Heritage Experts Today


Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today. Please reply to this email to arrange an interview. After Defunding Police, Depts Get Their Money Back – The news that police departments have seen increases in funding is very welcome and needed. Defunding the police was always a dangerous idea. Police officers often face difficult and dangerous circumstances each day they are on the job. When fewer police officers are on the streets with fewer resources available to them, it’s a recipe for increased crime. After last year’s riots and unrest violent crime—particularly murders—exploded across the country. This no doubt is why some communities have been rethinking their plans to defund their police departments. Heritage expert: Zack Smith Dropping 'F' grades for kids is a new 'soft bigotry of low expectations' – Instead of lowering expectations for students through measures like eliminating "F" grades, states and local school districts should pursue policies that enable students to select into learning environments that meet their unique needs. For their part, districts should focus on helping students meet high academic expectations, rather than sweeping problems under the rug. Heritage expert: Lindsey Burke China Will Test America On Taiwan. What Will Joe Biden Do? – Chinese military activity around Taiwan has risen to unprecedented levels over the last few months. Chinese warplanes have breached Taiwan’s air defense zone more than 150 times in just this last week. Given the stakes, and rather ambiguous assurances from the U.S. regarding Taiwan’s security, what happens when Beijing tries to test U.S. resolve? The current Taiwan Relations Act does not provide any guarantee or assurance of a U.S. military response should China attack. But the 1979 Act does stipulate that the U.S. will provide Taiwan with arms to defend itself and that Washington will maintain the military capacity to compel a peaceful resolution between China and Taiwan. Deterring China from starting a war over Taiwan is what matters most, and that only works as long as the military balance remains unfavorable to China. Heritage expert: Brent Sadler Biden’s Taxes Hit Americans at the Top and Bottom – The most detrimental part of the House bill, though, is not that it would impose harmful new taxes. It is that those tax revenues would go toward a socialist wish list of programs that ingrain entitlements and threaten America’s future prosperity. The U.S. has $28.4 trillion of debt and its existing entitlement programs face insolvency. Rather than shoring up the debt or making pro-growth reforms, the new spending would only discourage work and foster a culture of dependency that robs people of purpose and dignity. How will future generations deal with the debt we are laying at their feet if they are not raised in a culture that values hard work and entrepreneurship? The American people don’t need more taxes and government programs. They need the federal government to get out of the way, quit spending their money, and stop trying to control every aspect of Americans’ lives. Heritage expert: Joel Griffith America Tried the Biden Recovery Plan in the 1970s—It Was a Disaster – Instead of a “build back bureaucracy” approach that sacrifices the economy, America needs solid growth, healthy job creation, and entrepreneurs who are optimistic, driven, and unchained from mandates. Only then will Americans truly “build back better.” The 1970s demonstrated what the socialist playbook of tax, spend, and regulate brings: joblessness, inflation, and misery. The U.S. must hold the line to shelter this fragile recovery from new burdens and mandates and from perverse incentives that punish work or handicap entrepreneurs. Brighter days are possible for America, but only if leaders have the wisdom and the humility to stay out of the way of the American people. Heritage expert: Peter St. Onge
You are subscribed to Heritage Foundation e-mails as [email protected]. If you want to change your e-mail preferences, please click here to update your subscription.