Policy Documents

The Heartlander: August-September 2008

edited by Diane Carol Bast –
August 1, 2008

October 2 Update

The fifth annual Emerging Issues Forum will include a keynote address by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Terry Savage and several panels. The 24th Anniversary Benefit Dinner will feature Peter Brimelow and Jacob Hornberger in a debate addressing immigration policy.



Social Services Policy

  • Welfare Reform After Ten Years, a new Heartland report card, grades the states and the District of Columbia by the success of their anti-poverty efforts.
  • “Housing Policy for the 21st Century,” a new Heartland Policy Study, outlines recommendations for improving affordable housing policy in the U.S.



Insurance & Finance

The government relations team published letters to the editor and distributed Research & Commentary emails addressing subprime lending, property and casualty insurance, and payday lending.



Budget & Tax

  • The July issue of Budget & Tax News highlights private options for financing highways and bridges. The August issue offers a special report on state lotteries.
  • The government relations team published letters to the editor on property tax caps and spending limitation.
  • Heartland President Joseph Bast spoke at a meeting of the Council of Georgist Organizations.



Tobacco

  • Legislative Specialist John Nothdurft attended the Society for Epidemiologic Research’s annual meeting, and Heartland hosted a luncheon for epidemiologists Jim Enstrom and Geoffrey Kabat.
  • Nothdurft was interviewed by State Health Notes on tobacco sales through pharmacies and published a letter to the editor on “sin” taxes.



Health Care

  • The July issue of Health Care News covers reforms in Georgia and Colorado, medical tourism, the uninsured, and more. The August issue highlights innovation and transparency.
  • Heartland staff attended meetings hosted by the Freedom Coalition and the National Association of Health Underwriters.
  • Heartland Senior Fellow Dr. Richard Dolinar spoke to audiences at Freedom Fest and the American Legislative Exchange Council’s annual meeting and was featured in a webcast on pay for performance.



Infotech & Telecom

  • The July issue of Infotech & Telecom News features stories about the failure of municipal wi-fi networks. The August issue covers bandwidth metering and more.
  • Legislative Specialist Intern William Gangware published in the Chicago Tribune and other media outlets a letter to the editor discussing merger of satellite radio giants XM and Sirius.



Education

  • July and August were scheduled skip months for School Reform News.
  • A new Heartland Policy Study, “Can Vouchers Reform Public Schools?” concludes Milwaukee’s pioneering voucher program has had a positive effect on the city’s public schools and will become even more influential in the near future.
  • Heartland Vice President Latreece Vankinscott staffed the Heartland exhibit at the National Charter School conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.



Environment

  • The July issue of Environment & Climate News reports on the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine’s petition project. The August 2008 issue reports the U.S. Senate’s rejection of the carbon dioxide cap-and-trade measure proposed by Sens. Joe Lieberman and John Warner.
  • Heartland staff and senior fellows addressed audiences in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
  • Heartland distributed Energy Keepers, Energy Killers and a Vital Speeches reprint of Czech Republic President Václav Klaus’s presentation to the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change.



Urban Affairs

  • Booker T. Washington: A Re-Examination, the proceedings of the June 4-6, 2006 symposium, was released in July.
  • Heartland Senior Fellow Lee Walker was published by the Chicago Independent Bulletin and quoted in a column for the Chicago Sun-Times.



Face-to-Face

Heartland staff attended events hosted by the Council of Georgist Organizations, National Conference of Black Mayors, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Liberty Fund, National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures, and American Legislative Exchange Council.