Opinion
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Indiana Voucher Program Doubles Again
Opinion -In its third year, Indiana’s school voucher program has grown to be the third largest in the country, doubling in size to 20,000 students. And it’s making a difference for Indiana children like Nicholas Ford, a seventh-grader who attends St. -
It’s the President’s Fault
Opinion -Day 4 of the government shutdown, and look out the window. The sun is still shining, and the sky is still blue. The birds are chirping.The Great Government Shutdown is not that big a deal, even for the government. -
Hair-Braiders Sue for Freedom to Teach
Opinion -Should African hair-braiders have to build an entire barber college and become state-approved barbering instructors in order to teach hair-braiding? -
Employers Offering ‘Skinny’ Health Plans to Avoid Obamacare Penalties
Opinion -In the latest example of an unanticipated consequence of President Obama’s health care law, one way companies are responding to the implementation of regulations under the law is by dramatically scaling back insurance plans they offer to employees. -
Florida May Use Common Core Tests Despite Executive Order
Opinion -Florida may still use national Common Core tests even though Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order on Sept. 23 limiting the state’s involvement with them. -
Groups Urge End to Wind Production Tax Credit
Opinion -Absent action by Congress, the federal Wind Production Tax Credit will expire at the end of this year, but it could survive if included in other tax or omnibus spending legislation to be considered this fall. -
Michigan Legislators Succumb to Pressure for Obamacare Medicaid Expansion
Opinion -Michigan is now moving forward with the expansion of Medicaid under President Obama’s health care law, after a 75-32 September 3 vote in the Michigan House which followed a 20-18 August 27 vote in the Michigan Senate. At the urging of Republican Gov. -
As Obamacare Launches, Opponents Push For Last-Minute Reprieve
Opinion -The beginning of open enrollment in the subsidized exchange system launched under President Obama’s health care law came on October 1st, even as opponents of the law in Congress embarked on a last stand which used a government shutdown as leverage to -
Washington Has It Backward on Defunding ObamaCare
Opinion -Defunding ObamaCare does not really require an active decision by the U.S. House of Representatives. It is the default option—as in what happens if you don’t do something.Constitutionally, the people’s House holds the government’s purse strings. -
How Did Global Warming Evolve Into Such a Contentious Issue?
Opinion -How appropriate that Rupert Darwell and his book, The Age of Global Warming: A History, should be featured by The Heartland Institute at its Author series on Thursday, September 26, the day before the release of the UN IPCCreport on global warming. -
Wisconsin Experiments with New Teacher Evaluations
Opinion -Like many states, Wisconsin is experimenting with ways to evaluate teachers in fulfilling federal requirements. Dozens of Wisconsin school districts are testing The Framework for Teaching, created by Charlotte Danielson. -
EPA’s Gina McCarthy Observes Stewardship at Proposed Alaska Mine
Opinion -If EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy kept her eyes open during her late August tour of the Pebble Group’s proposed mining site in southwestern Alaska, she saw a mining group committed to the most impressive environmental stewardship possible. -
Kansas Families Sue to Stop National Science Standards
Opinion -When the Kansas board of education voted to trade its science standards for a national model, board member Ken Willard predicted doing so would spark a lawsuit. Three months later, his prediction came true. -
Remembering the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo
Opinion -This fall marks the fortieth anniversary of the Arab oil embargo, a painful episode in American history that had a profound effect on both the economy and psyche of the United States. -
EPA, IPCC Push Ahead Even as Global Warming Theories Crumble
Opinion -Ten days ago the Environmental Protection Agency issued its proposed rule for the implementation of regulations of carbon dioxide on utilities’ coal-fired power plants. -
Virginia Begins Accepting Public Comment on Medicaid Expansion
Opinion -Much of the fate of Medicaid, health care, and possibly Virginia’s infrastructure as a whole rests in the hands of 10 General Assembly members. But Virginians still have a say—at least, they have a forum to be heard. -
Federal Impasse to Have Little Impact on State Governments
Opinion -The federal government shut down at midnight Monday after Congress was unable to reach an agreement on several budget issues. But as Tuesday dawns, state governments will carry on with little or no negative consequences in the short-term. -
Some in Congress Want to Undo Important Flood Insurance Reforms
Opinion -Despite the success of recent reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program, some federal legislators are considering extending flood insurance subsidies to address complaints from homeowners in high-risk areas. -
Climate Policies Lock Chains on Developing Nations
Opinion -As part of his climate change initiative announced in June, President Obama declared, “Today I’m calling for an end of public financing for new coal plants overseas unless they deploy carbon capture technologies, or there’s no other viable way for the -
Dire Climate Warnings Not Happening
Opinion -The United Nations-sponsored International Panel on Climate Change is about to release its 2013 report, but details already are leaking out. -
Gina McCarthy Hopefully Kept Her Eyes Wide Open During Her Visit To Pebble Mine
Opinion -If EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy kept her eyes open last month during her tour of the Pebble Group’s proposed mining site in southwestern Alaska, she saw a mining group committed to the most impressive environmental stewardship possible. -
JP Morgan Chase to Refund $309 Million for Bogus Billing Practices
Opinion -The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced that JPMorgan Chase must refund $309 million to credit card customers who were improperly billed for add-on products. The CFPB and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency concluded that 2. -
No, We Don’t Have a Plan to Blow up the Bridge—or the Healthcare System
Opinion -If it’s your bridge, and not one being used by the enemy in wartime, you would want to obstruct a plan to destroy it. But what if the plan is called “healthcare reform”?Republicans are lambasted for not having a Plan. -
Obamacare’s Lowered Expectations
Opinion -consumer-power-report -Consumer Power Report #390On the eve of Obamacare’s launch, the White House is lowering expectations for it, downplaying their assumptions for signups and emphasizing this won’t be a launch so much as the start of a conversation with the American people,
