Entering the final stretch of the presidential contest, Americans are facing a monumental choice. The American people will decide the direction of government and its role in their lives for the coming years.
The debate in Tampa this week raised a number of issues, including preserving the American dream of working hard to achieve success. The Heritage Foundation has extensive research and policy prescriptions on each of these issues:
Energy: America needs to end energy subsidies and restore a free market in the energy sector. We can and should develop our domestic energy sources in an environmentally responsible way. Go to Energy & Environment
School choice: America’s education focus should be our students. The best way to serve the needs of a diverse population is to give families the freedom to choose a school—public, private, charter, or home school—that best fits their children’s needs. See where your state stands
Free trade: America needs jobs, and promoting free trade is an excellent way to create high-quality jobs in America. We should have a free flow of goods, services, and investments between democratic nations. Catch up on the U.S. free trade record
The federal budget: Tackling the federal budget is a complex task, but it must be done. Heritage’s Saving the American Dream plan details ideas for reforming major entitlement programs, permanently balancing the budget, and reducing the national debt. See the Heritage plan
Tax reform: America’s families and businesses need tax relief. A tax cut here and there isn’t enough; we need fundamental tax reform. A tax system that is simple and fair would spur economic growth and protect those at the bottom of the income ladder. How it could be done
Repealing Obamacare: Obamacare doesn’t stop with government intrusion into your relationship with your doctor. It also raises taxes, adds to the U.S. deficit, and attacks religious and personal freedoms. Top 5 Reasons to Repeal Obamacare
Reforming Medicare: Medicare reform is not an option—it is a necessity. To keep the program working for those it is designed to help, we should give seniors more control over their health care decisions and guarantee better access to quality care. The way forward for Medicare
Next week, the debate will continue in Charlotte, and more policy issues may enter the mix.
There’s no way to predict how the election will turn out. But as Heritage’s Matt Spalding has written, “it will be a turning point in American history: Either our leaders will guide the country even further along the road to ‘progressivism’ or they will begin a long, slow turn back toward the principles of the American Founding.”
“The federal government has acquired an all but unquestioned dominance over virtually every area of American life,” Spalding says. “It acts without constitutional limits and is restricted only by expediency, political will, and (less and less) budget constraints.”
The Heritage Foundation recently published Changing America’s Course, which gives our political leaders recommendations on how to stay within the limits of the Constitution.
To put America on a path toward preserving and growing freedom, Spalding says, “The first step is to reduce the size and scope of government and unleash the engines of economic productivity and the institutions of cultural renewal.”
It is possible to change America’s course.
Quick Hits:
- Isaac has left homes underwater and power off throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. At least four people have died.
- President Obama told TIME magazine that he might not have had enough time to explain the stimulus to people.
- The Pentagon has told the Navy SEAL who wrote a book about the Osama bin Laden raid that he hasviolated an agreement not to disclose classified information.
- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak at 10 a.m. today and is expected to address the question of further “monetary easing” policies.
- Does China “own” the U.S. because of the U.S. debt it holds? Heritage answers, and it might surprise you.
