His bachelor of arts degree in political science was earned at the University of Southern California in 1979. Mr. Gattuso practiced law in Washington, D.C. with the firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey from 1983 to 1985 before joining the influential conservative organization, the Heritage Foundation, where he is a policy analyst. Frequently featured in the Heritage Foundation's national publication, Backgrounder, he has also published articles in a variety of journals and newspapers, including Society magazine, the Houston Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the Wall Street Journal. His essay here is based on a paper published by the Heritage Foundation with the research assistance of John Buttarazzi.