Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.
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Virginia Election Proves That Americans Reject CRT – Critical race theory proponents have just learned the hard way the folly of their strategy. The American people reject the politicization of the classroom, the office, the military, and the houses of worship that has exploded since the civil disturbances of 2020. But the lesson cuts both ways. Now, politicians who have discovered they can win on the issue must deliver, or else, too, feel the wrath of the voter. It was the parents of Virginia who pushed Glenn Youngkin, who won his race for the Virginia governor seat Tuesday, to embrace the issue. It is now his job to produce results and give the parents back their authority. Heritage expert: Mike Gonzalez

The left’s radical talking points on schools is having the opposite effect – Telling parents they are not wanted will not motivate families to send their children back to assigned schools. Federal data shows that public school enrollment decreased by 3 million students this fall. Enrollment has dropped in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and in Maryland’s largest school district, Montgomery County, along with statewide declines across California and Wisconsin, to name just a few states. The pandemic may have led to the exodus, but how could messages that undermine parents make families more likely to send students back? State and local school boards across Alabama, Colorado, and Washington state have adopted proposals rejecting the discriminatory ideas in critical race theory and demanding that students not be taught that individuals from any race are superior or inferior to anyone else. Legislators in 18 states even gave parents more freedom to choose how and where their children learn in 2021. Lawmakers created or expanded learning options such as education savings accounts, charter schools, and other private and public learning opportunities. These lawmakers are responding to student needs by affirming parents’ rights over their child’s learning experience. Heritage expert: Jonathan Butcher

Under Biden’s Scheme, Taxes and Inflation Could Claim 100% of Some Capital Gains – With inflation, the tax code artificially devalues these deductions that are delayed for years after a taxpayer incurs an expense. As in the example above, taxpayers can end up paying taxes on phantom profits. Investment drives long-term economic growth. The U.S. tax system is already biased against saving and investment. Biden’s tax plans exacerbate the problem. Worse, Biden is resorting to inefficient and counterproductive taxes that are incapable of funding even half of his new social welfare spending that could amount to $4 trillion after factoring in budgetary gimmicks. That will only lead to larger deficits, which will further crowd out investment and stunt economic growth. Heritage expert: Joel Griffith

New Book Explains ‘How the Left Changed the Way You Vote’ – Unfortunately, many on the left are attempting to make election fraud easier by fighting laws that require an ID, a commonsense reform overwhelmingly supported by the American public. They’ve pushed to get noncitizens and jailed inmates to vote, and they oppose all efforts by election officials to certify the citizenship of registered voters through federal databases and other means. And they’ve sued states that have tried to clean up their voter rolls by removing individuals who have died, moved away, or are registered multiple times in several states. The changes that were rammed through for the 2020 “COVID” election, including switching to universal all-mail elections or dramatically increasing the use of absentee mail-in ballots, are unwise and dangerous. Absentee ballots are the tools of choice of vote thieves because they are the only ballots cast outside the supervision of election officials and outside the observation of poll watchers, destroying the transparency of the election process that is a fundamental hallmark of a healthy democracy. Absentee or mail-in ballots also have a much higher rejection rate than votes cast in a polling place since there are no election officials present in someone’s home to answer questions or resolve any problems a voter may be having. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky

The Unnecessary and Unconstitutional John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act – It is easier to register and vote today than at any other time in America’s history. The permanent, nationwide provisions of the Voting Rights Act, such as Section 2 and Section 3, are more than adequate to protect voting rights in those rare instances where discrimination does occur. There is no need to bring back the preclearance provisions of Section 5 or to implement a new, vastly expanded Section 5. There is no longer any justification for giving the federal government the ability to veto the election laws and regulations that citizens and their elected representatives choose to implement in their respective states. H.R. 4 is a federal power grab designed to thwart election reform and manipulate state redistricting decisions. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky