Opinion
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Certificate of Need Pits Government Against Private Sector in North Carolina
Opinion -A new taxpayer-funded cardiac care center has sparked a public vs. private sector fight over the provision of medical services in North Carolina’s largest county. Rex Healthcare was a private hospital until the UNC Health Care System purchased it in 2000. -
U.S. broadband is not falling behind
Opinion -Those worried the USA is falling behind the world in broadband speed and adoption can pick another subject to fret about. America is doing fine — and would do even better if government would stop trying to micromanage the digital economy. -
Smoked Out: Group Says Ban Has Caused Drop in Bar, Tavern Business
Opinion -Apparently, smoking bans are dangerous to the business health of Michigan bars and taverns that traditionally have a high percentage of customers who smoke. -
Heartland Institute Florida Director: Casinos Are Good for the State
Opinion -Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of the Florida Senate’s Regulated Industries Committee to discuss casino resorts, Christian Cámara, director of The Heartland Institute’s Florida office, offered words of support for proposals to build destination casino -
Farewell, Don Berwick
Opinion -December brings the end of the controversial tenure of Don Berwick, who will step down as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services next week. His resignation is a triumph for online citizen journalism and a rejection of technocratic rule. -
Quarter-Billion Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Penis Pumps
Opinion -According to data collected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare has spent more than $240 million of taxpayer money on penis pumps for elderly men over the past decade, and will surpass a quarter of a billion dollars this -
Revelations Lead to Reform of Illinois Pensions
Opinion -Illinois lawmakers have approved legislation to reform the state’s government pension system, the nation’s most poorly funded. But having barely half the money needed to fund future pension obligations was not the reason for the reform. -
Heartland Institute Reacts to Draft Regulations for Fracking in Colorado
Opinion -The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission held a public meeting in Denver this morning to discuss draft regulations on hydraulic fracturing chemical disclosure. -
Heartland Institute Responds to Reform Plan for Florida Cat Fund
Opinion -The Heartland Institute’s Center on Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate welcomed the introduction of legislation in Florida’s House of Representatives to address the dangerously overexposed condition of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. -
Washington Voters End State’s Liquor Monopoly
Opinion -Washington State voters in November approved Initiative 1183, ending the state’s monopoly on the sale and distribution of alcohol. The state expects to be out of the liquor business by June 1. -
Louisiana Bans Real Estate Transfer Taxes
Opinion -Louisiana voters have approved an amendment to the state constitution to permanently ban real estate transfer taxes in the state. The Nov. -
FHA Highly Leveraged, Lacks Reserves to Cover Losses
Opinion -“How much money are the taxpayers supposed to throw at housing so people can put down 5 percent or less and pay a government-subsidized low interest rate? -
Print Version: More Accurate Count Reduces IL Test Scores
Opinion -Not only are Chicago students dropping out at a much higher rate than previously thought, their academic scores are lower and the achievement gap between races is widening, according to new federally mandated calculations for fall 2011. -
Let’s Do It Again
Opinion -Six years after the wedding, three years after the couple separated, and a year after their divorce became final, the groom is suing the wedding photography studio for breach of contract. -
Detached Houses Preferred by New Households
Opinion -Americans continue to prefer and move into single-family detached houses. Data from the 2010 American Community Survey indicates such housing attracted 79. -
Climategate 2 Emails Loaded with Bombshells
Opinion -New and explosive revelations continue to emerge from the Climategate 2 emails, two weeks after the 5,000-plus emails were first publicly unveiled. -
Cook County, Ill., Holds Line on Spending, Raises Sin Taxes
Opinion -The Cook County, Illinois board of commissioners went against years of rising spending and general tax increases by voting 16-1 to pass a budget that holds the line on spending and rejects general tax increases, though it does raise “sin” taxes and fees -
Online Version: More Accurate Count Reduces IL Test Scores
Opinion -Not only are Chicago students dropping out at a higher rate than previously thought, their academic scores are lower and the achievement gap between races is widening, reveals new, federally required standards implemented in fall 2011. -
Rhode Island Lawmakers Pass Major Pension Reforms
Opinion -Rhode Island lawmakers had a choice: Keep the state’s pension system as is, forcing big tax increases, service cuts, or both. Or change the pension system to improve solvency and control the growth of future obligations. -
That’s One Healthy Breakfast
Opinion -A Manhattan lawyer is suing the health club he joined because it promised joiners a “full complimentary breakfast” but wouldn’t serve bacon and eggs.He’s asking for $730,000 in damages. -
ObamaCare May Be Unhealthy for Marriage
Opinion -The latest unintended consequence of President Obama’s health care law could be a lower marriage rate, according to the staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. -
Three Cheers for Child Labor
Opinion -Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has suggested relaxing child labor laws to allow students to earn money by cleaning their schools - one of his many novel proposals that critique calcified elements of the government-constrained U.S. economy. -
Heartland Institute Reacts to Arkansas Opting Out of Obamacare Exchanges
Opinion -Citing opposition in the Arkansas Legislature, state Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford announced Friday afternoon that his agency will not set up a health-insurance exchange as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as -
Heartland Institute Reacts to November Unemployment Numbers
Opinion -The Bureau of Labor Statistics today announced that just 120,000 new jobs were created in November, putting the unemployment rate at 8.6. percent. Though that is a drop from October’s rate of 9.
