Senate Cloakroom: October 17 – October 21 Analysis: This week the Senate will move to a large appropriations bill which will wrap several individual appropriations together into one legislative package. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) will offer an amendment to the House passed Agriculture Appropriations bill which will add the Commerce, Justice and Science as well […]
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), author of the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory bill When Bank of America announced a new $5 debit card fee in late September (along with a slew of other banks), President Barack Obama condemned it, and yesterday some Democrat Members of Congress called on Attorney General Eric Holder to launch […]
The soon-to-be-effective ban on traditional incandescent light bulbs creates more concerns than just the forceful shift of market shares; it also raises questions regarding individual freedom and even general well-being. Howard Brandston is a renowned lighting designer who has over 50 years of experience and an impressive project record: To date, he has designed over […]
The Obama Administration notified Congress today that the CLASS Act — Obamacare’s long-term care insurance plan — is unable to go forward due to critical design flaws that make the program unsustainable. In a letter to Congress, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote that “Despite our best analytical efforts, I do not see […]
It was supposed to be the second full day in federal court for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The so-called “Christmas Day bomber” aka “The Underwear Bomber” faced eight charges, including attempted murder on an aircraft. But, acting as his own attorney, Abdulmutallab surprised many Wednesday by pleading guilty. He faces a maximum possible sentence of life without […]
Various organizations and media outlets have attempted to refute the notion that government policy is creating uncertainty and hindering economic growth. However, when properly analyzed, the uncertainty argument is a legitimate one. Critics of the uncertainty narrative say that businesses cite poor sales – or lack of demand – not taxes or regulations, as the […]
Nine months ago, Egyptians were protesting in Tahrir Square, calling for former president Hosni Mubarak to step down from office. Today, Egyptians are demanding that the country’s military, a once revered entity, return the country to civilian rule in next month’s parliamentary elections. Thousands of Egyptian Coptic Christians march in Cairo during a protest against […]
The recent passing of Steve Jobs, while sad, is a good reminder that the freedom to innovate is, after all, one of the things that make this country so great. Those who criticize free-market economies fail to remember that this system has always made people free to dream big and equipped with the resources to […]
Last week a federal appeals court heard arguments in an important religious freedom case known as Ward v. Wilbanks. The case illustrates how sexual orientation nondiscrimination policies can impose government burdens on religious and moral conscience and create serious civil society conflicts. Julea Ward was a student in the graduate counseling program at Eastern Michigan […]
U.S. authorities announced today that they disrupted an Iranian plan to commit a “significant terrorist act in the United States,” making it the forty-second thwarted terrorist attack against the homeland. The federal government has filed criminal charges against two Iranians with conspiracy to murder the Saudi ambassador to Washington and conspiracy to commit an act […]
