Government Management of Western Lands

Heritage Foundation presentation: Panelists talk about federal land management in western states, the operational legal theories, and the possibility of transferring control of those lands to the states. Topics include ways to preserve the environment, benefit local economies, and protect public recreation. --“Rethinking Federal Management of Western Lands: Bringing Solutions to Washington.”

See the video here...
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Sen. Jim DeMint will leave senate to head Heritage

From Ed Feulner, President of The Heritage Foundation:
"I'm delighted to announce that the Board has elected Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina to take over next April as President of The Heritage Foundation. ✧ Jim, who will resign his Senate seat before then, needs little introduction. He has spent most of his life as an entrepreneur, building and running his own marketing firm. In 1998 he won a seat in the House of Representatives and in 2004 was elected to the Senate. ✧ His conservative credentials are sterling. National Journal recently ranked him as the most conservative member of the Senate. Americans for Tax Reform named him the No. 1 senator for his voting record on tax and spending policies. He is a favorite of the Tea Party, and he has earned a tremendous 99% rating from Heritage Action for America." Read More......

2008 Social Security Trustees Report Continues to Show the Urgent Need for Reform

HERITAGE FOUNDATION, By David C. John, Senior Research Fellow in Retirement Security and Financial Institutions in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. - "We are increasingly concerned about inaction on the financial challenges facing the Social Security and Medicare programs. The longer we wait to address these challenges, the more limited will be the options available, the greater will be the required adjustments, and the more severe the potential detrimental economic impact on our nation." --2007 Trustees Report

"The 2008 Social Security Trustees Report was released on March 25. This WebMemo explains the important facts and answers the frequently asked questions about Social Security's financial outlook." ∴ How will this report affect the Social Security debate? Read more at Heritage...

Also see Social Security Basics at Heritage Foundation

Hat tip: Lou Copes Read More......

Seven Myths About Taxing the Rich

Curtis S. Dubay, Senior Analyst in Tax Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, discusses the effect of President Obama's plan to raise taxes on high income earners and Rep. Rangle's (D-NY) plan to levy a surtax on these earners to help fund government-run health care in Backgrounder #2306, Seven Myths About Taxing the Rich. For a brief summary of the seven myths...

Myth 1: Raising taxes on the rich will close budget deficits.
Truth: Increasing the progressivity of the income tax code by raising the top two rates will not close the deficit. In fact, it will lead to more revenue volatility, which will lead to larger future deficits.

Myth 2: The rich do not pay their fair share.
Truth: The top 20 percent of income earners pay almost all federal taxes.

Myth 3: The income tax code favors the rich and well-connected.
Truth: The bottom 50 percent of income earners pay almost no income taxes and the poor and middle-income earners benefit greatly from the tax code.

Myth 4: It is all right to raise tax rates on the rich-- they can afford it.
Truth: Just because someone can afford to pay higher taxes does not mean he should be forced to do so.

Myth 5: Higher tax rates in the 1990s did not hurt economic growth, so it is all right to raise them to those levels again.
Truth: High tax rates in the 1990s were a contributing factor to the 2001 recession and returning to those rates will damage the already severely weakened economy.

Myth 6: The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts did not generate strong economic growth.
Truth: The tax cuts generated strong economic growth.

Myth 7: Raising the top two income tax rates will not negatively impact small businesses because only 2 percent of them pay rates at that level.
Truth: Raising the top two income tax rates will negatively impact almost three-fourths of all economic activity created by small businesses.

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