Opinion
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Do the Arts Need the NEA?
Opinion -The National Endowment for the Arts is fighting for its life, as newly empowered Republicans in Washington have targeted the NEA for extinction. Many artists are angry about this possibility and believe that only ignorance or malevolence can explain it. -
Bad Economics Kills 68 on Flight 4184
Opinion -On October 31, 1994, in a muddy northern Indiana soybean field, American Eagle Flight 4184 from Indianapolis to Chicago went down, killing all 68 passengers. -
Angels of Mercy
Opinion -It was Halloween. Children were already at the door collecting candy. Then we heard the news that American Eagle flight 4184 had just plowed into a Northern Indiana cornfield. -
Disposing of the Medical Waste Problem
Opinion -No terrorist could have devised a better plan to jeopardize biomedical research and deny modern medical treatments to Americans who desperately need them. -
New Lessons for Health Care Reformers
Opinion -Government-run health care stood trial twice in 1994, once in Washington D.C. and again in California. It was a two-time loser. Health care in America must be reformed. There is ample evidence of waste and fraud in the current system. -
Health Care Reform: Lessons from Missouri
Opinion -Contrary to the official "spin" coming out of Jefferson City, Missouri, special interest groups, lobbyists, and big bucks did not cause the legislative defeat of that state's far-reaching health care reform proposal. -
Finding Alternatives to Higher Taxes
Opinion -Illinois taxpayers are about to encounter a well-orchestrated campaign for a major permanent tax increase in 1995. -
New Hope for Regulatory Reform
Opinion -When Congress repealed the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit law in December 1995, the safety experts at the U.S. Department of Transportation predicted that up to 6,400 more people would die every year. -
The Hysteria over Dioxin
Opinion -The popular press has given extensive coverage to the latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on dioxin. -
Competition for Wall Street Means Economic Growth for Main Street
Opinion -New electronic systems for trading stocks could end the financial abuse suffered by investors when buying and selling small, over-the-counter (OTC) stocks. Such systems can spur economic growth, benefiting investors, business firms, and employees. -
Prince William Sound: Getting the Story Right
Opinion -The 1989 oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound was a terrible accident. It should never happen again. The damage awards now coming out of Alaska jury rooms will encourage oil companies to make sure it doesn't. -
Guaranteeing Health Benefits Is No Cure
Opinion -Health care reformers want to make sure that every American has basic medical care. Most reform bills in Congress thus include a "minimum benefits package. -
The Folly of Employer-Based Health Insurance
Opinion -While debating whether to force employers to provide health insurance to their employees, Congress should take the opportunity to re-evaluate the notion of employer-based health insurance. -
Health Care Rights and Responsibilities
Opinion -Most politicians in Washington and many citizens believe "universal coverage" is a proper goal of health care reform. -
Michigan’s Teacher Bargaining Law: A Model for Illinois
Opinion -All across America, parents and local school boards are wrestling with a growing problem--the political and economic clout of teacher unions. One state--Michigan- -has finally done something about it. -
The ’94 Crime Bill: Shooting Hoops in the Dark
Opinion -The crime bill currently being debated in Congress, if passed, will go down in history as one of the most colossal failures ever to come from Capitol Hill. The bill is chock-full of political pork, repeats old mistakes, and will not prevent crime. -
Privacy Means Privacy from Everyone, Even the Police
Opinion -GOOD NEWS! The federal government respects and is working to protect your privacy . . . just as long as you don't want privacy from the government itself. -
The Science of Chlorine
Opinion -Thirteen years ago in Volume 1, 1981, this international journal started with an editorial that emphasized the need for a forum in which to review, analyze, and debate the scientific bases for regulatory decisions. -
Mr. President, Don’t Mess with Drug Pricing
Opinion -The Clinton Administration says it wants to drive down the cost of prescription drugs. This sounds like a fine idea, but the method being proposed could backfire on consumers. -
The Solution to Pollution is Eco-Sanity
Opinion -If the modern environmental movement in the United States was born in 1962 with the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, then the movement is now 32 years old. -
Don’t Federalize Criminal Law
Opinion -Different versions of President Clinton's omnibus crime bill passed the Senate and the House months ago. Today the proposals remain mired in a conference committee that has been unable to get agreement on several controversial provisions. -
Property Tax Relief Should Drive School Reform
Opinion -Assembly Speaker Walter Kunicki and his legislative colleagues are reaping praise these days for what some have portrayed as a bold stroke of innovative policy making. -
The Importance of Keeping Secrets
Opinion -Electronic communication is essential for global commerce. The telephone has become an indispensable business tool, as has the fax machine. Increasingly, important business is being conducted over computer networks. -
Health Care with an Iron Fist
Opinion -Those who support some form of national health system, from the President and Mrs. Clinton on down, enjoy stressing the "caring," "compassionate" nature of their proposals.