Heartland Weekly – Common Core Event Fills Heartland’s Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center

Published August 12, 2016

If you don’t visit Somewhat Reasonable and the Heartlander digital magazine every day, you’re missing out on some of the best news and commentary on liberty and free markets you can find. But worry not, freedom lovers! The Heartland Weekly Email is here for you every Friday with a highlight show. Subscribe to the email today, and read this week’s edition below.


Michael Hamilton, The Federalist
Have you ever wondered whether your eight minutes of face time with your doctor is worth the one or two hours you spend in waiting rooms, driving to and from appointments, or supplying information for digital data entry? Your doctor has probably wondered the same thing. Most likely, the culprit isn’t your doctor; it’s a dastardly duo: federal reporting requirements and the industry’s entrenched health insurance model. LEARN MORE

Sam Batkins, The Heartlander
Since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the federal government has issued a record-breaking 600 major regulations, creating a combined economic burden of at least $743 billion. The regulatory costs amount to $2,294 for every person in the United States. As Obama begins to wrap up his final term in the White House, you can expect to see more regulations coming our way.  LEARN MORE

Not many topics stir grassroots activism like the government’s expansion of its intrusion into our children’s education does. This was demonstrated Wednesday night at The Heartland Institute’s Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center, where activists, concerned citizens, and parents packed the house to watch a presentation about the collectivist control of education and Common Core standards. Educational entrepreneur Marsha Enright and grassroots activist Jeffrey Horn spoke about how Common Core is warping our education system. If you missed the event, you can watch the full presentation at Heartland’s YouTube page. WATCH IT HERE

Global warming alarmism has fostered a movement that promotes the belief fossil fuels are dangerous and should be left in the ground, rather than being used to power our homes, offices, cars, and farms. This war being waged on fossil fuels is immoral and has even had a negative impact on the environment. Kathleen Hartnett White joins theHeartland Daily Podcast to talk about the new book she co-authored with Stephen Moore titled Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on EnergyLISTEN TO MORE


On Thursday, September 15, The Heartland Institute will celebrate its 32nd anniversary with a reception and dinner at The Cotillion, a fine banquet hall in Palatine, Illinois. Our keynote speaker will be political satirist and author P.J. O’Rourke, who will deliver an incisive and funny address about the 2016 election and the state of politics and culture in America today. Morton Blackwell, founder and president of The Leadership Institute, will accept this year’s Heartland Liberty Prize. Seats are filling up fast, so don’t hesitate. Reserve your table or tickets today! READ MORE

Ben Johnson, The Heartlander
Certificate of Need (CON) laws—regulations that require medical facilities to seek permission to expand or acquire new equipment and facilities—distort the health care marketplace and make medical care more expensive. Lawmakers in Tennessee, after seeing the detrimental effects of these CON laws, initiated reforms that loosened some of these requirements. In response, the state’s CON review board raised the minimum cost of the permission application fee by a staggering 400 percent!  LEARN MORE

Kenneth Artz, The Heartlander
For a deep red state, Texas is lagging behind when it comes to school choice. However, lawmakers in the Lone Star State are now taking the first steps toward rectifying the situation. Texas state Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas) vows to continue pushing his state to create an education savings account (ESA) program. An ESA program allows parents to apply to remove their child from a local public school. The state then uses the money allocated to the child for public schooling to fund an account parents can use to pay for approved education services. LEARN MORE

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is one of the government’s most secretive and least accountable agencies. The IRS wields an enormous amount of power over us. It can bury you in a mountain of paperwork and litigation, and it can even send agents after you for not complying with complicated, almost-impossible-to-understand rules. Dan Johnson, executive director of the Tax Revolution Institute, joins the Heartland Daily Podcast to talk about a new project that would “Audit the IRS.” Johnson discusses his important plan to shine some light on this powerful government agency. LISTEN TO MORE

James Rust, Somewhat Reasonable 
The success of fracking and other technological achievements have reduced energy prices across the country. From gasoline to natural gas, we are paying less to fuel our vehicles and heat our homes. But even in these times of energy abundance, we can take steps that will reduce the amount of money we spend on energy. From transportation to water consumption, Policy Advisor James Rust lays out several dozen tips that could reduce your energy bills by one-third. LEARN MORE

Joseph L. Bast, Somewhat Reasonable
Have you visited Heartland’s Wikipedia page recently? The good news is that it is more complete than it was just a couple months ago, after leftists took it over and trashed it. Most of the new information is accurate and unbiased. But the lies and libel about our positions on smoking and climate change remain. Other conservative and free-market sites suffer, too. Wikipedia refuses to make many of the changes we request and deletes and reverses the changes made by others. We need your help! READ MORE

Invest in the Future of Freedom! Are you considering 2016 gifts to your favorite charities? We hope The Heartland Institute is on your list. Preserving and expanding individual freedom is the surest way to advance many good and noble objectives, from feeding and clothing the poor to encouraging excellence and great achievement. Making charitable gifts to nonprofit organizations dedicated to individual freedom is the most highly leveraged investment a philanthropist can make. Click here to make a contribution online, or mail your gift to The Heartland Institute, One South Wacker Drive, Suite 2740, Chicago, IL 60606. To request a FREE wills guide or to get more information to plan your future please visit My Gift Legacy http://legacy.heartland.org/ or contact Gwen Carver at 312/377-4000 or by email at [email protected].