Opinion
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Oklahoma Lawmaker Offers Civil Asset Forfeiture Bill
Opinion -An Oklahoma state senator is pushing to reform the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws, which he says presume citizens’ guilt and violate their civil liberties. State Sen. -
Bipartisan California Pension Reform Initiative Gains Steam
Opinion -Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio and former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed (D) are collecting signatures to place an initiative, the Voter Empowerment Act of 2016, on the November ballot that aims to reform the state’s 130 taxpayer-funded pension -
Senators Call for Plan to Liquidate Ex-Im Bank
Opinion -A group of U.S. senators are pushing to formally liquidate the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im). The government agency’s charter expired in June. -
Right-to-Die Ready to Become Legal in California
Opinion -Terminally ill patients in California will have access to life-ending drugs after the California Assembly passed the End of Life Option Act on Wednesday. -
California Abandons Plan for 50 percent Oil Reduction
Opinion -In what can only be seen as a significant setback for California environmentalists, Gov. Jerry Brown and Senate Democrats scrapped a plan to cut in petroleum use in the state by 50 percent by 2030 -- a centerpiece of California's emissions legislation. -
Lawsuit Seeks Release of Secret DOJ Press Spy Program Docs
Opinion -The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 to fund and support free speech, is suing the U.S. -
Legislative Pulse: Connecticut Rep. Piscopo Discusses Federal Environmental Overreach
Opinion -Editor’s Note: Connecticut State Rep. John Piscopo (R-Thomaston) is serving his 14th term in the General Assembly. -
Obama’s Alaska Trip: Where Were The Polar Bears?
Opinion -Am I the only one who finds it incongruous that President Obama, when on a carefully choreographed trip to Alaska, even manning his own Instagram account to engage young people, to spotlight the effects of global warming—which he says is happening “right -
Jackson, Mississippi City Council Considers Regulating Uber
Opinion -The Jackson, Mississippi City Council is considering a proposal to regulate Uber, a popular transportation network company connecting drivers and riders, similar to government-approved taxicab companies operating in the city. -
Taxing Internet Sales Is Bad for Consumers, Taxpayers
Opinion -Lawmakers in Congress introduced a plan to apply sales taxes to Internet purchases, hoping this time they’ve ironed out the problems that scuttled previous attempts. -
‘Jiffy’ Health Clinics Save Patients Money and Time, Undermine Obamacare
Opinion -consumer-power-report -Consumer Power Report #472 “Jiffy” health care clinics represent one of the fastest-growing sectors of the health care industry, providing quick, convenient, and affordable primary care services without the long waits and higher costs of traditional -
North Carolina Lawmaker Introduces Compact for America Bill
Opinion -A North Carolina lawmaker is introducing a bill calling for a convention of the states to consider a constitutional amendment that would require a national balanced budget. State Rep. -
Ethanol as a Supplement, Not a Staple
Opinion -The corn ethanol mandate isn’t working, and it’s time we all acknowledged this fact. -
EPA’s Energy Power Grab
Opinion -There is an expectation when we plug in our smart phones or put laundry in the dryer electricity will flow to those devices on-demand. -
Proposed Pensacola, Florida Food Truck Regs Rejected by Legislative Sponsor
Opinion -After sponsoring new regulations on food trucks, Pensacola, Florida City Councilman Charles Bare now opposes his own proposal, saying the city government agency responsible for reviewing the legislation, the Pensacola Planning Board, exceeded its -
Beware D.C. ‘Comprehensive’ ‘Reform’
Opinion -The entirety of the United States is now a federal disaster area – rendered thus by Washington, D.C. Unlike areas hit by hurricanes, tornadoes and other acts of God – our cataclysm is entirely man-made. -
Taxes and Taxes and Taxes, Oh My!
Opinion -A recent NPR article notes that Pennsylvania “gathers less than 1 percent of its total tax receipts from an impact fee” on natural gas production (emphasis mine). Naturally, the Wolf Administration uses this to support its call for higher taxes. -
Ex-Im Bank Improperly Deleted Public Records, Lawsuit Claims
Opinion -Cause of Action, a nonprofit, nonpartisan government accountability organization, is suing the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) and demanding a congressional investigation into the alleged improper deletion of public records. -
GOP Presidential Hopefuls Call for Ending Energy Subsidies
Opinion -With less than six months remaining until the Iowa caucuses, presidential hopefuls are revealing their positions on one of the biggest energy issues in the state: the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). -
Alabama Gov. Bentley Proposes Bitter Tax on Sweet Drinks
Opinion -Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) is trying to convince lawmakers to add a 5-cent tax to the price of a can of soda to help fill a $200 million deficit in the state’s budget. -
Taming the Federal Beast, One Little Cut at a Time
Opinion -Like the Hekatonkheires of Greek mythology, a creature with 100 hands and 50 heads, our national government has thousands of eyes spying everywhere and its hands in everyone’s pockets, intensively regulating our businesses, properties, and personal lives. -
The EPA Assaults the Private Sector – and the Environment
Opinion -There are few things more dangerous to private enterprise than government bureaucrats with time on their hands. And since most bureaucrats have no legitimate reason for being – they have lots and lots of time on their hands. -
Nanny State of the Week: Michigan becomes second state to lose its mind over beer label
Opinion -For the second time this year, a state has come to the conclusion babies and beer don’t mix. And, yes, you shouldn’t be filling Junior’s bottle with ale, but that’s not what these states are saying. -
Washington Gov. Inslee to Impose State Carbon Cap
Opinion -Frustrated by his inability to get the Washington State Legislature to approve a comprehensive climate change bill, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on July 28 directed the state’s Department of Ecology to “develop a regulatory cap on carbon emissions.
