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Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D. is the President of The Heritage Foundation, Washington’s leading public policy organization or think tank. On January 18, 1989 President Reagan conferred the Presidential Citizens Medal on him as "a leader of the conservative movement." The citation continues: "By building an organization dedicated to ideas and their consequences, he has helped to shape the policy of our Government. His has been a voice of reason and values in service to his country and the cause of freedom around the world."
Feulner also serves as Treasurer and Trustee of The Mont Pelerin Society; Trustee and former Chairman of the Board of The Intercollegiate Studies Institute; member of the Board of the National Chamber Foundation; member of the Board of Visitors of George Mason University; and Trustee of the Acton Institute and the International Republican Institute. He is past president of various organizations including The Philadelphia Society and the Mont Pelerin Society, and past Director of Sequoia Bank, Regis University and the Council for National Policy.
Dr. Feulner has studied at the University of Edinburgh (Ph.D.-Founding President, American Friends of the University), the London School of Economics (Richard M. Weaver Fellow), the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (MBA-Recipient, Joseph Wharton Award), Georgetown University, and Regis University (B.S.-Distinguished Alumnus Award). He has received honorary degrees from Pepperdine University, Nichols College, Grove City College, Bellevue College, Gonzaga University, Universidad Francisco Marroquin (Guatemala), Hanyang University (Korea), St. Norbert College, Hillsdale College, and Thomas More College.
Feulner served on the Gingrich-Mitchell Congressional Task Force on U.N. Reform (2004-2005) and the Congressional Commission on International Financial Institutions ("Meltzer Commission," 1999-2000). He was the Vice Chairman of the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform ("Kemp Commission," 1995-1996), Counselor to Vice Presidential candidate Jack Kemp (1996), Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (1982-91), a Consultant for Domestic Policy to President Reagan, and an advisor to several government departments and agencies. He was a member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows (1981-83), of the Secretary of State’s UNESCO Review Observation Panel (1985-89), of the Carlucci Commission on Foreign Aid (1983), and served as a United States Representative to the United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament (with the rank of Ambassador) where he delivered the final United States address to the General Assembly (1982).
Dr. Feulner served as the Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Confidential Assistant to Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird, Administrative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Philip M. Crane (R-Illinois), and as a Public Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He is the author of six books: Getting America Right (2006), Leadership for America (2000), Intellectual Pilgrims (1999), The March of Freedom (1998), Conservatives Stalk The House (1983), and Looking Back (1981). He is the editor of U.S.–Japan Mutual Security: The Next Twenty Years and China: The Turning Point, and a contributor to ten other books and numerous journals, reviews and magazines. He was the Publisher of Policy Review (1977-2001), and articles by him have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Washington Times and other major newspapers. He is a regular contributor to Investor's Business Daily. As a member of Investor's Business Daily's "Brain Trust," he regularly contributes op-eds on issues of special interest to financial markets. His weekly column appears in dozens of newspapers across the country.
On a personal note, he is married to Linda Claire Leventhal. The Feulners have two married children, Edwin J. Feulner III, and Emily Lown. The Feulners live in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Feulner is listed in standard reference works including the current edition of Who’s Who in America.
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Ed Feulner (Dec 17, 2011)
When Americans think about the threat from foreign missiles, it’s nearly always the catastrophic effect of a conventional nuclear blast that comes to mind. We think of the... more
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Ed Feulner (Dec 08, 2011)
Imagine a place where jobs are plentiful, and the housing market is thriving. A place where even low-playing service jobs come with signing bonuses and other... more
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Ed Feulner (Dec 02, 2011)
With Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issuing threats about America’s planned missile defense for Europe, it may be time to remind the Obama administration why we need such... more
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Ed Feulner (Nov 25, 2011)
Most of us have heard or read at least part of Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation at some point. But even those who have heard it many times can overlook two... more
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Ed Feulner (Nov 19, 2011)
When the presidential debates between George W. Bush and Al Gore were held in October 2000, the 9/11 attacks were less than a year away. Guess how many times “al Qaeda” or... more
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Ed Feulner (Nov 04, 2011)
Editor's note: This column was co-authored by Billie Tucker.
President Obama recently compared the Tea Party to the Occupy Wall Street protests, telling ABC... more
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Ed Feulner (Oct 29, 2011)
“I’d prop him up and put a pair of dark glasses on him and keep him as long as I could.”
That’s John McCain in 1999, referring to former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan... more
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Ed Feulner (Oct 20, 2011)
It’s about time the rich started paying their fair share, according to the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters. Those fat cats aren’t chipping in as much as the less... more
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Ed Feulner (Oct 16, 2011)
Steve Jobs was more than the creative force behind a successful company. He was a living refutation of all that liberals constantly tell us about our country -- that we’re... more
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Ed Feulner (Oct 08, 2011)
Conservatives and liberals clash frequently on a wide array of issues,
from taxes to trade, from deficits to defense. But their greatest
conflict may lie in their... more
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Ed Feulner (Sep 30, 2011)
Think we could use 5 million new jobs right about now?
That’s what President Obama promised he’d create by “investing” taxpayer money in so-called green jobs. And not just... more
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Ed Feulner (Sep 23, 2011)
As I write this column, my plane is taking off from Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport to bring me back home. It was a special visit to Taiwan -- one that helped put so many earlier... more
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Ed Feulner (Sep 10, 2011)
So are we safer now, a decade after the terrorist strike that killed more than 3,000 Americans on 9/11?
Yes, thanks to everyone who works -- day... more
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Ed Feulner (Aug 27, 2011)
We’re used to hearing bad news from the education front -- poor test scores, falling literacy, slipping standards. But the new academic year brings a welcome change:... more
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Ed Feulner (Aug 21, 2011)
It’s been two years now since President Obama heralded a new era in U.S.-Russian relations -- a “reset,” as he put it. His plan was to “cooperate more effectively in areas of... more
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Ed Feulner (Aug 06, 2011)
"The economy isn't growing as fast as it needs to."
That's Commerce Secretary Gary Locke addressing the latest report on the country’s economic... more
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Ed Feulner (Aug 01, 2011)
More than 35 million Americans live in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. Imagine what kind of life they must have.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine. Their... more
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Ed Feulner (Jul 20, 2011)
Want to improve the housing market? Evict Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Sounds harsh, but without such a serious, drastic step, the market won’t get better... more
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Ed Feulner (Jul 15, 2011)
Each month, the federal government releases its unemployment report. As measurements of economic health go, you can’t get more basic than how many jobs we’re... more
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Ed Feulner (Jul 09, 2011)
Twenty-five years ago, Geraldo Rivera hosted a greatly hyped TV special called "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults." It still stands as one of the highest-rated programs in... more
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Ed Feulner (Jun 24, 2011)
Some Americans act as if Congress and the president have a jobs-making switch somewhere they can flip to help the economy. If only. No modern economy is that simple. And the... more
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Ed Feulner (Jun 16, 2011)
In the late 1980s, the fight against global communism entered a crucial phrase. President Ronald Reagan publicly pressed Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the... more
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Ed Feulner (Jun 08, 2011)
Can the federal government’s spending spree last forever? Of course not. Even when economic growth is strong (hardly the case now, of course), it’s foolish to keep spending... more
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Ed Feulner (May 28, 2011)
Can America’s defense budget be cut? Yes. Unfortunately, President Obama is going about it exactly backwards.
He has asked the Pentagon to identify $400 billion in savings.... more
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Ed Feulner (May 26, 2011)
It’s an era of competing budget plans on Capitol Hill. And with good reason: We’ve come to a time of decision.
For too long, Congress has been on an unsustainable binge of... more
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Ed Feulner (May 18, 2011)
It’s an era of competing budget plans on Capitol Hill. And with good reason: We’ve come to a time of decision.
For too long, Congress has been on an unsustainable binge of... more
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Ed Feulner (May 12, 2011)
One picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. Sometimes you need only one number.
Consider the latest monthly job report, which shows an uptick in unemployment, from... more
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Ed Feulner (Apr 28, 2011)
“Raise our taxes!” Can you imagine chanting such a slogan at a public rally? Neither could most Americans.
There is one notable exception, however:... more
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Ed Feulner (Apr 20, 2011)
Another Tax Day, another check to Uncle Sam. For at least one day out of the year, Americans are reminded -- often painfully -- how much government costs.
But is it as... more
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Ed Feulner (Apr 14, 2011)
Should a president have to wait … and wait … and wait for the Senate to approve the people he nominates to serve in high office?
Of course not. Yes, the Senate has an... more
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Ed Feulner (Apr 07, 2011)
When President Clinton signed landmark welfare-reform legislation in 1996, he said it would “end welfare as we know it.” Wrong verb. More accurately, it... more
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Ed Feulner (Mar 30, 2011)
Imagine you could buy a car at only one dealership. Shop for clothes at only one outlet. Buy food at only one grocery store. What kind of service would you... more
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Ed Feulner (Mar 24, 2011)
Ever heard a doctor talk about the value of “early detection” with certain medical conditions? The idea, of course, is to catch a disorder before it progresses too far, and... more
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Ed Feulner (Mar 18, 2011)
"We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued, and they must be defeated."
That was Barack Obama, speaking at the 2004 Democratic... more
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Ed Feulner (Mar 10, 2011)
It was never an easy relationship. For a while, though, the Defense of Marriage Act and the Obama administration managed to live together. Then the administration walked out,... more
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Ed Feulner (Mar 02, 2011)
How much fuel your car burns. What type of light bulb you buy. How much energy your appliances use. What kind of health plan you have.
What do they have in common? Meet... more
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Ed Feulner (Feb 25, 2011)
Ever heard of the Solyndra solar-cell plant in Fremont, Calif.? Most people haven’t. That’s a shame, considering how much taxpayer money has been poured into... more
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Ed Feulner (Feb 17, 2011)
There are many ways to improve air travel. Unionizing the TSA isn’t one of them.
Until recently, the Transportation Security Administration was operating under a very... more
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Ed Feulner (Feb 09, 2011)
“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Ronald Reagan called those “the nine most terrifying words in the English language” -- and with good reason. Nowhere do we... more
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Ed Feulner (Feb 02, 2011)
It’s been more than six years since our nation bid farewell to Ronald Reagan, born 100 years ago this month. Yet it seems at times as though he never left.
Consider how... more
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Ed Feulner (Jan 28, 2011)
“I’ve seen the people at 4 o’clock in the morning, waiting, hoping that they would win a seat for their child in a better school. This is not fair. Parents deserve more... more
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Ed Feulner (Jan 20, 2011)
Suppose a quiz show host were to ask: “What country enjoys the most economic freedom?” Most Americans probably wouldn’t even hesitate before answering, “The United States.”... more
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Ed Feulner (Jan 13, 2011)
“Filibuster” is not a dirty word.
This may seem an obvious point. But it’s worth noting, given the campaign now underway on Capitol Hill to severely curtail a practice... more
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Ed Feulner (Jan 05, 2011)
It’s an exciting time for conservatives. Also a dangerous one.
On the one hand, we have opportunities aplenty now, thanks in large part to liberal overreach. An overzealous... more
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Ed Feulner (Jan 03, 2011)
Here’s what we heard in many end-of-the-year retrospectives: 2010 emerged as the Year of the Conservative Voter.
And it’s true. Fed up with health care “reform,” runaway... more