Heritage Action for America

A recent CRS report indicates that welfare is now the single largest budget item in the United States.  This doesn’t reflect government benevolence.  It simply indicates that an unhealthy dependence on government has grown in this country.

Programs in all categories for people with limited or low income have gone up since 2008.  Federal spending for these programs grew 23% from FY2008 to FY2009.  The growth of spending was slower in the two following fiscal years, at 6% and 2% respectively.
Continue reading Welfare: Now the Single Largest Budget Item »

Market Watch is reporting initial jobless claims jumped to 388,000 this week, showing a “sharp reversal from prior week caused by seasonal quirk.”  Remember, the Labor Department said two weeks ago that jobless claims had fallen to a four-year low.  This of course created the illusion there was an improvement, but unfortunately, it was just that — an illusion.  When properly reported and understood, the level of Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims should indicate whether layoffs are rising or falling, and there has been little change in these numbers for most of the year. 
Continue reading The Job Increase That Wasn’t »

Politics is always a game of give and take, and the difficulty of achieving a legislative victory that actually advances conservative objectives is an age old one.  In 2010, President Obama extended the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for all income earners, including the top three percent.  That decision definitely displeased his liberal base, but now he says he is prepared to veto legislation to prevent Taxmaggedon and sequestration unless his demand to raise taxes on upper income earners is agreed to.  Basically, he is threatening a $500 billion tax increase just 18 days before the election.

If Mitt Romney wins the election, Republicans will have an opportunity to get off the ropes and resist such tax hikes while pursuing real reform.  On the other hand, President Obama “may finally be able to dictate the terms of a bipartisan debt-reduction deal” if he wins reelection. 
Continue reading Obama’s Plan for Tax Hikes … on All of Us »