Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah!

by Sarah Walters
July 2, 2009, 4:26pm

Indiana became the latest state to offer private school choice on Tuesday, giving parents and school children a victory for school choice and tax savings.   Dan Lips explains further at The Foundry blog. 

Million Dollar Ad Campaign in Nebraska

by Hadley Heath
July 2, 2009, 1:12pm

The Employee Freedom Action Committee has it right in their new million-dollar ad campaign in Nebraska against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).  These ads are scheduled to move beyond Nebraska next week. 

"The ad campaign is designed to urge Nebraskans to tell Ben Nelson to oppose closing debate on the Employee ‘Forced' Choice Act," said Rick Berman, Executive Director of EFAC. "This bill will take control out of the hands of employees in the workplace and allow outside parties to have tremendous control over private businesses through binding arbitration."

The next move for this legislation will probably involve a compromise in the Senate from Democrats who will take the binding arbitration provision out of the bill.  Even with this change, though, EFCA still poses a serious threat to the rights of workers everywhere.

Breaking the mould, looking to a better future

by Sarah Walters
July 2, 2009, 12:48pm

In Afghanistan, a few courageous women have become small business owners amidst a war-torn economy in shambles and immense hostility.  BBC News highlights Raqiba Barmaki, the only female shop owner in Mazar-e-Sharif, and her ambitious business plans.  "My shop does not have the best site. It is not in the main market. But it helps me to feed and educate my children and make myself independent," she says.

Success stories such as Mrs. Barmaki's convey a hopeful message to the world that Afghanistan is slowly realizing prosperity and freedom as tenacious individuals invest in their communities and the future. 

A Perilous Position in Latin America

by Julie Gunlock
July 2, 2009, 10:16am

The Washington Times has an excellent editorial spelling out the dangers of Obama's position on Hondurus. 

"Whatever the outcome of the crisis in Honduras, Mr. Obama has failed another key test of international leadership. The United States is in an increasingly perilous position in Latin America and needs solid allies to stem the anti-American tide being led by Venezuela. Mr. Obama should think twice before rushing to stand beside the likes of dictators such as Mr. Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro. They support Mr. Zelaya because he is a fellow traveler, a socialist in good standing, a member of their anti-gringo alliance. There's no reason for America to support him."

How Much Time Does Forgiveness Take?

by Hadley Heath
July 1, 2009, 2:21pm

According to a recent Gallup poll, 80% of respondents said that suicide was morally wrong.  88% said that cloning humans was morally wrong.  But 92% said that extramarital affairs were morally wrong, earning the act the highest disapproval rate on a list that included gambling, wearing clothing made from animal fur, abortion, divorce, having children outside of wedlock, polygamy, and other issues. 

So is Gov. Mark Sanford in trouble?  Do 92% of Americans condemn his affair with his Argentinean mistress? The majority of Americans may think an affair is wrong, but is it still wrong if a politician does it? 

It seems like sex scandals are more politically complicated than they used to be.  While 61% of American voters said in a Rasmussen poll that they trust politicians less when they find out about their bad bedroom behavior, examples of both Democrats and Republicans might lead us to believe that Sanford can make a comeback.

The same Rasmussen poll revealed that 37% of Americans believe most members of Congress have had extramarital affairs.  It seems like in the political world, Americans are more apt to forgive because of an everybody's-doing-it attitude.  We'll be watching and waiting to see how soon or how slowly Sanford can regain popularity.  

Newest Form of Treason: Climate Denial?

by Tara Shaughnessy
July 1, 2009, 1:59pm

In Paul Krugman's latest column, he calls the 212 representatives who voted against the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill irresponsible and immoral. While these terms are purely subjective, one could make the argument that voting for a bill that causes more harm than good, increasing energy costs for all families, creating a lower standard of living, and causing the loss of more jobs is a greater injustice.

Krugman even goes so far as to predict doom for civilization, if we continue to live the way we do today. This is reminiscent of the population bomb hysteria of the 1960s and 1970s when we feared our population reaching 300 million. Well guess what our total population is today? It is over 304 million and life is still pretty good. I have a feeling that the Earth and civilization would be around for another day without the Waxman-Markey bill.

Global Implications of Cap and Trade

by Allison Kasic
July 1, 2009, 1:57pm

Graham Rankin sent us this article via Twitter (follow IWF here).  The United States obviously doesn't exist in a bubble, so it's important to look at the global scene when talking about the American economy and energy policy.  When you do that with cap and trade, the picture gets fairly depressing:
 
If all the global warming hype is false, we are regulating ourselves to death for nothing.  Cap and trade will deliver a severe blow to the American economy, leaving the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage globally.
 
But even if the global warming hype is true, cap and trade doesn't leave the environment any better off.  It would simply encourage business to move to other countries (where they are free to emit as much carbon as they like) to escape American regulations.
 
Either way, we lose.  And Congress thinks this is a good idea, why?

A Good Time for Silence

by Julie Gunlock
July 1, 2009, 1:18pm

President Obama stood silent for weeks while watching Iran's government shut down peaceful demonstrations, kick out foreign journalists, shoot and arrest peaceful protesters, and basically turn the country into a police state.

Yet, not 24 hours after an uprising in Honduras which ousted corrupt President Manuel Zelaya, Obama's jumping on the anti-coup bandwagon with the likes of Castro and Chavez decrying the coup and declaring support for Zeyala. 

President Obama's willingness to speak up on the Honduran coup is confusing given his reticence to speak about Iran.  Perhaps this is a good time for his Iran-tested "silent diplomacy" where, out of concern for seeming meddling, he states simply that "we're still waiting to see how it plays itself out."

Ray Walser, at the Heritage Foundation provides a good primer on the recent history of Honduras and how the coup is actually preserving the country's democractic.

See also Mary Anastasia O'Grady excellent piece in the Wall Street Journal for a timeline of events leading up to Zelaya's ouster.

And John R. Thomson makes the point in National Review that the ouster of a Chavez wannabe in Hondurus is hardly bad news for the United States. 

Cartoon of the Day

by Allison Kasic
July 1, 2009, 10:17am

The ultimate "green" job.

Rape in South Africa

by Allison Kasic
July 1, 2009, 9:50am

This is one of the most horrifying headlines I've ever seen.

In Case You Were Wondering Just What Is in the 1428-page Cap and Trade Bill...

by Allison Kasic
July 1, 2009, 9:46am

Steve Milloy has the full text over at Green Hell Blog.

Health Care Lies

by Carrie L. Lukas
July 1, 2009, 5:05am

Shikha Dalmia of the Reason Foundation has a great piece in Forbes exposing the 5 biggest lies Obama tells about healthcare reform:  from the one about not rationing care and not moving the country toward a single payer world. 

Debunking Myths in Feminist Scholarship

by Allison Kasic
June 30, 2009, 12:57pm

Over at the Chronicle of Higher Education, Christina Hoff Sommers takes aim at some persistent myths in feminist scholarship.  Check out her article here.

Good News: A follow-up on the WASPs

by Sarah Walters
June 30, 2009, 12:19pm

For the over 60 million miles flown, and 38 killed, the WASPs of WWII will be honored with a Congressional Gold Medal six decades after their service.  The medal will be on display at the Smithsonian in honor of the 1,074 Women Air Service Pilots. 

Woman Power

by Julie Gunlock
June 30, 2009, 12:10pm

I agree with Anne Applebaum's piece in Slate on how Iranian women are inspiring Muslim women throughout the middle east, particularly her take-down of the popular theory that it was a Twitter/Facebook revolution.  While these social networking sites certainly played a role in publicizing the brutality of Iran's regime during the media blackout, she deftly reminds us that good old fashioned hard work made the protests a reality.  She states:  

"Still others want to call this a "Twitter revolution" or a "Facebook revolution," as if zippy new technology alone had inspired the protests. But the truth is that the high turnout was the result of many years of organizational work carried out by small groups of civil rights activists and, above all, women's groups, working largely unnoticed and without much outside help."  

Applebaum goes on to point out that while women's rights are often considered "secondary issues" sacrificed to larger security and economic concerns, one must not forget that "regimes that repress the civil and human rights of half their population are inherently unstable. Sooner or later, there has to be a backlash. In Iran, we're watching one unfold."

EFCA

by Allison Kasic
June 30, 2009, 10:42am

Here's a good explanation of why EFCA's forced arbitration clause is worrisome.

Celebrating Title IX's Birthday

by Allison Kasic
June 30, 2009, 10:25am

Last Tuesday marked Title IX's 37th birthday.  President Obama celebrated the anniversary by hosting a roundtable about the law featuring prominent female athletes and scientists who are Title IX advocates.  See their press conference here.
 
A few things to note:
 
1) Title IX affects all students, not just girls.  So it would seem prudent, from my perspective, to include some male athletes and scientists in the discussion.
 
2) A group of Title IX advocates?  Consider me skeptical that there was any real disagreement in the room.  With so many unintended consequences stemming from Title IX, why not include some people in the Title IX reform crowd to get a more complete picture of the Title IX debate?

The Wonderful Mary Lou Forbes

by Kate Pomeroy
June 29, 2009, 2:57pm

Sadly, Mary Lou Forbes, who had been an editor at the Washington Times for decades and was something of a conservative institution, passed away today.   Mary Lou was a true trailblazer:  She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1959.  At the Washington Times, she helped get conservative opinions into the public domain.  Those who knew her speak of her kindness and warmth.  She will be missed and everyone at IWF offers their condolences to her many friends and family. 

Get the Facts Right on Healthcare

by Carrie L. Lukas
June 29, 2009, 2:56pm

The National Review Institute hosts a blog called Media Malpractice that exposes instances where reporters get the facts wrong.  I wrote this piece on a healthcare article that parrots the Administration claim that a reason to support the Democrats' reform is because healthcare costs are undermining U.S. businesses competitiveness.  But the article also notes that the Chamber of Commerce, representing millions of American busineses, is waging a campaign against the healthcare reform package.  The reporter doesn't seem to notice the disconnect, but there are important reasons that so many businesses are against the move toward socialized medicine.  

Who Can Be Surprised By This?

by Carrie L. Lukas
June 29, 2009, 2:50pm

Only those who were really drinking the Obama Kool-Aid will be surprised to know that taxes might go up on the middleclass.    

A Different Approach to Health Care Reform

by Allison Kasic
June 29, 2009, 11:51am

From the Examiner:

As Congress and the White House began to discuss health care reform, author and journalist Virginia Postrel offered a modest suggestion: If simple and decisive government action can curb costs in health care, as Obamacare advocates claim, why not begin by fixing Medicare before rushing in with sweeping changes to the entire system? The government already runs half of America's health care system. According to federal statistics, federal and state governments together spent virtually the same amounts on health care in 2007 as did all private insurers and patients combined -- $1.036 trillion and $1.045 trillion, respectively. Medicare, which serves the elderly, is the largest public program, accounting for 19 percent of all health care spending in the U.S.

Emphasis mine.  More here.

Video of the Day

by Allison Kasic
June 29, 2009, 11:28am

Cap and Trade: The Musical

Do You Believe in Magic?

by Sarah Walters
June 29, 2009, 11:13am

20/20 Co-anchor John Stossel's latest blog post reveals why Dems in Congress may be saying "abracadabra."

The discussion we're not having in the healthcare debate is about who should initiate restraint in our use of healthcare services - the government or consumers?  The rhetoric thus far makes it seem as if the Democrats can make the excess spending "disappear by magic." 

Are You Smarter than a Fourteen-Year-Old?

by Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D
June 29, 2009, 11:05am

This post was co-authored by Evelyn B. Stacey, Education Studies Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in Sacramento, California.

Monday's Fox News Pundit Pit asked three child prodigies, "Should the U.S. expand the school year since other places around the globe go a lot longer?" Jonathan Krohn, who's 14, says there's no guarantee that "if you lengthen the school day everything is going to change, and we are going to perform better." Go to the head of the class, Jonathan. Among the 32 countries participating in the latest Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. led in teaching hours per public school year - 1,080 - compared with an international average of 803.  American schools also spend significantly more than their international counterparts (p. 265). What international achievement leaders do have is more competition-another reform Jonathan recommends. Fully, 70 percent of OECD countries and partners whose students outperformed American 15-year-olds in combined math and science literacy had more schools competing for students, including Communist China and many former Soviet-bloc countries. Another benefit of competition according to Jonathan is getting "the bad teachers out...and good teachers [a] better salary." Right again. Countries that offer teacher performance pay outperform the U.S. while spending less. "We need to allow people to choose where they go," says Jonathan, because "if you have school choice, you're also competing between schools so that the curriculum gets better and better; the bar is raised, the actual status of the tests will be raised, and the actual education of the kids coming out will be raised." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.