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Including noncitizens in census devalues votes of citizens, unjustly alters House representation - You may have missed it, but a recent Census Bureau report revealed that the bureau made significant errors in the most recent census, overcounting the population of eight states and undercounting the population of six states. As a result, the citizens in undercounted states, such as Florida, did not receive all of the congressional representation to which they are entitled, while citizens in states such as Minnesota and Rhode Island that were overcounted are overrepresented in Congress. As everyone who filled out a census form in 2020 knows, we were meeting the requirement of Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution that mandates an “actual enumeration” of the U.S. population every 10 years. The year 2020 was the 24th census conducted in our history. While that population data is used for many different statistical purposes, including the distribution of federal funds under programs that provide money to the states based on their share of the U.S. population, its constitutional purpose is to apportion representation in the House of Representatives. That also affects presidential elections, since apportionment determines how many votes a state has in the Electoral College. Under Section 1 of Article II, the number of electors for each state is two U.S. senators plus the number of its representatives. Heritage Expert: Hans von Spakovsky
Lawmakers Want to Know Why Pennsylvania Sent Out 240,000 Unverified Ballots – However, the lawmakers’ letter notes, the Pennsylvania Department of State contradicted Marks when it issued guidance on Sept. 26 for examining return envelopes for absentee ballots. That guidance tells counties that verification of who a voter is must happen before they send such ballots to an applicant. “Before sending the ballot to the applicant, the county board of elections confirms the qualifications of the applicant by verifying the proof of identification,” the state guidance says. The total of 240,000 unverified ballots stands as of Oct. 21 data, the GOP lawmakers say in their letter. They ask the secretary’s office to issue a clarification to county election offices and to provide a list of applicants who requested mail-in ballots. “Due to the conflicting information provided by your deportment,” Ryan and the other lawmakers write to Chapman, “counties should be required to certify that all of these ballots have been set aside and make a record of the type of identification produced by the voter who previously provided non-matching ID.” Heritage Expert: Fred Lucas
Tax dollars are wasted on Alaska’s EV charging stations – Relying only on battery-powered electric vehicles in a cold climate takes courage. That’s one reason why, at the end of 2021, Alaska had 1,290 registered electric vehicles (EVs), compared to 563,070 in California and 95,640 in Florida, according to the Energy Department. The new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $5 billion over five years to states for electric charging stations. Alaska will get $52 million of that money, which works out to more than $40,000 for each of the state’s electric vehicles. It is wasteful for Congress to build charging stations in states where electric vehicles cannot be used in many months of the year. Indeed, it’s foolish to spend money on “infrastructure” that benefits only wealthy people who do not need government support. If tens of millions of dollars magically appeared with no strings attached in Alaska or other cold-weather states, the money would almost certainly be put to a better use than electric charging stations. Individual states might build roads suitable for all vehicles, or reduce taxes for residents and businesses. Heritage Expert: Diana Furchtgott-Roth
Families Are Hurting From The Biden Administration’s Economic Brain Freeze – American families simply cannot afford to live in Biden’s America. Their real disposable incomes have fallen 11.7%, homeownership affordability is down 32%, monthly savings have collapsed 83.1% and credit card debt has ballooned 22.7%, all since Biden took office. Real earnings have also fallen 5.5%, meaning that the average family has lost over $6,000 in annual purchasing power. Adding insult to injury, so far in 2022, the average 401(k) has lost $34,000. There simply are no data that in any way support the president’s claim of the economy being “strong as hell.” The economy more closely resembles a splattered scoop of ice cream fallen on the sidewalk than the cone Biden held while making that proclamation. Sadly, economic indicators are forecasting things will get worse for Americans’ finances. Consumer spending is running on fumes as families deplete their savings and take on debt to try and sustain their standard of living. Similarly, businesses are only being sustained by a backlog of unfilled orders. Prices continue rising and energy prices in particular are poised to spike again this winter. In the coming months, the economic pain will intensify. Heritage Experts: EJ Antoni and Joel Griffith
Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must lead as a conservative – Rishi Sunak, the new British Prime Minister, has huge shoes to fill. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer was propelled to power following a swift leadership contest within the ruling Conservative Party, the political home of both Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Sunak faces immense challenges, including soaring inflation, a cost of living crisis, a mounting energy crisis, and the large numbers of illegal migrants crossing into the United Kingdom from across the English Channel. Sunak must lead as a conservative, pledge to advance economic freedom, secure Britain’s borders, protect Brexit and commit to increasing British defense spending to 3 percent of GDP. Economic freedom, British sovereignty, a strong national defense, and secure borders are vital. The UK must also stand up to Putin’s Russia and Communist China, and end the futile Biden and EU-led efforts to revive the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. Sunak has never been a leader on foreign policy, but the continuing war in Ukraine and growing Chinese threats to invade Taiwan will weigh heavily on his time in office, as will continuing tensions with the European Union over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Heritage Experts: Nile Gardiner and Ted Bromund
‘Transient Phase’: England Moves To Restrict Transgender Procedures For Kids As Biden Doubles Down—The UK preceded us in this experiment on children, and they are now pulling back. The NHS is even conceding what honest observers have known for years: The massive increase in kids presenting with symptoms of gender dysphoria or confusion are likely the result of social contagion and a temporary stage that most will grow out of, if allowed to do so. The reason many of us have criticized the headlong approach into “gender affirming care” (social transition, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgery) is because is fast tracks kids to the end point of transition—sterilization—based on scant data that it benefits anyone. Heritage Expert: Jay Richards