House and Senate Cloakroom Report: February 7th-11th

Analysis provided by Heritage Action for America House Cloakroom Report: February 7th – 11th Analysis: The House returns from their district work period week to discuss a variety of issues. Deliberations will begin on the Continuing Resolution package under the guidelines that the House Budget Committeeunveiled last week and what spending cuts will need to be made. […]

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Property Rights: Key to Generating Wealth and Stability

“Confronting Egypt is a festering economic crisis that threatens to shatter that nation’s [already] fragile social peace and alter political orientation. For too many years Cairo has postponed sorely needed structural economic reforms.” These words are a somber assessment given to Egypt’s lack of institutional reform by The Heritage Foundation 25 years ago. Echoing a […]

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Democracy and Economic Freedom: An Unbeatable Combination for the Middle East

Democracy is the best way we know to choose leaders. Where individuals offering alternative visions or policies compete fairly and honestly for leadership, governments are regularly refreshed and cleansed of corruption. And of course, true democracy is about much more than elections. It involves the rule of law, political pluralism, and respect for civil rights. […]

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CIFTA: Treaty Without a Purpose

The Organization of American States (OAS) is an enthusiastic backer of its CIFTA treaty, the Spanish-language abbreviation for the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials. President Clinton signed CIFTA in 1997, but it has not been ratified by the Senate. That is fortunate, for […]

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What to Look for in Next Week’s Release of U.S. Trade Statistics

On February 11, the U.S. Department of Commerce will release our country’s 2010 trade statistics. The following three principles will help in understanding what the numbers mean: Unlike the U.S. budget deficit, the size of the trade deficit does not matter. The trade deficit results from people in other countries spending more dollars investing in […]

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Obamacare In Serious Condition

A large number of Senators went on record tonight opposing ObamaCare.  The House spoke on a bipartisan basis on a measure to fully repeal the President’s health care law by 56 votes last month.  Just yesterday, a Florida federal court issued a decision declaring the individual mandate, and the whole law, unconstitutional.  If one of […]

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I’m Just a Bill, Yes, I’m Only a Bill: The Constitutional Way to Make Laws

Under the Progressive notion of a “living” Constitution, almost every aspect of the Constitution has been subject to reinterpretation.  One section that would seem to defy a new interpretation, however, is Article I, Section 7, Clause 2 – or the “Presentment Clause” – which clearly outlines the process by which a bill becomes a law. […]

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