Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.
Now Is the Time for Conservatives to Combat Big Tech’s Totalitarianism <[link removed]> -
Every American should be concerned about Big Tech’s willingness to shut off direct access to digital information, its demonstrated pattern of information
manipulation, and its impact on America’s culture of free speech. Beyond this, the growing symbiosis between Big Tech and government, the constriction of digital life, the pernicious targeting and exploitation of the next generation, and the expansion of digital surveillance will accelerate the stratification of American society. If current patterns are not disrupted, conservatives will bear the brunt of this tech-enabled classification system implemented hand-in-glove with the government. It’s time for conservatives—and any thinkers willing to challenge prevailing leftist narratives—to push back against the trend toward totalitarianism in America that is being ushered in with the help of Big Tech. Heritage Expert: Kara Frederick <[link removed]>
How to Earn Voters’ Trust: The Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard <[link removed]> - The Heritage Foundation on Dec. 14 launched its Election
Integrity Scorecard <[link removed]> to give states and their residents and lawmakers a clear picture <[link removed]> of whether their election laws and regulations meet best practices standards for fair, secure, and honest
elections; to illustrate where vulnerabilities exist; and to provide them with information on how to fix them. It’s important to understand what the scorecard is—and what it isn’t. It’s an interactive tool that analyzes the election laws of all 50 states and the District of Columbia (since D.C. residents are able to vote in the presidential election) and grades each state on how well those laws protect voters and the integrity of the election process. What the scorecard decidedly is not is an analysis of how the November 2020 election was conducted, something that some critics don’t seem to understand. What we hope is that voters, legislators, and election officials will use the Election Integrity Scorecard to improve the election process in their state. Heritage Expert: John Malcolm <[link removed]> and Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]>
Congress Should Address the Impact of Four Years of Declining Buying Power on the U.S. Army <[link removed]> - As a great power, the U.S. needs a strong, balanced joint force that includes a capable Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. Since the significant increases of fiscal year 2018, initiated by President Donald Trump and supported by Congress, the overall Army budget has fallen in real terms by 10.9 percent. The U.S. Army has the reputation of taking any task and endeavoring to accomplish it with whatever means are provided. While admirable, that attribute may lead it to understate the impact that current funding levels have on its ability to accomplish its missions. Congress owes the nation a full accounting of the readiness of its Army. Heritage Expert: Thomas Spoehr <[link removed]>
11 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Highlight Importance of Second Amendment in New Year <[link removed]> - Just one month into
2022, it became clear that the new year hasn’t brought relief from the unprecedented spikes in violent crime in many cities since the summer of 2020. Yet, progressive prosecutors <[link removed]> in many of them seem to be doing <[link removed]> their best to ensure <[link removed]> that even the most violent criminals <[link removed]> receive minimal punishment <[link removed]>. Worse, cities such as San Jose, California, choose to lay the blame for criminal gun violence at the feet of lawful gun owners <[link removed]>, imposing useless insurance mandates and unconstitutional taxes. For this reason, The Daily Signal each month publishes an article highlighting some of the previous month’s many news stories on defensive gun use that you may have missed—or that might not have made it to the national spotlight in the first place. You may explore more by using The Heritage Foundation’s interactive Defensive Gun Use Database <[link removed]>. Heritage Expert: Amy Swearer <[link removed]>
What Is Happening in This Unprecedented U.S. Labor Market? February 2022 Update <[link removed]> - The
current labor shortage spans virtually all demographic groups and is affecting the entire American economy. Continued low levels of employment will slow the rate of economic growth, reduce real incomes and output, result in greater dependence on government social programs, require higher levels of taxation, and exacerbate the U.S.’s already precarious fiscal situation. Lower tax burdens, encouraging flexible work, and making childcare more accessible, can help to increase the returns to work. Removing work disincentives from America’s entitlement and welfare programs is a must. Policymakers should also learn from the unintended consequences of many COVID-19 policies, ending those that remain and refraining from creating new or expanded policies that would discourage work. Heritage Expert: Rachel Greszler <[link removed]>
Virginia Lawmakers Must Do More than Rebrand Public Education <[link removed]> - Charter schools exist in Virginia, but the law has made it so they’re essentially district schools – rebranded. For more than 20 years, Virginia’s charter school law – the one governing public schools created by individuals and community leaders seeking to offer more learning options for K-12 students – has felt like a rebranding of the laws for assigned traditional schools. Lawmakers in nearly every state have enacted charter school laws, and the states with the greatest number – and highest quality – of such schools are those that allow charter schools autonomy and flexibility. Charter schools should be able to enroll any student who applies, from anywhere in the state, subject to space. They should be exempt from teacher hiring and curricular requirements that make them identical to assigned schools, and colleges and independent state boards should be allowed to authorize and oversee charter school operations. Heritage Expert: Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]>
Biden officials trying to recalculate U.S. Covid-19 hospitalizations <[link removed]>—President Biden has repeatedly claimed that this is a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" and that the unvaccinated
are crowding sick people out of hospital beds. Now we know the truth: CDC doesn't know the difference between patients hospitalized because of COVID and those admitted for other conditions who also test positive. Nor do they know how many patients are unvaccinated. Some states are collecting this data. New York State reports that only 60% of patients with COVID are hospitalized for COVID. Data from Massachusetts indicate that nearly half of hospitalized COVID patients are vaccinated. The government can encourage vaccination, but it should end the vax shaming. Heritage Expert: Doug Badger <[link removed]>
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