Latest news with #HillsdaleCollege
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate parliamentarian rejects religious college tax carve-out, gun silencer deregulation in GOP megabill
The Senate parliamentarian has rejected a Republican attempt to exempt a small number of religious schools, including Hillsdale College — where many graduates go on to careers in conservative politics —— from an income tax on college endowments. The GOP bill would substantially raise the tax on the returns of wealthy college endowments but it exempted Hillsdale, a Christian liberal arts school in Michigan, which hired a team of lobbyists to avoid getting hit by the tax. Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has also ruled against a section of the bill that removes regulations pertaining to gun silencers and easily concealable firearms under the National Firearms Act. The provisions were tucked into the massive budget reconciliation package Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) hopes to pass by July 4. The loosening of restrictions on gun silencers — also known as suppressors — is a top priority of the gun industry and many firearms enthusiasts. The GOP proposal passed by the House would eliminate the $200 Tax Stamp and enhanced background checks required to own a suppressor. 'We have been successful in removing parts of this bill that hurt families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules,' said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. 'Republicans are actively attempting to rewrite major sections of this bill to advance their families lose, and billionaires win agenda, but Democrats are scrutinizing all changes to ensure the rules of reconciliation are enforced,' he added. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), an outspoken proponent of gun-control measures, including expanded background checks for firearms purchases, said eliminating restrictions on suppressors would be a bad idea. 'Silencers aren't illegal in this country, you just have to prove that you're a responsible gun owner and not a criminal who's buying a silencer to commit murder,' Murphy noted. 'The law has worked very well for years and there's no reason to change it.' The parliamentarian struck down several other provisions in the bill, including a section to create a new federal subsidy for private and religious schools and language to create a precertification process for demonstrating eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The provision would require people who claim the credit to obtain certification that their child is eligible. MacDonough released her most recent rulings late Thursday, hours after rejecting a Republican proposal to cap states' use of health care provider taxes to increase their share of federal Medicaid funding. Senate Democrats say the parliamentarian has ruled against proposals in the bill that would have cut federal programs and spending by $250 billion, forcing Republicans to scramble to rewrite major parts of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
The Story of America's Declaration of Cultural Independence
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. America's declaration of political independence is a story Americans are familiar with. But few know the story of America's declaration of cultural independence, which took the form of a speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson at Harvard College in 1837. By then, America's political institutions were taking shape, but a lingering question remained for Emerson: Could this new nation formed on the basis of government by the people create a culture and art that reflected our political ideals? In short, could America create our own Cervantes? Or our own Shakespeare? Or our own Michelangelo? The British cultural critic Sidney Smith had his doubts—as did most of the cultural elites of London, Paris and Vienna. "Who reads an American book? Or goes to an American play? Or looks at an American picture or statue?" Smith opined. Smith had a point. The grave of the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (right) in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts. The grave of the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (right) in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts. Photo by Detroit Publishing Company/"There were a few American writers—James Fenimore Cooper and some early frontier writing, along with Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving. But America wasn't exactly a beacon of culture or literary talent," Hillsdale College professor and author of Land of Hope Wildred M. McClay said to Our American Stories." The most impactful part of Emerson's speech came near the end. It was his call for America's separation from England's ruling elites—and Europe's, too—on the cultural front. "We have listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe," Emerson declared. And then came his challenge to American creatives that reverberated throughout the country. "We will walk on our own feet, we will work with our own hands, we will speak our own minds," Emerson insisted. "A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believe himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men." Emerson rightly saw the American revolution as a turning point in world history and had great admiration for the civilian army—filled with volunteer merchants, farmers and tradesmen—that fought and defeated the professional British Army. He longed for that same animating spirit in our cultural class: A bottom-up movement filled with creatives that represented our bottom-up governing ideal. Emerson's speech shook things up, with one small town outside Boston jump-starting America's cultural revolution: Concord. It played an outsized part in our military history and was about to become the center of America's literary and cultural universe, too. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne were all born in or close to Concord. All were buried there, too. What drew these writers together was a spiritual movement that placed the sanctity of nature—and the sense of the divine that nature inspires—at the center of the world: transcendentalism. "It was accompanied by a growing movement across the art world—The Romantic Movement—devoted to the sanctity of the individual," McClay noted. "In a nation whose organizing document began with the words 'We the People,' it made complete sense that the individual should be held in such high esteem by America's artists and writers. And the public, too." Transcendentalism also shared a common denominator with America's evangelical Christianity of the time. "Neither were interested in how things were done in the past: the established social elites of the day were the problem," McClay explained. "Transcendentalism was birthed alongside the rising strain of anti-authoritarianism in a new nation seeking to find its own way. Its own voice." From Emerson's speech would spring the work of Herman Melville, who was born in New York City but was profoundly influenced by what was happening in Concord. Leaves of Grass was published in 1855, and Melville sent a copy to Emerson, who responded with a letter of his own. "I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed," Emerson wrote back to Melville, who'd never attended college. Leaves of Grass was a big publishing sensation, and Whitman became the unofficial poet laureate of America's common man. "There was Whitman himself, in the iconic photo that graced the books cover, dressed in common worker's clothing," McClay explained. "Writing in open, free unrhymed verse, his writing reflected the city and country he loved. And its democratic ideals." No one better understood the significance of Whitman's work than British literary legend D.H. Lawrence—and the artistic talent about to be unleashed by this new Democracy. "Whitman's essential message was the Open Road," Lawrence wrote. "The leaving of the soul free unto herself, the leaving of his fate to her and to the loom of the open road. Which is the bravest doctrine man has ever proposed to himself. The true democracy where soul meets soul, in the open road." McClay concluded: "That's what Concorde produced: A body of American literature—and a soon to be developed body of American culture—that reflected the nation's values and virtues. Created by the people and for the people. America had found her muse. Had found her voice." What did Concord lead to? To distinctive American voices too many to name, like Mark Twain, Flannery O'Conner, Harper Lee, Earnest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams and August Wilson. Concord unleashed to the world America's musical contributions, which sprang from our universal appeal as a nation, and our multi-ethnic, multi-racial citizenry, and produced a mash-up of musical styles and influences that could only have been possible in America. From Tin Pan Alley to Broadway musicals, from American blues to country, bluegrass and our own unique varieties of Gospel, too, and our homegrown rock and roll, itself a mashup of America's many unique musical genres. And from Concord we produced our own classical music, too, best epitomized by George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Concord led to our own brand of movies, forged not by old American wealth but by entrepreneurial immigrants from Eastern Europe, many of them Jews escaping pogroms throughout that part of the world: Louis B. Meyer (MGM), Adolph Zukor (Paramount), The Warner Brothers and more. And directors (movies being a director's medium) who were themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants: Frank Capra, who came to America from Italy with his Catholic parents at the age of 6. Billy Wilder (German and Jewish), John Ford (first-generation Irish Catholic), George Cukor (Hungarian and not religious) and more. Concord led to our own brand of cartoons and animated content: EB White, Walt Disney, Dr. Suess, Mel Blanc and Pixar. And even our own brand of superheroes, which started with comic books that would become the biggest movie franchises in the world. Concord also led to the birth of America's own brand of sports. Baseball, which sprang from our rural roots, was our version of cricket. American football was our own more militaristic and exciting version of European football: soccer. Basketball was created from scratch a mere 60 miles from Concord as an evangelizing tool by a young Christian gym teacher named James Naismith. We even created our own brand of motorsport, which sprang from the American South's moonshining past: NASCAR. Would American art, culture and sport have come into its own without Emerson's speech? More than likely. But his Harvard speech kick-started a revolution in one small city, Concord, that helped launch a revolution in American culture. One that still reverberates today. If reread by artists and creatives across our nation, Emerson's Harvard speech might just kick-start another revolution today, and a new declaration of independence from the two cities—New York and Los Angeles—that have for far too long dominated the creation, curation and distribution of content in our vast nation. Those two cities—as big as they are—don't represent the breadth, depth and soul of America's people any more than the cities of London and Paris and Vienna did when Emerson wrote his clarion call to American creatives back in 1837. Or the aspirations and ideals of the people of our vast nation.
Newsweek
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
World's Most Important Writing Assignment: Declaration of Independence
It was the most important writing assignment in world history. In May of 1776, John Adams, an accomplished draftsman who penned the state Constitution of Massachusetts (still the world's oldest), organized the committee responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence. At Adams' insistence, the committee chose Thomas Jefferson, a mere 33 years old at the time and the youngest delegate to the Continental Congress, to do the drafting. Adams chose him for good reason: Jefferson had written a soaring indictment of King George III two years earlier, a rhetorical masterpiece called "A Summary View of the Rights of British North America," which addressed the king's abusive treatment of the American colonists. And the notion of monarchy itself. "That these are our grievances which we have thus laid before his majesty, with that freedom of language and sentiment which becomes a free people claiming their rights, as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate: Let those flatter who fear; it is not an American art. To give praise which is not due might be well from the venal, but would ill beseem those who are asserting the rights of human nature. They know, and will therefore say, that kings are the servants, not the proprietors of the people." Jefferson ended his entreaty with these words: "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them." The committee chosen to draft a declaration of independence for the 13 North American British colonies is shown at work in this 19th century engraving. The five members are (from left) Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,... The committee chosen to draft a declaration of independence for the 13 North American British colonies is shown at work in this 19th century engraving. The five members are (from left) Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. On July 1, 1776, the committee submitted their draft to the Continental Congress, which voted on July 2 for final separation, and approved and formally adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4. More AP Photo The tide within the colonies had been turning against King George for nearly a decade with the Townsend Acts of 1767, which taxed the colonists on all kinds of essential products. Worse, the British headquartered customs officials throughout the city to serve as collection agents and enforcers of the latest trade regulations. As King George III got tougher on the colonists, American loyalties further eroded. Things came to a head with the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774, including the Quartering Act. Few people have written more eloquently about those world-altering times—and the cultural context from which the Declaration of Independence was birthed—than Dr. Larry Arnn, author of The Founders' Key and president of Hillsdale College. "What sails into Boston Harbor but ships with soldiers on them. And the soldiers get off and bring writs that they can look in general, and in places without naming what they're looking for," Arnn said in a speech at the college's Michigan campus. "And they bring orders that led to the quartering troops part of the Bill of Rights, which was that they had the right to take over the barracks of the militia. And the militia was the chief defense of the United States. And now their gathering and drilling place was taken from them. And they also had the authority to take over public houses and what were called unoccupied residences. And the person who would judge whether a residence was unoccupied or not was a justice of the peace appointed by the governor, appointed by the king." With that experience as a backdrop, Jefferson went to work, drafting a document that was broken into three separate parts. Arnn described what those three parts were about, starting with the first. It is what you would think the document would be about. It's a legal assertion of separation. And then the signers pledge their fortunes, their lives and their sacred honor to it. You'd think that would be first, because these are wanted men. And they're about to go to war, and they know that to lose it is to be hung, and even to fall into the hands of the British on the street is to be deported and probably hung. So you'd think they'd start with that. You've been bad to us, and we're going to fight you. Arnn next described the middle part, which consisted of the list of grievances catalogued by Jefferson. Because of that list, Arnn explained, the revolution is justified. And the intellectual groundwork for the Constitution is forged. "Good government would not do those things, and must not do those things," Arnn noted. "And those things are the essential elements of what came to be the American Constitution. You have to have separation of powers, you have to have representation, and you have to have a limited government. Those are the main themes of the American Constitution. You have to respect people's civil liberties, and that structure of government is the way by which you do it." Arnn saved the first part of the declaration for last. It begins so universally with the declaration of the rights that everyone has. And its claim is that in any time, people have certain rights that cannot be violated, and those rights are established in what he calls the laws of nature and of nature's God. It's saying that in your nature is written your rights, and that no one may govern you except by your effective consent, that you own the government, and that it may not do anything to you except what you agree that it may do. Here are those magnificent words, words that still echo in the hearts of human beings around the world. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." On July 4, 1965, a young preacher in Atlanta, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dedicated a part of his sermon to that remarkable paragraph by Jefferson, and to a single word contained within it: the word "all." "It's a great dream," King began. "The first saying we notice in this dream is an amazing universalism. It doesn't say 'some men,' it says 'all men.' It doesn't say 'all white men,' it says 'all men,' which includes Black men. It does not say 'all gentiles,' it says 'all men,' which includes Jews. It doesn't say 'all Protestants,' it says 'all men,' which includes Catholics. It doesn't even say 'all theists and believers,' it says 'all men,' which includes humanists and agnostics." King wasn't finished. "Never before in the history of the world has a sociopolitical document expressed in such profound, eloquent and unequivocal language the dignity and the worth of human personality. The American dream reminds us—and we should think about it anew on this Independence Day—that every man is an heir of the legacy of dignity and worth." On his trip from Springfield, Illinois, to his new home in Washington, D.C., to begin serving as the nation's 16th president, Abraham Lincoln made stops along the way to rally the nation around the Declaration of Independence—and one word: the word "all." Perhaps the most notable stop was Philadelphia's Independence Hall on February 22, 1861. "I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence," Lincoln began. Those words, writers of the day noted, brought the house down. Lincoln went on to mention the word "all" twice in the short speech, adding that there was something in the essence of the declaration itself that gave "hope to the world for all future time." As we celebrate America's 249th birthday this July 4, it's worth telling the story behind the document that not only changed American history forever but world history. And worth revering not just the document itself, but the men of consequence who made American independence a reality.
Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Around the Southland: Puppy Pals perform in Orland Park, sanctuary seeks help, more
Families are invited to check out the Puppy Pals stunt dog show, which returned at 2 p.m July 8 to the Orland Park Public Library. The program features high-energy tricks, comedy and adorable canines. It's free and no registration is needed, although parents and adult caregivers should stay with children. Entertainer Wesley Williams created the show, which features adopted and rescued dogs performing stunts and skits. The group was featured on 'America's Got Talent.' Information is at 708-428-5100 or A fundraising campaign has begun for a new tractor, truck and trailer needed at HHH Ranch, a sanctuary that works to heal both animals and people. 'Our beloved pick-up truck, affectionately named 'Betty White,' has served us well but is holding on by a thread, with more than 309,000 miles on it, ranch founder Christine Doran shared in a news release. 'All 17 rescues we have done this year have been from us borrowing a truck – that is not sustainable when we are called in emergent situations.' The ranch offers therapeutic programs for people of all abilities to connect with rescued animals, promoting personal growth and healing. The Bolger Foundation has offered to match the first $25,000 raised to buy a new tractor. Donations may be sent via or by sending a check to HHH Ranch, 14101 W. Bruns Road, Manhattan, IL 60442. Explore five beautiful gardens during the Crete Woman's Club's 2025 garden walk, A Day in the Country, set for 3 to 7 p.m. July 10 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 11. Tickets, which cost $20, may be bought on the day of the walk at the Crete Public Library, 1177 Main St. Buy in advance by calling 708-672-9438. The library also has a butterfly garden and community garden on display, as well as short-term parking. A plant swap is set for July 11 on a bring-one, get-one model for up to five plants. Donated plants can be taken to the library starting July 7. A map with the gardens is provided with a ticket. Details are The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has named the winners of scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities, and local students earned the honor as well as awards between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. Area students include Garrin Donovan, of Frankfort, Lincoln-Way East, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Caleb Lee, of Frankfort, Lincoln-Way East, Hillsdale College; Levi Sliekers, of Lansing, Illiana Christian, Calvin University; Conor Meehan, of Mokena, Lincoln-Way Central, University of Southern California; Madeline Olson, of Orland Park, Chicago Christian, Hillsdale College; and Benjamin Whitney, of Palos Heights, Alan B. Shepherd, Purdue University. Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller recently hosted a CPR/AED training session at the Country Club Hills Fire Department's Fire Station No. 2 as part of National CPR and AED Awareness Week. It was a collaborative effort with Country Club Hills Fire Department personnel, as well as Mayor James Ford and Alderman Ricardo Spivey. The training, for community members, focused on the 'hands-only' CPR technique, which can double or even triple a cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival, according to a news release. Attendees also learned how to use an AED device and how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on children and adults. For information on the next community event, email or call 773-848-0501. Do Portugal Circus performs under a big top July 11 to 27 at Chicago Ridge Mall, 444 Ridgeland Ave., Chicago Ridge. It's a family-friendly circus that has operated for five generations that offers aerialists, motorcyclists, magic, acrobats and a funny clown, as well as other acts. A variety of show times will be available. Tickets will be sold at The annual pet parade steps off at 10:30 a.m. July 11 at Smith Village, 2320 W. 113th Place in Chicago. Most entrants are dogs and cats, but other species also are welcome. Participants should register by July 7. Forms are available at bmurphy@ or 773-474-7316 or at the facility's reception desk. Announcers will share fun facts about each pet and its owner as they walk the runway. Audience applause will determine the top three pets, who will receive prizes. Costumes are not required but are encouraged.
Hamilton Spectator
27-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Republican plan for nationwide private school vouchers deemed in violation of Senate rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican plan to expand private school vouchers nationwide was dealt a major setback Friday when the Senate parliamentarian said the proposal would run afoul of procedural rules. The years-in-the-making plan would have created a federal tax credit supporting scholarships to help families send their children to private schools or other options beyond their local public schools. But in an overnight announcement, the Senate parliamentarian advised against including the proposal in President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill . It added to mounting problems for Republicans as key proposals were deemed ineligible for the filibuster-proof reconciliation package. The parliamentarian's rulings are advisory but are rarely, if ever, ignored. It's unclear if Republicans will try to rewrite the provisions or simply drop them from the bill. Another education plan deemed ineligible for reconciliation would have exempted religious colleges from a federal endowment tax . The proposal sought to raise the tax rate on wealthier colleges' endowments while carving out religious institutions like Hillsdale College, a conservative, Christian school in Michigan and an ally of the Trump administration. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said, 'We have been successful in removing parts of this bill that hurt families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules.' School voucher provision had been seen as a win for supporters The school voucher provision was seen as a breakthrough victory for proponents who have been pushing the idea for years. A similar plan failed to gain support from Congress in 2019 when it was championed by Betsy DeVos , the education secretary during Trump's first term. Campaigning for his second term, Trump again promised to deliver some form of 'universal school choice.' Under the reconciliation plan, donors who gave money or stock to K-12 scholarship programs would receive 100% of the contribution back in the form of a discount on their tax bills. It would allow stock holders to avoid paying taxes they would usually face if they donated or transferred their stock. Nearly all families would qualify to receive scholarships except those making more than three times their area's median income. A House version of the bill allowed up to $5 billion in tax credits a year, running through 2029. The Senate version reduced it to $4 billion but included no end date. Supporters said the proposal would expand education options for families across the country, offering alternatives to students in areas with lower-performing public schools. Opponents said it would siphon money from public schools and open the door for fraud and abuse. Republican-led states have similar programs Similar scholarship and voucher programs have proliferated in Republican-led states such as Texas, which recently passed a $1 billion program. States have increasingly offered vouchers to families beyond only the neediest ones, contributing to budget concerns as expenses rapidly pile up. The Senate's college endowment proposal sought to raise a tax on schools' investment income, from 1.4% now to 4% or 8% depending on their wealth. It would apply only to colleges with endowments of at least $500,000 per student, and it excluded all religious institutions. It would have exempted a small number of colleges, including Hillsdale, which lobbied against it. Some small colleges that would have been hit hard by the proposal are now hopeful that Republicans will carve out an exemption for all smaller schools. 'The religious schools exemption showed senators were concerned about the endowment tax hike's impact on small colleges,' said Lori White, president of DePauw University, a private liberal arts school in Indiana. 'After the parliamentarian's rulings, the best way to protect those and other small institutions from that impact is now to exempt all colleges with fewer than 5,000 undergraduate students.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
