If you don’t visit Freedom Pub and the Heartlander digital magazine every day, you’re missing out on some of the best news and commentary on liberty and free markets you can find. But worry not, freedom lovers! Heartland Weekly is here for you every Monday with a highlight show. Subscribe to the email today, and read this week’s edition below.
Four Reasons Trump Should Withdraw From Paris Climate Agreement
H. Sterling Burnett, American Spectator
There’s a tug-of-war going on in the White House over the Paris Climate Agreement. One side wants President Donald Trump to keep the United States in the treaty and negotiate a better deal. The other side insists the president must keep his promise to withdraw entirely. Each side is arguing its position is the best way to help “Make America Great Again,” but the “stay in Paris” side is 100 percent wrong. Here are four strong reasons why. READ MORE
Union of Concerned Scientists Hates the Truth About Global Warming
William M. Briggs, The Stream
Nobody, save the odd lunatic, denies Earth’s climate has changed. And all scientists agree that mankind affects the climate. So the term climate change denier has to be one of the dumbest, most inapt, and most foolish phrases of our times. Anybody who uses it proves she is clueless of the science of climatology … or that she has something other than the practice of science on her mind. Like, say, politics. Which brings me to Ann Reid of the Union of Nervous — oops, make that Concerned — Scientists, who is panicked about The Heartland Institute’s mailing of Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming to every science teacher in America. READ MORE
President Trump Should Run, Not Walk, Away From the Paris Climate Treaty
Joseph Bast, The Federalist
If President Trump does not withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Treaty and, even better, from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), then the leaders of other countries will use the treaties as a huge stick with which to beat U.S. consumers and producers. American independence and prosperity – and greatness – will be impossible. The American people, and the middle class in particular, will once again have been betrayed by the political class in Washington DC. READ MORE
Featured Podcast: David Keene: How the NRA Helps Schools Facilitate Safety
David Keene, former president of the National Rifle Association, joins Heartland Research Fellow Teresa Mull on the Heartland Daily Podcast to talk about the NRA’s National School Shield program, which he leads. Keene explains how the NRA trains people at the local level to become certified security specialists who can analyze school grounds and recommend measures schools can take to increase safety. The NRA provides grants for schools to do things like install better locks, lighting, and cameras, and in some cases, trains people in firearm use and safety. LISTEN TO MORE
JOIN US! Wednesday, April 26: Dan Pilla on President Trump’s Tax Plan
Dan Pilla first wrote about Donald Trump’s tax plan in October 2015, when it seemed unlikely the celebrity businessman would become the 45th president of the United States. Not surprisingly, the plan of the past is not the plan of the present. Join us here at The Heartland Institute on Wednesday, April 26 as Pilla – author of Heartland’s booklet – discusses the pros and cons of Trump’s proposed plan, the hurdles it must clear in Congress, and recent developments in Americans’ constant battle against the IRS. REGISTER HERE
Australia’s Most Prominent Libertarian Politician Speaks at The Heartland Institute
Nancy Thorner, Freedom Pub
The Heartland Institute on April 12 hosted “An Evening with Sen. David Leyonhjelm,” who distinguishes himself as the only libertarian in the Australian Parliament – the Rand Paul of the Senate Down Under. In Australia, what Americans know as the Libertarian Party goes under the party name “Liberal Democrats,” in the sense of “classical” liberalism philosophy and ideology. Sen. Leyonhjelm gives an insightful breakdown of Australian politics and shows Libertarianism is on the rise across the globe. WATCH HERE
Will the Supreme Court Put an End to Blaine Amendments?
Teresa Mull, School Choice Weekly
Blaine Amendments, found in several states’ constitutions and borne out of anti-Catholic bigotry, prohibit the use of tax dollars by religious institutions. They have been the basis of many arguments against education choice programs. A Supreme Court ruling rejecting Missouri’s Blaine Amendment would be a huge win for school choice advocates, taking away one more weapon in the anti-parent-choice arsenal. READ MORE
WSJ Runs Heartland Experts’ Plan to Give Medicaid Funds Straight to Patients
Michael Hamilton, Consumer Power Report
As Congress and the White House rethink legislation to replace Obamacare, all ideas are back on the table, including one newly developed by staff of The Heartland Institute and published by The Wall Street Journal. To enable Medicaid enrollees to obtain first-rate insurance and care, Congress should adopt the “Personal Health Care Safety Net Medicaid Fix,” developed by Heartland Executive Editor Justin Haskins, Director of Research S.T. Karnick, and Health Care News Managing Editor Michael Hamilton. The plan would give each Medicaid adult and child a transferable deposit of $7,000 per year in a health savings account. READ MORE
Groups Petition for Endangerment Finding Review
H. Sterling Burnett, Climate Change Weekly
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said the climate is changing, but the extent of human influence – and whether there is anything we can do to stop global warming – is still “subject to continuing debate and dialogue, as well it should be.” Still, Pruitt has balked at reviewing EPA’s endangerment finding on carbon dioxide, saying there is “nothing that I know that would cause it to be reviewed.” As a matter of law, unless Trump gets rid of the endangerment finding, his efforts to roll back Obama’s climate policies will likely fail. Happily, two groups are going to court to force Pruitt’s hand. READ MORE
Bonus Podcast: In The Tank (ep84) – The Tax Code Punishes Entrepreneurship, United Airlines, and Why Big Gov Fails
Hosts John Nothdurft and Donny Kendal explore the work of think tanks across the country. Today’s episode features work from the Tax Foundation, Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Sutherland Institute. They also talk about a proposed bill in Missouri that would make businesses that ban guns on their premises liable for any shootings that take place there. LISTEN HERE
Trump’s Tax Promises Could Make Tax Day Less Painful
Jesse Hathaway, Townhall
Once again Tax Day has come and gone but nobody is celebrating this holiday except the collectors. Instead of joining in the jubilation, lawmakers in Washington, DC should work to make Tax Day less grueling for taxpayers, by reducing tax burdens and government spending. President Trump has the opportunity to lessen the tax burden for all Americans, which over the next ten years is projected to rise from $1,712 for every man and woman, to $4,000 by 2027. READ MORE
Feds Should Look Inward to Expand School Choice
Robert Holland, RealClearEducation
In a question-and-answer session at a recent White House-staged CEO business town hall, President Donald Trump once again expressed his belief in local control of education. “We can’t be managing education from Washington,” Trump asserted. With all due respect to the president, maybe “we” can – although the “we” may not be the ones originally intended. While touting localism, you see, Trump also has in mind a grand plan devised in Washington, DC: the creation of a $250 million national program to help disadvantaged children choose private schools. READ MORE
Jim Lakely is the Vice President and Director of Communications of The Heartland Institute.
