Orit Sklar

As a young conservative who grew up in New York and now resides in Atlanta, Heritage Foundation member Orit Sklar is no stranger to public policy and constitutional debates. Her love of country and conservative values run so deep that she never gets deterred by liberals. She knows she is fighting the good fight.

The 27-year-old Sklar is a champion of individual liberty, economic  freedom, traditional values, and American exceptionalism. Her family faced persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe before they emigrated to the U.S., so she knows just how exceptional America is.

And she truly understands the devastating effects of big government. Continue Reading »

Loren and Joe Simonds hope their new daughter will grow up in an America more committed to conservative principles.

Having just brought a baby girl into this world, Young President’s Club member Joe Simonds fears his daughter won’t know what it means to be a proud American by the age of 10. “I fear that she could be expelled from school from saying a prayer or perhaps even the pledge of Allegiance because it contains the word ‘God’ in it.”

“Our country was built on conservative principles,” he says. “That is what has made us so unique and powerful as a nation. My fear is we have completely lost sight of what got us here in the first place.” Continue Reading »

Dana Blauvelt, a member of Heritage's Young Leaders Program

Adjusting to life as an intern at The Heritage Foundation was probably the easiest transition I have ever made. As a student from a conservative college with a strong background in America’s founding principles, there couldn’t have been a better fit for me this summer.

Nor could my experience have come at a better time. I have had the privilege of a front row seat in the theater of American politics at a time of unprecedented fiscal debate. I was able to promote essential conservative principles while being exposed to heated political discourse. The textbook knowledge I gained in my economics, American history and Constitutional law classes came alive in Washington as I dug deeper into the reasoning behind the latest legislative proposals. Continue Reading »

Rebecca and Tim Kachuriak

Heritage Foundation member Rebecca Kachuriak took to her blog after attending yesterday’s Heritage-sponsored luncheon in Dallas with Donald Rumsfeld to explain what being a Young Presidents Club member means to her and her husband.

Kachuriack, a mother of three, wrote:

Tim and I joined the President’s Club as “Young President’s Club” (a cheap way for us under-40′s to get into the “club”) members about a year and a half ago or so and have found it to be something we love to do together.  If you are reading this and are a parent, you know what I mean when I say that you go through a period in your marriage after you have kids when all you do is look at each other blankly and fall asleep.  We’ve had to “re-learn” how to enjoy each other without our kiddos.  Politics, and really Heritage, has been one of those things.  It’s also something that has reminded me that I have a brain.

The Kachuriaks attended the luncheon as Rumsfeld, the former secretary of defense, commented on national defense and the military operation now underway in Libya. The event was held as part of Protect American Month, an annual series of events highlighting the need for increased defense spending.

More information about Protect America Month is available on Heritage.org.

Each year, some of the nation’s most committed conservatives gather in Washington, DC to attend The Heritage Foundation’s President’s Club Meeting.

This past December, more than 1,200 conservatives trekked to the nation’s capitol for the most recent meeting. They heard speeches from notable conservative leaders and intellectuals. And each one of them left with their own unique experience and renewed enthusiasm for spreading conservatism in their respective communities.

One student and Young President’s Club member, Frannie Boyle, took to her blog to share her experience of the meeting: Continue Reading »

The biggest benefit of the November election will be the gridlock that inevitably occurs after the new Congress takes office, RedState.com editor Erick Erickson told members of Heritage’s Young President’s Club today.

“When the government is shut down they can’t take away my freedom,” he argued.

Erickson also suggested that conservatives in Congress repeatedly bring up legislation to repeal Obamacare. While he knows President Obama will veto such bills when they come to his desk, he said these tactics will allow conservatives to retain momentum into the 2012 elections.

Erickson took part in a luncheon conversation at the President’s Club meeting about the future of the conservative movement with Rob Bluey, who directs Heritage’s Center for Media and Public Policy.

If you’re on Twitter, you can follow reactions from the audience by monitoring #PCMeeting.