Opinion
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Arkansas Legislators Pass Bill to Create Choice Program
Opinion -On March 31, the Arkansas Senate voted to pass House Bill 1552, which would create a school voucher program for children with disabilities. The bill passed with bipartisan support and now awaits signing by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. -
The Geopolitics of Oil Go Round and Round
Opinion -Many complicated factors contribute to the global price of a barrel of oil, but two of the leading components are supply and risk—and both have the potential to escalate in the days ahead. -
New Federal Rules Will Further Slow Growth of Fracking on Federal and Indian Lands
Opinion -The Obama administration has unveiled the first safety mandates for fracking operations on federal and Indian lands. The new rules, announced on March 20, 2015, take effect in late June. -
Minnesota Lawmaker Proposes Cigar Sin Tax Cut
Opinion -In Minnesota, State Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia) introduced a bill to reduce the state’s excise tax on cigars by up to $3, lowering the tax to $0.50 per unit. Currently, a 95 percent tax is added to the price of cigars, increasing the price by $3.50. -
Arizona Senate Kills Bill to Repeal Common Core
Opinion -On March 30, the Arizona Senate defeated HB2190, a bill meant to rid the state of Common Core. In a 13-16 vote, the legislators narrowly voted to keep the controversial K-12 math and English standards.The bill, sponsored by Rep. -
IRS Sends Wrong Obamacare Tax Information
Opinion -Many taxpayers are concerned a chaotic and confusing tax preparation season lies ahead in the wake of the Obama administration admitting it sent inaccurate tax information to 800,000 people who enrolled in and received tax credits through federal and -
Still Moving to Texas: The 2014 Metropolitan Population Estimates
Opinion -Texas continues to dominate major metropolitan area growth. Among the 53 major metropolitan areas (with more than 1 million population), Texas cities occupied three of five top positions in population growth, and four of the top 10 (Figure 1). -
Washington State GOP Pushes Renewable Mandate Revision
Opinion -Washington State Senate Republicans want to revise the state’s renewable energy mandate to reduce the cost burden on utilities’customers. -
Feds to Ban Kids’ Soft Plastic Toys for No Good Reason
Opinion -The Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC) wants to hear from you.The agency has extended its comments period until April 15 as it considers a rule that would regulate a range of chemicals within a group called phthalates. -
Seven States that Deserve an ‘F’ for their Welfare Programs
Opinion -When President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law in 1996, some Democrats and virtually all Republicans in Congress, led by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), predicted the law would lead to -
Celebrate Progressive Human Achivement Hour, Reject Regressive Earth Hour
Opinion -The technology liberated by fossil fuels allows us to live a longer and better life. You can now have fresh vegetables from all over the planet and not having to live off canned vegetables that I had to eat back in the 1930s – 1950s. -
Haley Rejects Gas Tax Hike Proposal
Opinion -Following up on her promise to reject any gasoline tax increases without offsetting decreases in the state’s income tax rate, Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) announced her plan to veto House Bill 3579 and Senate Bill 523. -
Unnecessary Collateral Damage From FCC Title II Internet Regulation
Opinion -The collateral damage is beginning to pile up from the FCC’s February decision to trigger Title II telephone utility regulation of the Internet. -
Deciphering the Indecipherable Affordable Care Act
Opinion -Health Care Made Easy: Answers to All of Your Healthcare Questions Under the Affordable Care Act, Michelle Katz, Adams Media: Avon, MA, December 2014, 240 pages; ISBN-10: 1440580197 For anybody concerned about health, who has health insurance or is -
Study: Los Angeles Fast-Food Ban Went Bust
Opinion -In 2008, the city of Los Angeles passed strict regulations on fast food restaurants in an effort to force citizens to adopt a better diet. But seven years later, the regulations have had no effect on either the diets or weight of area residents. -
Millennials’ Dangerous Growing Addiction to Government
Opinion -When a friend and recent college graduate informed me he was receiving food stamps, I was floored. He is a healthy, educated, intelligent individual, but, like many of the millennials I know, entitled. Completely and utterly entitled.“Is something wrong? -
Ted Cruz Gets Common Core Way Better Than ThinkProgress Does
Opinion -ThinkProgress has not one but two articles bashing this tweet from Sen. (and now presidential candidate) Ted Cruz:Federal Govt has no business sticking its nose in education. We need to repeal every word of Common Core! -
Are Hospitals the Enemy?
Opinion -No. At least, probably not.But over at Slate, Reihan Salam makes a pretty compelling case for hospitals being a major problem in terms of health care costs. -
Obamacare ‘a Little Better’ Than Expected Means Millions More Uninsured
Opinion -In February, the Obama administration announced 11.4 million people had signed up for Obamacare in the second open-enrollment period, leading President Barack Obama to say, “The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is working. -
Panel weighs municipal bankruptcy; other options available, some witnesses say
Opinion -SPRINGFIELD — Do Illinois cities need the option of filing bankruptcy? It’s something the state has to consider, says state Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downer’s Grove. -
High-Deductible Alarmism
Opinion -Kaiser Health News is a pretty good source of information on what's happening in the world of health care policy. That said, the general bent of the articles tend towards support for government-oriented rather than market-oriented policies. -
Overhaul Public Pensions Now
Opinion -Unless local and state governments act now, a tsunami of underfunded public pension plan obligations will soon rush ashore and drown taxpayers with tax hikes and crippling debt. -
Playing Accounting Games with Social Security
Opinion -Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office released its “Updated Budget Projections: 2015 to 2025.” From that release, the media has widely reported that the projected budget deficit for 2015 is $486 billion. -
Climate Witch Hunt Is Bad For Science, Bad For Witch Hunters
Opinion -Desperate times breed desperate measures, and for climate alarmists these are desperate times.There has been no measurable global warming for 18 years.