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Research & Commentary: Texas Falls Farther Behind on Education Freedom
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Heritage Foundation has released the latest version of its Education Freedom Report Card, and the Lone Star State is not faring particularly well. Texas fell seven spots overall from 2023, and now sits at fifteenth in the rankings, which is not ideal but still leaves the state in a comparatively good position. However, it […] -
Transparency at State Universities
Opinion -Government does not need to get more involved with education. It needs to leave this industry to the truly private sector and the full discipline of free markets. -
California’s High Energy Prices Will Be Coming to YOUR City if Kamala Harris Gets Elected
Opinion -Kamala is oblivious that economies need continuous and uninterruptible electricity and products demanded by our materialistic society. -
Research & Commentary: Report Finds ‘Substantial’ Public School Enrollment Declines Since Pandemic School Closures
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute finds that more than 5,000 public schools, nearly one in every 12 public schools across the country, have seen enrollment decline by a “substantial” amount since the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced closure of these schools for significant periods of time. Further, public schools that are […] -
Research & Commentary: States Turn to Reference-Based Pricing to Reduce Health Care Costs
Publication -State health care budgets are driven by many costs that are difficult and, in some cases, impossible to predict. For instance, an unexpected economic downturn can lead to massive job losses, thereby driving up the number of people on public health care programs. Moreover, under these circumstances, states experience a double whammy as tax revenue […] -
Research & Commentary: Report Details ESG Threat to Public Pension Funds from Proxy Voting Advisory Service Firms
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report from Life:Powered, a national initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, finds that state pension systems, while for the most part not actively promoting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, are still being pushed into ESG trends by proxy voting advisory service firms like Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). ESG […] -
Ranked Choice Voting: A Major Threat to Free, Fair, and Secure Elections
Publication -Policy Briefs -Ultimately, RCV undermines our electoral system and should concern all those who value election integrity and fairness in the democratic process. -
Climate Change Weekly #520: The Rich Really Are Different When Carbon Footprints Are Calculated
Opinion -Legacy Climate Change Weekly -The great actual disparity in personal carbon footprints, however, is not accurately reflected in people’s perceptions about their personal and their economic class’s relative contributions of human CO2 to the atmosphere. -
Research and Commentary: Arizona Attempts to Protect Political Candidates from Big Tech Censorship
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A bill that would protect elected officials and candidates on social media platforms has been engrossed by the Arizona Senate and awaits its fate in the Arizona House of Representatives. Arizona Senate Bill 1124 stipulates that a social media website shall not deplatform a candidate who is known by the social media platform to be a candidate, […] -
Research and Commentary: Postmortem: Oklahoma Takes a Strong Stance Against Censorious Big Tech Practices
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A bill that would protect free speech on social media platforms was considered in the Oklahoma Senate this year. OK SB 1996 establishes a cause of action for social media website users whose content has been deleted or censored based on their political or religious speech. Senate Bill 1996 also requires social media websites to maintain consistency […] -
Two Basic Facts Are Driving the Ignorance of America’s Forthcoming Energy Crisis
Opinion -Shockingly, energy policymakers do not understand that electricity and transportation cannot exist without products made from fossil fuels. -
New European Union ESG Law Will Eliminate Economic Freedom, Individual Liberty, and U.S. Sovereignty
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -If the CSDDD goes unanswered, America will effectively become a vassal state of the European Union and be fundamentally transformed through corporate coercion. -
Research and Commentary: Postmortem: Wisconsin Assembly Tackles Social Media Censorship
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A bill that would protect free speech on social media platforms made its way through the Wisconsin Assembly this year. WI AB 895 establishes requirements for social media websites concerning content moderation practices and establishes a private cause of action against social media websites for violations of said content-moderation practices. AB 895 attempts to address issues related […] -
Emerging Issues Center
Page -Latest Emerging Issues Podcasts from Heartland The Latest from Our Stopping Socialism TV Channel on YouTube Emerging Issues Experts at Heartland -
Research and Commentary: Postmortem: Kansas Senate Takes a Consumer Protection Approach to Big Tech Censorship of Political Speech
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A bill that would protect free speech on social media platforms was considered in the Kansas Senate this year. KS SB 50 prohibits the censorship of political information and political expression on social media platforms. Under this bill, censorship by social media platforms would be considered a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. Any person […] -
The Uniform Law Commission’s Public-Health Emergency Authority Act: A Severe Threat to Democratic Institutions and Individual Liberty
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) has drafted a model bill—the Public-Health Emergency Authority Act (PHEAA)—that would both formally institutionalize the executive emergency powers wielded by state governors during the COVID-19 pandemic while also significantly strengthening them. -
Research & Commentary: Analysis Shows Renewable Energy Subsidies Added $20 Billion In Costs to Texas Ratepayers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A recent analysis from Energy Alliance details how federal, state, and local policies subsidizing “renewable” energy sources such as wind and solar have added nearly $20 billion in costs to ratepayers in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). This amounts to more than 42 percent of the total cost of electricity to ERCOT ratepayers, […] -
Research and Commentary: Postmortem: California Legislation Classifies Social Media Platforms as Traditional First Amendment Forums
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A bill that classifies social media platforms as traditional First Amendment platforms made its way through the California Assembly this year. CA AB 836 relies heavily on constitutional law and existing case law to define a social media platform as a traditional First Amendment forum and requires social media platforms located in California to develop a policy […] -
Why Are Renewable Equipment Companies Such Poor Investments?
Opinion -Headlines promote renewable energy equipment companies as part of efforts to transition to Net Zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Wind and solar system providers, electric vehicle manufacturers, green hydrogen producers, and other green equipment firms form a growing share of world industry. But renewable equipment firms suffer poor market returns, so investors should beware. […] -
It’s Time to Follow the Navy’s 50-Year Safety Record of Nuclear Power Generation
Opinion -Delivery of affordable, abundant, reliable, clean, and emissions-free electricity to customers is very important to modern quality of life. -
Making Computers Out of – Wind?
Opinion -The controversy over electric car mandates has become very divisive. -
Research & Commentary: Report Show Pennsylvania School Choice Students Outpacing Their Public School Peers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives details how students making use of Pennsylvania’s two education-choice programs, the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC) and the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC), are outperforming their public-school peers in educational attainment and academic proficiency. EITC and OSTC, both tax-credit scholarship programs, were […] -
Climate Change Weekly #519: Climate Negotiations on Hold, Pending U.S. Elections
Opinion -Legacy Climate Change Weekly -No matter how big China’s economy has become, the United States is still the straw that stirs the drink on climate policy. -
Research & Commentary: New Report Shows Great Lakes States Could See Electricity Generation Shortfalls by 2027 Thanks to “Net Zero” Energy Plans
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy details how “net zero” plans are threatening energy reliability for seven states in the Great Lakes region—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. “Net zero” refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere and the amount removed from […]