Teach Your Children Well

There is a new tool available to teach others -- especially kids -- conservative principles.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table.  So, tomorrow night in the kitchen, I hope the talking begins.  And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let them know and nail them on it.  That would be a very American thing to do." -- Ronald Reagan

Whether you need a refresher course in the principles of conservatism or you are teaching them to others, especially your children, "What Am I Conservative?" by Melanie Angell Elliott is an alluring choice.

The book contains a series of 24 principled and well-reasoned sections, each based on a particular tenet of conservatism.

You'll identify with the principles and use them to craft a conservative ideology.  It's certainly no tome -- quick quotes from famous conservatives and the Founding Fathers induce a brisk yet enlightening reading pace. 

If you have a family, this book is perfect -- you can ready a chapter per day with your children or use it as a refernce to counter liberal teachings at school.

To order "Why Am I Conservative?", click here.

Heritage's Ed Feulner on the State of Conservatism

The Heritage Foundation's President Dr. Ed Feulner delivered a motivating speech on the state of conservatism at Heritage's President's Club meeting earlier this week in Washington.

In my opinion, it was the best speech I've heard on conservatism in many, many years. This is "must read" material for all Conservatives.

Here is the link to read Dr. Feulner's speech: www.myheritage.org/archive/articles/2008/ed-feulner-on-the-state-of-conservatism.html

How to Fight Back Against the Left

Dear Fellow Conservative,

We conservatives have our work cut out for us to hold back the liberal tide, and The Heritage Foundation -- America's leading conservative policy organization -- is prepared to fight back.

The Left is sure to claim a mandate to impose its radical agenda on America-from the economy to energy to the war on terror, from the Supreme Court to taxes, health care and education.

If we are to fight back against the liberal onslaught, we need your support today. Our goal is to raise $80,000 towards this effort by November 15.

Help Heritage fight to defend conservative principles and get a free Pocket Constitution with your gift of $35 or more.

And thanks to a generous matching gift, your gift today is worth double. So your tax-deductible donation of $50 is worth $100 to Heritage, and your gift of $100 is worth $200.

Triumphant liberals have already spelled out their plans:

1. On the campaign trail, liberal candidates called for tax increases, massive new government health care programs, drastic new environmental controls and more.
   


2. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts said, "we'll have to raise taxes ultimately" as a result of liberal spending increases. He also wants to cut defense spending by a quarter.
   


3. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she supports re-imposing the Fairness Doctrine-an onerous regulation that could silence conservatives on talk radio.
   


4. Liberals of all stripes have pledged to enact the Employee Free Choice Act, a handout to big labor that eliminates the secret ballot in unionization elections.
   

The Heritage Foundation is ready to stand up to this challenge. We will not stray from our mission to fight for the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

We are ready to fight back against the liberals and advance our conservative principles. We will build on our 35-year record of success-from welfare reform to missile defense to tax cuts-and help get America back on track.

But we need your help if we are to raise $80,000 by November 15 to make this possible. Will you stand with us?

Make a contribution to help Heritage counter the liberal threat and get your FREE Pocket Constitution.

Remember -- your gift is worth double, thanks to a generous gift from the Benwood Foundation.

In Washington, there are no permanent victories and no permanent defeats. We must remain firmly committed to our principles in both good times and in bad. That's why your help is so important.

Now more than ever, we are grateful for your support for our conservative principles and ideals. Without the support of conservatives like you, none of what we do would be possible.

Sincerely,


Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
President
The Heritage Foundation

Canada's Conservatives Strengthen Electoral Mandate

Canada's Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper prepared to return work in Ottawa after winning a strengthened mandate in a general election Tuesday that resulted in Canada's third consecutive minority government. "Canadians have voted to move our country forward and they have done so with confidence," Harper told supporters in Calgary as supporters celebrated the party's victory and the end of a hard-fought 37-day campaign.
Harper's party will add at least 16 seats to their previous totals, adding some heft to their ranks, mostly at the expense of the Liberal Party which was hit hard, especially in Ontario.

As of early Wednesday with more than 60 percent of votes counted, the Conservatives were elected or leading in 143 ridings, up from 127 in 2006, while the Liberals were elected or leading in 76, a drop of 19 seats from the party's standing at dissolution. Bloc Québécois candidates were leading or elected in 50 ridings, while NDP candidates were ahead or holding 37 seats, a gain of seven seats over the last election. Two Independents also held on to their seats.

Harper's victory was the first major national election held in any nation since the global credit crisis burst on the front pages in the past several weeks. The governing Conservatives seemed to fare well despite the current uncertain economic climate and while the opposition Liberals struggled to come up with a coherent message that resonated with the voters. Harper hopes his freshly-minted and strengthened mandate will allow him to move forward now with a number of economic and foreign policy initatives that have been put on hold pending the election results.

With the Liberal popular support sinking to a level not seen since 1867, there was renewed speculation over the future of party leader Stéphane Dion. He conceded defeat early Wednesday morning, but made no mention of resigning as Opposition leader.

Heritage Foundation Founder Paul Weyrich Provides Comments on Financial Bailout

Free Congress Foundation Commentary
Questionable Economics at the Presidential Level
By Paul M. Weyrich

September 26, 2008

Messages have poured in asking my opinion of the trillion-dollar bailout announced by President George W. Bush late last week. I hesitate to discuss this topic because I am not an economist nor do I have any special insight which would enable me to offer an informed comment. I can provide my opinion. For what it is worth, here it is.

The White House arranged a conference call with an official who had been working on the matter. I sat in on the discussion. Surprisingly, there were only two questions asked. Mine was one of them. I asked the White House economist to give me an estimate of what this bailout eventually would cost the taxpayer. He replied that he had no idea. It depended, he said, upon how well the new entity which would buy and re-sell assets handles the situation. In a best case scenario the entity actually would make money. That would happen if the entity were able to buy low and sell high. On the other hand, if things didn’t work out, the economist said, the taxpayer could be on the line for a lot.

President Bush, in defending the hundreds of billions required to bail out AIG, said it was too big to fail. However, there are many thriving businesses inside AIG not in any danger of going under. AIG has assets of $17 trillion whereas $100 billion was needed in twenty-four hours to prevent bankruptcy. AIG could not get its hands on cash fast enough, it would seem. That being the case, I don’t understand why the highly profitable parts of AIG couldn’t have been separated out while letting the part of AIG which experienced the shortfall declare bankruptcy. One thing, at least we won’t have to suffer through those AIG commercials with precious children who know more about running their businesses than their parents. One of the children always confesses that his parents are with AIG to the cheers of everyone else.

I also don’t understand the Federal Government’s picking and choosing which investment banking firms are to survive and which are to disappear. The market is supposed to determine this. In fact, I thought one of the cornerstones of the free-enterprise system is that companies which are run poorly likely will fail. An elderly gentleman called in to Austin Hill’s radio show on WMAL Radio in Washington. He said he had come to the United States four years ago from the former Soviet Union. He told Hill that the Russians, despite recent problems, are advancing free enterprise whereas we in the USA are promoting socialism. I am afraid he is correct.

What of the big one? What of the Bush proposal that has the Federal Government picking up all bad debts to allow the banking system to behave as usual? Essentially this would create a two-tier system in which we have capitalism for profits and socialism for losses. This goes against everything in which I ever believed. Ninety-three percent of mortgage holders pay their bills on time. Why not let the other 7% default? If some mortgage bankers are stuck with bad paper because they foolishly gave home loans to people who could not afford them those bankers should have to sink. It seems to me we would be stronger for it in the long run, even though there would be significant disruption in the short term. I hope I am wrong. The stock markets surely liked Bush’s proposal. It wiped out all loses of the previous week. If Bush is proved to be correct, he will go down in history, like Harry S. Truman, as a courageous leader who bit the bullet when the going was tough. If he is not, he will replace Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter as a failed President.


Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.