Celebrating Jesse Helms’ Conservative Legacy
The American Spirit Political Action Committee will sponsor a reception and dinner for retiring Sen. Jesse Helms on Friday, November 8, at the North Raleigh Hilton in Raleigh, N.C. This is the only farewell party scheduled for the senator in North Carolina.
The evening will feature political ads from previous campaigns as attendees commemorate the life and legacy of a conservative statesman who has served 30 years in the Senate.
Sponsorship will include Co-Hosts for a $10,000 minimum contribution, Patrons who contribute a minimum of $5,000, and Sponsors who donate a minimum of $1,000.
For more information contact Judy Edwards at (919) 571-1997.
Heritage Study Deflates ‘Child-Care Crisis’
A new study by the Heritage Foundation disputes those critics of the 1996 welfare reform measure who contend that the law has created a crisis in child care.
Brian Riedl, budget expert and author of Six Myths About Child Care, points out that government spending on child care has more than tripled since 1996. A drop in the welfare caseloads has resulted in shifting funds to child-care subsidies.
Riedl says opponents of the 1996 reforms quote misleading government claims and erroneous statements about families who are not getting child-care assistance but need it, without mentioning the individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Once other forms of assistance are taken into account, "between 80-90% of needy families are getting aid," Riedl points out.
Reform critics argue that government spending on child care has remained steady despite more stringent welfare requirements, which runs counter to the fact that federal spending jumped from $3.2 billion in 1996 to $11 billion in 2002-a 244% spike.
In the Heritage Backgrounder (No. 1588), Six Myths About Child Care, Riedl also points out that that the typical subsidized family at the poverty level pays just $11 per week for their child’s care" and "that nearly every eligible applicant with an income below the poverty line receives assistance."
More information about this paper is available from the Heritage Foundation (202) 546-4400 or www.heritage.org/research/welfare/bg1588es.cfm.
NRA Files Suit Over Banned Shirt
The Civil Rights Defense Fund of the National Rifle Association has filed suit in U.S. Federal District Court against the Albemarle County, Va., school board for banning a school student from wearing an NRA Youth Sports Shooting Camp shirt to Jack Jouett Middle School.
The school’s principal allegedly ordered Alan Newsom to reverse his shirt and wear it inside out with the logo turned inward.
Plaintiffs in the suit are seeking $100,000 in damages and $50,000 in punitive damages in a 12-count lawsuit filed on September 17. School officials threatened Newsom with a suspension for not complying with the requirement.
When school officials were notified of the NRA’s decision to file suit, school officials extended the ban to cover any clothing linked to "weapons" and "violence." The NRA shirt has the letters NRA and silhouettes of three target shooters. No violence is suggested or implied.
Outraged parents and NRA supporters, such as Sara Hornberger-a wife, mother of three and grandmother of seven children, former public school teacher, public school board member, and Small Schools Principal of the Year (Alaska, 1991)-have written letters to the principal at Jack Jouett Middle School pointing out that "thousands of [middle and high] schools around the nation sponsor both gun and archery marksmanship classes."
For more information on the suit or other pending legal cases, contact the NRA at (800) 392-8683 or www.nra.org.
Report Finds American Political System Unfit
A new CATO study concludes that the American political system suffers from the lack of political competition and from an obsession over political participation.
In Election 2002 and the Problems of American Democracy, authors John Samples and Patrick Basham highlight these negative trends in America’s political system. The authors point out that incumbency creates a disadvantage for candidates seeking office because challengers have to overcome the advantages of pork-barrel spending, free travel, and considerable media exposure that incumbent politicians wield.
The author notes the widespread fascination over declining voter participation that media pundits and journalists routinely point to each election cycle. However, Samples and Basham point to an analysis by political scientists Samuel Popkin and Michael McDonald, published last year in the American Political Science Review, which shows how estimating the turnout of "voting age population" is often misleading.
The authors conclude that overall voter turnout during national elections has remained steady since 1974.
The study is available on the CATO website: www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-451es.html.
Reality TV Offensive To Family Viewers
A new study by the Parents Television Council finds "reality-based" television shows are hostile to family entertainment standards.
The report, Harsh Reality: Unscripted TV Reality Shows Offensive to Families, documents the filth and obscenities that this genre omits over the airwaves. The findings include:
- NBC and UPN had the highest level of offensive conduct of the broadcast networks.
- Among cable networks, VH1 and MTV led the pack.
- Offensive content was more than three times as frequent on cable-based reality shows than broadcast reality series.
- CBS’s "Big Brother" contained the most offensive content overall on broadcast television.
- MTV’s "The Osbournes" was the most offensive cable reality series with "non-stop vulgar language."
Additional information on the PTC report can be found on their website: www.ParentsTV.org.
Federalist Society’s Twentieth Anniversary
Members of the conservative legal community will gather on November 14-16 at the Mayflower Hotel to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Federalist Society.
The Society’s first gala will include a number of special guests: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Solicitor General Theodore Olson, Judge Robert Bork, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, and Interior Secretary Gale Norton.
This year former Solicitor General Kenneth Starr will deliver the second annual Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture on Friday, November 15 at Constitution Hall, followed by a reception.
The convention’s Panel discussions will cover the presidency, Congress, foreign affairs, and national security; civil rights, labor issues, telecommunications, environmental law, and religious liberties.
Registration prices are broken down into member, non-member, and student rates. For more information contact the Federalist Society, (202) 822-8138 or visit their website at: http://www.fed-soc.org.
