INFO FOR AUGUST
2010 TOWNHALL MEETINGS…. FROM THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: www.heritage.org
The House of
Representatives was called back into session this week to pass another $26
billion bailout
bill. Now that Congress has gone home for good this August, I
wanted to share some resources for your use as you attend townhall meetings
between now and mid-September when your elected representatives return to
Washington.
Deficit/Spending
The
Tax Cuts Didn't Cause the Budget Deficit
Both past and the future budget deficits are driven substantially more by
rising spending than by tax cuts. Lawmakers should tighten their belts and rein
in spending before demanding more taxes from the American people.
Federal Spending by the Numbers 2010
Budget Chart Book: The Federal Budget in Pictures
U.S. Long-Term Debt Situation Is One of the World’s Worst
Five
Ways to Tackle Spending and Deficits
2010
Social Security Trustees Report: Reform Needed Now
Health Care
( fixhealthcarepolicy.com)
The
Prospects for Ending Obamacare: Learning from Health Policy History
The health care debate is not over. For millions of Americans living today, it
will never be over. It has only begun.
Utah’s
Defined Contribution Option: Patient Centered Health Care
No
CLASS: How Congress Saddled Taxpayers with Another Costly Entitlement
Health Care Pamphlet
(from the National Center for Policy Analysis)
What
Does Health Care Reform Mean For You (also from NCPA)
Obamacare: Impact on Doctors, Seniors, and States
Energy
The
Economic Impact of an Offshore Drilling Ban
If a total ban on offshore drilling is implemented by 2011, then by 2035
Americans could expect national income (GDP) to drop by $5.5 trillion, total
costs of imported oil to rise by $737 billion, total disposable income to
decrease $54,000 per family of four, and job losses to exceed 1.5 million. A
total ban on offshore drilling would pull the rug out from the economy’s
incipient recovery.
Need
for Moratorium Mitigated by New Oil Spill Response Capacities
Oil
Spill Liability: A Plan for Reform
Critical
Lessons from the Federal Response to the Gulf Oil Spill
Stopping
the Slick, Saving the Environment: A Framework for Response, Recovery, and
Resiliency
Cap-and-Trade
Bill Would Make Housing Less Affordable
Taxes
Total
Tax Burden Is Rising to Highest Level in History
Taxes are projected to increase rapidly under various policy scenarios. If the
2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire and more middle-class Americans are required to
pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT),
taxes will reach unprecedented levels. The tax burden will climb even if those
tax breaks are extended. President Obama’s budget, which cuts some taxes and
raises others, also increases the overall tax burden.
Obama’s
2011 Budget Tax Hikes Contradict Focus on Job Creation
How
the Death Tax Kills Small Businesses, Communities—and Civil Society
The
Economic Case Against the Death Tax
Obama’s
Dividend Tax Proposal Means More Debt, More Instability
Obama's
Tax Plan: Bad for Economic Growth
Immigration
White
House Must Stop Playing Politics with Immigration and Arizona Law
Congress should reject efforts by the White House to demonize the people of
Arizona in a crass effort to further the President’s political agenda. Congress
should also insist on incremental, commonsense policies that will address the
pressing need for immigration and border security reforms instead of the
amnesty-first approach-which both the American people and Congress roundly
rejected the last time it was proposed in 2007.
Border
Security: The Heritage Foundation Recommendations
The following papers offer a comprehensive review of The Heritage Foundation’s
most recent work on the border security component of immigration reform.
Foreign Policy
New
START: Beyond the Rhetoric
The treaty imposes significant limitations on U.S. ballistic missile defenses,
and new limitations continue to be unmasked as the treaty is scrutinized.
Considering the rising threat from Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, not to
mention North Korea’s existing threat, limiting America’s ability to defend
itself should be a non-starter.
Top
10 Reasons Not to Trust Russia
It’s Coming: The Obama Tax Hike
President Obama wants to drastically
raise your taxes in
January 2011.