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Rogue Prosecutors Gascon and Boudin Panicking Over Recall Elections - These rogues can’t defend their policies on the merits, as we have written here, and crime has exploded in their cities as a result of their policies. So what are they doing? They are blaming everyone and everything they can think of, from poverty, to over-policing, to COVID-19, to guns, to Republicans. This blame game seems curiously timed as each prosecutor faces either the certainty or possibility of recall election (the fruit of bipartisan efforts in these cities). The latest punch line is that the recall efforts are an attempt to “end democracy.” That’s absurd. Heritage Experts: Cully Stimson and Zack Smith
3 Ways to Curb Inflation - Consumer prices rose 8.6% last year, the highest inflation since 1981. What can Congress do? If Congress stops the federal spending spree, stops subsidizing the housing market, and stops the war against workers and energy, inflationary pressures will ease significantly. Heritage Expert: Joel Griffith
Alaska Shouldn’t Undo 16 Years and Counting of Fiscal Responsibility - Alaska’s bill not only goes in the opposite direction by establishing a new defined benefit pension plan; it essentially makes that new pension system retroactive back to 2006 for workers who want to exchange their existing defined contribution accounts for credits in the new defined benefit plan. That would increase the risks and magnitude of underfunding going forward. Maintaining a fully staffed, well-functioning public safety system is a primary role of state governments. To address recruitment and retention problems, policymakers should provide public safety workers with actual benefits today instead of unreliable promises of future benefits. It’s a terrible time for lawmakers to undo fiscal responsibility. With decades-high inflation and the recent explosion in federal debt adding to the U.S.’ already unsustainable fiscal outlook, Alaska lawmakers shouldn’t burden current and future generations with even more debt. Heritage Expert: Rachel Greszler
How Policymakers Can Address Baby Formula Shortage - As too many American families know from firsthand experience, there’s a baby formula shortage in the United States. While some politicians will surely view the situation as “not letting a crisis go to waste,” this is a time for immediate and thoughtful solutions that address the actual problems. There isn’t a magic bullet to address the shortage, but if government at all levels (federal, state, and local) remove harmful government intervention that’s exacerbating the problem, that would go a long way toward solving the problem. Heritage Expert: Daren Bakst and Rachel Greszler
The Real Problem with CHIPS Subsidies – As the Senate and House of Representatives negotiate their so-called “China bill” or America COMPETES, one of the central issues is whether to give semiconductor companies subsidies to invest in the United States. This would be a big mistake. Like most of COMPETES, the bill’s $50 billion handout to the semiconductor industry has little to do with beating China. In fact, it will help China achieve its industrial goals and, thus, its competitive position vis-a-vis its rivalry with the United States. Heritage Expert: Walter Lohman
Will Europe Ignore U.S. Warnings About China Like They Ignored Warnings Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine? – Today, the U.S. and Europe stand in unity against Russia and in support of Ukraine. Even after Europe ignored early intelligence warnings from the U.S. about Russia’s impending invasion, European allies and partners banded together in solidarity once the worst became reality. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is hardly the first time that warnings have been issued by the U.S. to European allies and partners. Even as its diplomatic approach to China has become more solicitous, the US has continued to sound the alarm on the rising threat that China poses to Europe. And such warnings – like those issued before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – have been largely ignored and relegated to the periphery of policymaking. Heritage Expert: Olivia Enos