Heritage for their coverage of more serious topics. In 2004, they called Heritage’s Peter Brookes for insight on the capture of Saddam Hussein.