Opinion
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Using ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ To Explain Economics
Opinion -New York-based comedian Andrew Heaton, who’s been a guest of the Budget & Tax News weekly podcast in the past, recently published a pretty funny video using The Shawshank Redemption, a classic movie in anyone’s book, to explain supply and demand, and how -
Montana Creates Tax Credit Scholarship Program Without Governor’s Signature
Opinion -Montana became the 28th state to enact tax credit scholarship legislation in early May, as Senate Bill 410, a pilot tax credit scholarship program, passed into law. The school choice legislation became law without Gov. Steve Bullock’s (D) signature. -
Solar Panel Leasing Scheme Threatens Home Ownership
Opinion -An increasing number of homeowners are receiving an unhappy surprise, a lien placed on their home by solar power companies they allowed to place solar panels on their homes in exchange for signing a long-term, typically 20 year, lease to purchase the -
Michigan Income Taxes Already Progressive
Opinion -Currently, the Michigan Constitution requires the state to use a flat income tax, where everyone pays the same percentage (4.25) of their income. But some want to scrape this and allow state legislators to set different rates for different people. -
Senate Bill Would Restrict President’s National Monument Power
Opinion -A bill sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) would restrict the president’s ability to unilaterally declare American lands and waters to be national monuments. Currently, the executive branch can make such designations without congressional approval. -
Kentucky Considers Certificate of Need Reforms
Opinion -Pointing to a need to “modernize the Certificate of Need program,” the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (KCHFS) indicated in a public memo it plans on “exempting services for which [it] is no longer necessary. -
How Can So Many World Leaders Be So Wrong?
Opinion -In a recent Daily Caller article, Michael Bastach took note of “25 Years of predicting The Global Warming ‘Tipping Point’. -
The Iceman Cometh?
Opinion -President Obama, Al Gore and other alarmists continue to prophesy manmade global warming crises, brought on by our “unsustainable” reliance on fossil fuels. -
An Open Letter to Dr. Ben Carson—and All Presidential Candidates—on Energy Policies
Opinion -Congratulations on your decision to run for President of the United States. I was at home writing at the time of your announcement. -
Pope’s Climate Plan Would Leave Billions Impoverished
Opinion -The pope’s climate conclave has come and gone, and with it went any hope this papacy would embrace a rational assessment of the evidence concerning claims humans are causing catastrophic climate change to inform his message to the world. -
State fleet selection should be based on best value
Opinion -In the parking lots of some union halls you’ll still see the signs: “No foreign cars allowed.” The signs almost seem quaint, a vestige of another era. -
Doctors Urge Vermont to Embrace Markets
Opinion -At a public event in Vermont, physicians from Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, and Vermont discussed how they deliver top-quality, inexpensive, and hassle-free health care directly to patients without the expenses and red tape associated with third parties. -
EU Antitrust Endgame is Google-Android Platform Neutrality
Opinion -Most have missed entirely the broader significance of the EC-DGComp’s laser-focused Google Statement of Objections (that charge Google is dominant in search and is abusing that dominance in Google Shopping by self-dealing via preferencing Google content -
Reforms Await Action, State Imposes Tax Hikes Instead
Opinion -Alabama’s Medicaid drug program could run more efficiently and help slow the growth of Medicaid spending, according to a commission established by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R), but the state legislature has not acted on the recommendations. -
MEDIA ADVISORY: Jeff Judson Available for Comment About Streetcar Charter Amendment
Opinion -Jeff Judson, a leader of the local Streetcar Vote Coalition and senior fellow of The Heartland Institute, will be available for in-person, on-camera, or over-the-phone interviewsSaturday, May 9, during the day and evening regarding the election outcome -
President Calls for Federal Drug Price Negotiation in Medicare Part D
Opinion -President Barack Obama’s latest budget proposal calls for the federal government to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies. -
Heartland Replies to Jeffrey Sachs
Opinion -On May 3, Jeffrey Sachs, a Columbia University professor and “special adviser” to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, wrote a commentary condemning global warming “deniers” that appeared on a Catholic website called Pewsitter. -
The Louisiana Legislature Gets It: Bold Steps Must be Taken to Protect Critical Services
Opinion -At a time when the Louisiana legislature is facing a $1. -
Legislators Place Moratorium on Charter Schools in Wilmington, Delaware
Opinion -Delaware legislators voted not to approve any new charter schools in the city of Wilmington until the state drafts a strategic plan for school growth. Gov. -
Wisconsin Assembly to Consider Making Opting Out of Tests Easier for Parents
Opinion -An Assembly bill under consideration in Wisconsin would require school districts to inform parents of their right to opt their children out of state-mandated tests. -
Nevada Bill Would Challenge Federal Land Management
Opinion -A proposed bill in the Nevada Legislature represents the most far-reaching current state challenge to the federal government’s vast land holdings in the rural West. -
HHS: Maryland Misallocated $28.4 Million Intended for State Exchange
Opinion -Maryland overbilled the federal government some $28.4 million while building the state’s health insurance exchange and should now repay the money, says a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. -
Tampa Grassroots Conservative Group Says No to Solar Power Amendment
Opinion -A Tampa grassroots conservative group with over 2,000 members is officially opposing a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution to give the solar power industry a monopoly for on-site electricity sales to homes and businesses. -
Teachers Unions File Appeal of Vergara Decision
Opinion -The California Federation of Teachers and the California Teachers Association filed an appeal to the landmark Vergara decision on May 1. A local CBS affiliate reports the unions are challenging the ruling for lacking "legal or factual justification.
