Yesterday at the White House, President Barack Obama faced the media to once again plug the American Jobs Act–his plan for more stimulus spending, paid for with even more taxes on America’s job creators. And this morning, not a day later, America received a reminder of why a continuation of the President’s tried-and-failed policies is not a prescription for success: In September, the U.S. unemployment rate held steady at a dismal 9.1 percent with 14 million Americans still out of work. About 103,000 jobs were added, but 45,000 of those … More

Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. Heritage Foundation comes out against McConnell plan – Amanda Carey Sea Treaty puts U.S. interests in deep water – Peter Brookes Voters get strange polling calls – Alissa Smith Regime Change May Be Needed To Cut Deficit – Charles Krauthammer Budget Shell Games Are Contrary to Law – Michael W. McConnell The Real Truth About Voter ID – Hans Von Spakovsky Economy tilts debt-deal win to GOP – Neil Munro Time … More

Four years after home values in America plummeted, fears over America’s housing market remain. In testimony before Congress yesterday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cited “the continuing depressed condition of the housing sector” as one of the factors behind America’s sagging economy. In response to the poor market, the White House is reportedly considering a repeat of the historically bad decisions that contributed to the mortgage meltdown rather than pursuing a much saner course: eliminating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In a town hall last week, President Obama remarked that “the continuing … More

Four years after home values in America plummeted, fears over America’s housing market remain. In testimony before Congress yesterday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cited “the continuing depressed condition of the housing sector” as one of the factors behind America’s sagging economy. In response to the poor market, the White House is reportedly considering a repeat of the historically bad decisions that contributed to the mortgage meltdown rather than pursuing a much saner course: eliminating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In a town hall last week, President Obama remarked that “the continuing … More

It’s a continued slow pace of recovery for the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in testimony today before the House Financial Services Committee. MarketWatch reports: At the moment, Fed officials see a recovery that “will likely remain moderate,” Bernanke said, with the unemployment rate falling “only gradually.” Inflation is expected to subside in coming months, he said. Fed officials have forecast that the economy will expand at around a 3.5% rate over the next 18 months and Bernanke said this remained the forecast. Bernanke also reiterated a line that … More

Over the past several weeks, America has seen on grand display in Washington a singular mindset emanating from the White House: We must raise taxes so that we can keep on spending. This week, though, America was treated to something different—a glimpse inside President Barack Obama’s mind, a roadmap of his economic worldview. And what was revealed was a philosophy that is fundamentally at odds with America’s job creators. That insight came during the President’s press conference on Monday in which he broached the subject of raising taxes as part … More

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to deliver the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress today before the House Financial Services Committee. What will he say about unemployment, if anything at all? The stakes are high with Bernanke’s approval rating at an all-time low. The hearing starts at 10 a.m. The Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee will hold a joint hearing on tax reform and the tax treatment of debt and equity. Heritage’s Asian Studies Center will host a briefing on the Global Scope of Radical … More

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to deliver the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress today before the House Financial Services Committee. What will he say about unemployment, if anything at all? The stakes are high with Bernanke’s approval rating at an all-time low. The hearing starts at 10 a.m. The Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee will hold a joint hearing on tax reform and the tax treatment of debt and equity. Heritage’s Asian Studies Center will host a briefing on the Global Scope of Radical … More

Splitting the difference does not improve bad policy. The final regulations adopted this week by the Federal Reserve Board to impose price caps on “swipe fees” paid by merchants when customers use debit cards to pay for purchases will still hurt consumers. The Fed did increase the fee cap from the 12-cents-per-transaction cap contained in the draft regulation to between 21 and 24 cents in the final version. Both are far below the current average swipe fee of 44 cents. The compromise pleased no one. Fed governor Betsey Duke voted … More

By matt burrowDid you know?
Ben Bernanke is hoping you don’t.
As the old saying goes, “knowing is half the battle.”  If that’s the case, Campaign for Liberty is well on its way to winning an historic battle, the first ever full-scale audit of th…