Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.
Chinese Communist Party Watching Biden’s Response to Ukraine <[link removed]> – What
the U.S. does next is of critical importance because this conflict is about far more than Russia and Ukraine. It is about whether America’s adversaries, especially the Chinese Communist Party, will look at the United States in the coming months and years as a formidable adversary, or a weakening and irresolute superpower. How we support Ukraine will send signals about our support for other key partners and allies in the CCP’s crosshairs, none more so than Taiwan. Biden needs to show the CCP that the United States is serious about protecting its own interests. The U.S. must hit Putin where it hurts. That means immediately sanctioning entities connected to Nord Stream II, rendering aid to contribute to Ukraine’s self-defense, reinforcing efforts to protect NATO territory and supply lines to Ukraine, and intensifying efforts to weaken Russia’s hold on Europe via energy exports. Germany’s announcement today that it will suspend the certification of the pipeline is a welcome show of resolve. Now it’s time for Biden to show some backbone and complement Berlin’s actions through new, devastating sanctions. It’s not too late for the U.S. to once again project strength on the world stage, and send the clearest of signals to Moscow—and to Beijing. Heritage Expert: Alexis Mracheck <[link removed]>
Federal Government’s Long, Shameful Record of Failures in Battling COVID-19 <[link removed]> – The loss of trust is perhaps the biggest failure. Hypocritical politicians who blatantly violated their own COVID-19 rules have contributed mightily to undermining public trust. Public health authorities also played their part with mixed messaging on such topics as the efficacy of masking, mandates <[link removed]>, and massive lockdowns <[link removed]>, while suppressing <[link removed]> scientific and medical dissent. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans must hold these public officials accountable. That day cannot come soon enough. Heritage Experts: Robert Moffit <[link removed]> and Doug Badger <[link removed]>
Russian Nuclear Exercise a Reminder That Nuclear Deterrence Isn’t Relic of Past <[link removed]> – Moscow announced <[link removed]> Friday it would begin massive nuclear drills over the weekend that will entail practice launches of its intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. This isn’t to say that Russia will launch a nuclear first strike at Ukraine or elsewhere. But it does serve to remind us that nuclear weapons are an unfortunate reality of today’s unsettled world. Russia is also developing completely new “super” weapons <[link removed]>, such as a nuclear-powered cruise missile and nuclear-tipped hypersonic weapons. As much as U.S. policymakers would like to wish away nuclear weapons from existence, unfortunately, the enemy gets a vote. Heritage Expert: Patty Jane
Geller <[link removed]>
Double Standard Threaten Air Force Core Values <[link removed]> – At one point or another, even sound organizations suffer breaches of integrity. Often, such breaches foreshadow serious failures. The U.S. military is no exception, as evidenced by reports <[link removed]>regarding the Air Force’s handling of a candidate currently in its special operations training pipeline <[link removed]>. The service will have to take quick corrective action to regain the trust of its members and the public. Heritage Expert: John
Venable <[link removed]>
SALT Deduction: Debunking the “Moocher State” and Cost-of-Living Justifications <[link removed]> – Certain high-tax states stand to benefit disproportionately from a SALT deduction expansion, which
has led to region-based justifications for the deduction. Even accepting the premise that regional redistribution is a desirable tax policy goal, region-based justifications for the SALT deduction fall apart on closer inspection. The United States does not break down neatly into donor states and recipient states. High-income individuals pay a disproportionate share of the federal tax burden and claim more SALT deductions—but this is true regardless of whether they live in high-tax or low-tax states, and it is an intended result of a highly progressive federal tax code. The SALT deduction is a solution in search of a problem. Heritage Expert: Preston Brashers <[link removed]>
‘I Am an Overcomer,’ Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Says. ‘Many Black People Are Overcomers.’ <[link removed]> – When she
was a little girl, Winsome Sears emigrated to America from Jamaica. Years later, she chose to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps because, she says, “America had always been good to my family and me.” Today, Sears is again serving her adopted country, this time as Virginia’s lieutenant governor. She made history when she was elected Nov. 2 to become the first black woman to hold that office. Being where she is, Sears says, she is reminded of the opportunities that America affords, and that she is “an overcomer, ” adding that “many black people are overcomers.” “I am here in the former capital of the Confederacy, for goodness sake,” she says. “I am second in command. Second in command. I’m a black woman. I am not first-generation American.” Heritage Expert: Virginia
Allen <[link removed]>
Virginia Can Tap Educational Potential Through School Opinion <[link removed]> – Virginia parents have few options when it comes to their child’s education. This situation becomes all too apparent to parents whose children are harmed or threatened at school, and they realize they have no place to turn. But there is even more untapped potential in Virginia. State law allows—conceptually anyway—for universities to create lab schools, which are K-12 schools that operate under the auspices of university oversight. Like charter schools, lab schools would also allow postsecondary leaders and school creators to provide innovative teaching methods to Virginia families. If parents are unhappy with what is being taught, or if they fear for their child’s safety, or if they want school to do more to bring out the best in their child, they will welcome learning options. Heritage Expert: Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]>
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