Yesterday, the Department of Interior released its new five-year offshore drilling plan. Unfortunately, the program is far less expansive when it comes to opening areas to access, exploration, and drilling than it should be. The plan schedules 15 possible lease sales in the 2012–2017 time horizon—10 in the central and western Gulf of Mexico, two in the central Gulf, and three off the coast of Alaska. More glaring, however, is the areas that are still off-limits. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts, areas the Obama Administration once considered opening, remain closed … More

Speaking at Heritage this morning, former Speaker Newt Gingrich called on House Republicans to put politics aside and pass a new proposal from two Democratic senators that would expand offshore drilling off Virginia’s coast. Gingrich suggested it should be one of the top priorities for the House GOP when lawmakers return in September. The plan would create jobs and add revenue to federal coffers — two points Gingrich made repeatedly throughout his speech on deficit reduction. “One of the proposals I have,” Gingrich said, “is a proposal that the House … More

States are desperate for ways to make their budgets more cost-effective. Illinois found a way—but the federal government won’t let the state implement a requirement that would help repair its faulty Medicaid system. Federal government health care laws are preventing a new Medicaid ID requirement—passed by bipartisan majorities in the state—from going into effect. The legislation gained the support of Republican and Democratic caucuses in the state with Rep. Patti Bellock (R-Westmont) and Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) moving the bill forth. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed it into law. … More

By Matt HoldridgeIf you didn’t already know that the first baby boomers born in 1946 will reach retirement age this year, putting what everyone admits is a huge strain on an already shaky Social Security system, than this video should leave no doubts.&…

While they were busy wasting time on Obamacare, energy taxes, and amnesty, the 111th Congress let many of their primary obligations slide. That is why the next two months is about to witness the busiest lame duck session in the history of Congress. Here are seven most do items this lame duck must address before…

The national convention of the American Legion joins a long list of Americans of all political views in condemning inclusion of a bust of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. Some 3,000 delegates last week adopted a resolution saying the Stalin bust “flies in the face of history…

I feel this post from Campaign for Liberty needs to be spread far and wide and to as many people as we can get it to. Campaign for Liberty is taking the battle against Big Government’s takeover of health care and health freedom to the television airwaves, and we need your help to mobilize more…