News & Commentary

Sarah Palin: An Everywoman Qualified by What She's Done

The 2008 primary was definitely a time of firsts. An African-American squared off against a woman in the race for the Democratic Party nomination, and a little known Republican woman nabs the vice-presidential slot shocking the establishment and energizing the conservative base.

read full article »

Time to assess if Pakistan is a friend or foe

Following the resignation of Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf, American officials are increasingly concerned about Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency's links with militant and terrorist groups, particularly al Qaeda.

read full article »

The Shattered Glass Ceiling: Women Voters after Hillary Clinton's Run

The Democratic National Convention is upon us, and much of the press commentary revolves around "her." Hillary Clinton, that is, and whether she and her supporters will unite behind Barack Obama. Both campaigns are now developing strategies to attract the votes of women.

read full article »

Keep the Option of Single-Sex Education

As the school year approaches parents have a substantive decision to make involving the educational prospects of their children as they may not be able to enroll their children in single-sex education programs.

read full article »

Saving the planet while letting children starve

Today there are millions of children starving and dying of AIDS. Yet some suggest that the greatest moral imperative of our time is attempting to reduce carbon emissions to, theoretically, reduce global temperatures by a fraction of a degree. As IWF president Michelle D. Bernard argued in the following op-ed which appeared Sunday in The Washington Examiner, we need to get our priorities straight and not embrace legislation based on global warming alarmism.

read full article »

Feminists Meddle with the Market

The Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that is the equivalent of throwing sand into the wheels of our economic machine. Underlying the bill are the assumptions that our workplace is systematically hostile to women and that existing laws don't provide enough protection for women.

read full article »

Ongoing Slavery in the US?

When most people hear about human trafficking, they picture a victim somewhere in a far-away country. However as Halima Karzai says, "an estimated 15 to 18 thousand victims are trafficked right here, into the United States from other countries." Read more on human trafficking in the US.

read full article »

Connecting the Dots on Energy Policy

Most policy debates seem to be a war of competing theories: Will lower tax rates really stimulate greater economic activity? Do generous government welfare programs actually discourage people from seeking employment? Each side marshals data supporting its side and voters have to sort out whose case seems most compelling.

read full article »

DC Gun Ban Lift Empowers Women

Citizens in the District of Columbia had plenty of reason to celebrate over July 4th weekend. In addition to our nation’s birthday, countless barbeques, and a fabulous fireworks display, citizens of D.C. could finally enjoy their rights as set forth in the Bill of Rights. All citizens of D.C. should rejoice at their new found freedom. But for women especially, guns are the ultimate equalizer in self-defense.

read full article »

Another Glorious Fourth: What Would the Founders Think?

Independence Day is the most significant of our political holidays. Without the 4th, there would be no President's Day or Memorial Day. As we enjoy comfortable lives in the world's dominant power, it is hard to imagine the circumstances facing Americans in 1776. The colonists represented a string of settlements along the Atlantic coast, hemmed in between the ocean and an inhospitable wilderness inhabited by often hostile Indians.

read full article »

A Woman's Gratitude When Looking Overseas

As the Fourth of July approaches, one can only hope that women from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds in America also reflect on the many liberties and rights that they ordinarily take for granted. Halima Karzai reflects on the unfortunate circumstances women around the world face.

read full article »

Pandering to Women, Barack Obama twists truth on equal pay

Barack Obama sings an old tune as he panders to women voters on the wage gap and equal pay.

read full article »

Domestic Disturbance

In an op-ed on National Review, Carrie Lukas says that Obama is an unwelcome throwback for families.

read full article »

Fueling a Furor

IWF Visiting Fellow Donna Wiesner in a Washington Times op-ed says, "Congress needs to quit passing the buck and embrace economic reality by crafting actionable public policies to help produce additional domestic energy supplies, both from alternative energy sources and traditional fossil fuels."

read full article »

Strong Arm Tactics Won't Help Consumers At the Pump

In Wednesday's op-ed published on Townhall, Carrie Lukas warns consumers that relief of gas prices will not come from Capitol Hill.

read full article »

Children Left Behind

Carrie Lukas asks in Friday's op-ed published on National Review, "Who wins by ending the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which for the first time provides federal money for vouchers for K-12 school?"

read full article »

Obama Has Yet to Truly Move Beyond Race

IWF Chairman of the Board of Directors Heather Higgins questions whether Obama can move the country beyond race-consciousness to the race-transcendence.

read full article »

Tackling Afghanistan's Food Shortage Crisis

With the global food crisis, "soaring food prices, food shortages, price inflation, the drought, and a lack of seeds and agricultural technology are forcing millions of Afghans to be dependent on international food aid," says Halima Karzai.

read full article »

Candidate Clinton: Sexism, Racism, and Electoral Politics

As Hillary Clinton's campaign comes to a close, Michelle D. Bernard discusses the claims of an unfair race made by Clinton's campaign on Thursday's Townhall.

read full article »

The 'Diversity' Threat to California Charity

In Friday’s Wall Street Journal, IWF Chairman Heather Higgins examines the Foundation Diversity and Transparency Act. The legislation out of California is an enormous threat to private philanthropy. It would require California foundations with $250 million in assets to report the composition by ethnicity and gender orientation of their boards and staffs, the boards and staffs of the charities they support, and the degree to which they are run by or support certain minorities.

read full article »

Opposing View: Forget about 'gender parity'

In a USA Today op-ed, Carrie Lukas says, "Those fixated on achieving "gender parity" - whether it's in the halls of Congress, university science departments or in day care centers - want to discount men's and women's stated interests and preferences, which frequently diverge."

read full article »

Saudi Migrant Workers Subject to Abuse

The treatment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia has been compared to “modern-day slavery.” The lack of a public outcry is sending a bad message to the Saudi government that abuse and discriminatation against migrant workers can continue with impunity for perpetrators.

read full article »

What the 2008 Farm Bill Means for American Families

Uncovering the drawbacks of the Farm Bill, IWF Visitng Fellow Sabrina Schaeffer says, "Americans are likely to spend more at the gas pump thanks to the Farm Bill's support for more ethanol production."

read full article »

Big Girls Cry

IWF's Carrie Lukas examines the American Association of University Women's claim that there is no "boy crisis" in education.

read full article »

Scared to Death: From BSE to Global Warming How Scares Are Costing of the Earth

With politicians discussing adopting major, economic-crushing legislation in the name of stopping global warming, it is imperative that the public reads Scared to Death: From BSE to Global Warming Why Scares Are Costing Us the Earth. Scared to Death puts the global climate change craze in the context of other scares, which have turned out to be fueled by alarmist rhetoric and trumped up scientific claims. For a limited time, don't miss your chance to read the books full chapter on global warming.

read full article »