Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.
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Some Democrats are turning their attention to passing voting rights - Democrats who are promising to shelve their budget-busting Build Back Better bill to “move forward aggressively” on “voting rights” are once again conning the public. It is easier to register and vote today than ever before. It is liberals who are endangering voting rights by pushing a federal takeover of elections that would make it easier to cheat and to manipulate election results to protect the incumbents in power. This reckless, partisan, and dangerous effort should be opposed by all Americans, no matter which political party they favor, who want fair, honest, and secure elections.
The right to free and fair elections and to having every legal vote count is one of the most basic civil rights in our republic. Heritage's Election Integrity Scorecard gives states a clear picture of where their laws and regulations meet the best practices, where vulnerabilities exist, and how to fix them. Heritage Expert: Hans von Spakovsky
What’s at the Heart of the Crime Surge? - Crime is only rising in cities that have elected rogue prosecutors, not across the country or in cities that take a law-and-order approach. Crime has exploded in those cities because: no bail for crimes; refuse to charge all misdemeanors and many felonies; refuse to add sentencing enhancements; unwind many prior convictions by office; target police. In Philadelphia, for example, rogue District Attorney Larry Krasner’s policies led to the murder of Philadelphia Police Cpl. James O’Connor by an individual whom Krasner released through his lenient policies. In Kim Foxx’s Chicago, there are apparently no consequences for violating bail terms considering she’s dropped a total 420 cases of felony escape. Heritage Experts: Charles Stimson and Zack Smith
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Adds Fuel To Critical Race Theory Fight - By taking steps to protect Americans of all ages from indoctrination meant to delegitimize the United States, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is at the forefront of an important movement waging an existential battle of ideas in America today. His announcement appears directed at steps to protect all K-12 children from practices that discriminate according to race or national background, and to protect workers from training seminars that create a hostile work environment. These steps are not only appropriate but necessary. The governor is quite right that woke ideology is nothing but an attempt “to delegitimize our history and our institutions.” We understand that the legislative language is being prepared, so it’s impossible to comment on that. However, if the proposals follow the Florida State Board of Education’s rule from last summer, which did not ban books, then the legislation will be in strong position to gain the support of the American people, who reject the implementation of CRT. That rule said that schools must follow state academic standards and teach the “universal principles of the Declaration of Independence.” If critical race theorists believe this bans CRT from classrooms, then that is evidence that advocates for CRT believe the theory is, in fact, in conflict with our nation’s highest ideals. Heritage Experts: Mike Gonzalez and Jonathan Butcher
Further Proof That Demography is not Destiny - Following Glenn Youngkin’s victory for the governorship of Virginia, and the revelation that he had won voters of Latin origins, a wag online quipped that Youngkin had won the “Latino” vote, while his opponent Terry McAuliffe had won the “LatinX” vote. It was probably not very funny to McAuliffe, but it contained an important political truth. The left wing of the Democratic Party has gotten out over its skis with its radical ideas and overall wokeness (of which the term “LatinX” is a prime example), and the voters known as Hispanics have begun to say, “Basta!” Heritage Expert: Mike Gonzalez
7 Items on Our Christmas National Defense Wish List - As we close out 2021, we see Russian President Vladimir Putin massing more than 100,000 troops across from Ukraine, China conducting a nuclear breakout by building massive numbers of missile silos and testing new hypersonic weapons, and Iran working furiously to enrich uranium to weapons-grade for a nuclear weapon. While no one wanted to witness such developments, the United States must act to protect its global interests. Heritage Expert: Brent Sadler