This year has been quite a journey for conservatives.
An overzealous liberal majority in Congress, revved up by their Christmas Eve health care victory in the House of Representatives, greeted 2010 with an agenda that was far left and far removed from the will of the American people.
From Obamacare and the New START to defense cuts and tax hikes, we conservatives have had our work cut out for us this past year. Yes, we lost important battles in Congress – Obamacare is now the law of the land and we have a new START Treaty. But conservatives have continued the debate and expanded it.
It is no longer just about health care, harmful treaties, tax hikes, defense cuts or any one item in between. It is about America’s First Principles.
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Take a moment and reflect on what we as a nation have seen unfold over the past twelve months. Across the country, people who had never before been engaged in politics have sprung to action. They’re calling for fiscal sanity, individual responsibility, and limited government – all Constitutional principles. And it’s working.
While liberals try to place us on a road to serfdom, conservatives are winning where it matters most – and not just at the ballot box. We are winning the war of ideas. And liberals are taking notice.
In recent months, the Obama administration has begun to take ideas directly from the conservative playbook.
- On national security, they’ve canceled civilian trials for terrorists, kept Guantanamo Bay open, and extended key provisions of the Patriot Act;
- On federal spending, they have proposed a federal pay freeze as a first step towards fiscal sanity;
- On immigration, the Left has abandoned its pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform; and
- On economic recovery, they have admitted that the Obama tax hikes are wrong for America.
Each of these ideas can be found in The Heritage Foundation’s Solutions for America, a comprehensive policy guide for getting our nation back on the right track. But there are over 120 policy recommendations outlined in our Solutions for America. And much remains to be done.
My hope is that the new Congress will follow through on this momentum and fulfill the conservative mandate that handed them victory in November. Standing firmly on principles, conservatives can push for repealing Obamacare, rein in government spending and regulations, stop all tax hikes and return power to the people by getting control of the federal government.
And in this battle of ideas, The Heritage Foundation will be on the front lines, making sure that all in power know the truth about the policies they recommend and the people they affect.
That’s why I hope you’ll continue to stand with us by helping us to reach our year end goal with your tax-deductible contribution before Midnight on December 31st. Join us as we bid farewell to 2010 and help us to prepare for the many challenges that await conservatives in the coming year.
From all of us at The Heritage Foundation, thank you. And have a very happy and healthy New Year.
Sincerely,
Edwin J. Feulner
President
Quick Hits:
- The federal government has accumulated more new debt ($3.22 trillion) during the tenure of the 111th Congress, than it did during the first 100 Congresses combined.
- According to a new Associated Press poll, 43% of baby boomers say they don’t expect to be able to depend on Medicare forever.
- Bypassing Congress, President Barack Obama announced six recess appointments yesterday, including the first U.S. ambassador to Syria in nearly six years.
- Georgia, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee are all pursuing immigration enforcement laws similar to those recently adopted by Arizona.
- The fight between Texas and the EPA over increased regulation is escalating.
