Opinion
-
Five Things to Consider Before Raising Tobacco Taxes: A Review of the Research
Opinion -Tobacco use poses well-known health risks. Smokers, on average, die earlier than nonsmokers. Estimates of lost life expectancy range from two or three years to 14 years; most researchers agree on six to eight years. -
Heartland Replies to ‘Science’
Opinion -The August 5 issue of Science, the venerable journal published by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, contains an article by Sara Reardon that discusses the controversy over how climate change is presented in K-12 science classrooms. -
Thousands of College Students Get New Insights into Politics
Opinion -Are you liberal, conservative ... or something else? What’s the difference between the two? And what the heck is a libertarian? -
Providers, Patients Frustrated by CMS Competitive Bidding Program
Opinion -The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services claim their new competitive bidding program has not resulted in any changes in beneficiary health outcomes. -
Duncan’s Plan to Waive NCLB Meets Strident Backlash
Opinion -Since Congress has not reauthorized No Child Left Behind by this fall, Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he will waive some of the federal education law’s penalties for states that adopt measures the administration supports, such as overhauling the -
Fewer Teachers Tenured Under NYC Reform; Union Sues
Opinion -In 2007, 97 percent of teachers in New York City schools received tenure. This year, 58 percent received tenure under a tighter teacher evaluation system, prompting a legal challenge from the state’s largest teachers union. -
Cheer Down
Opinion -Federal constitutional lawsuits against two school districts by the parents of girls who failed to make their high school cheerleading squads were dismissed recently. -
Forest Stewardship Council Busted for Hypocrisy
Opinion -The Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) promotes itself as the “gold-standard for responsible forest management. -
Will Transportation Bill Negotiations End Up in a Stalemate?
Opinion -The standoff between Senate Democrats and House Republicans over a short-term Federal Aviation Administration funding bill foreshadows the possibility of a similar impasse in the negotiations on the surface transportation reauthorization bill. -
$15 Million Agreement Ends ‘No School’ Threat in Memphis
Opinion -School finance disputes have increased nationwide and nearly delayed the start of school in Memphis, Tennessee, where the school board declared shuttering its only option if the City Council did not hand over $55 million. -
Republicans Push for Medicaid Reform as Senate Democrats Resist
Opinion -Republicans on Capitol Hill are pushing hard to advance reforms of the Medicaid system in response to financial strains at the state level. -
Heartland Institute Legal Expert Available to Comment on Wisconsin Recall
Opinion -Wisconsin voters go to the polls today in a recall election of six Republicans in the state Senate. -
Ed Secretary to Waive NCLB Requirements for Submissive States
Opinion -The president has decided to take a tack on the largest federal education law he certainly wishes were available in budget battles: bypassing Congress and legislating through administrative agencies by offering states waivers in exchange for education -
House to Hold Field Hearings Today on Florida Water Nutrient Restrictions
Opinion -The U.S House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a field hearing today in Orlando, Florida, regarding water nutrient restrictions proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. -
Consumer Power Report: Governor Perry’s Off-Label Therapy
Opinion -There’s a great story embedded in the recent attention paid to Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s back surgery. -
Why the Market Crash? Downgrade or Threat of Tax Increase?
Opinion -Thursday, August 4: Senate votes to pass House bill that will raise taxes. Dow Jones Industrial Average loses 513.Friday, August 5: Standard & Poor’s downgrades U.S. sovereign debt from AAA to AA+. Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 61. -
Districts, States Struggle to Develop High-Tech Data Systems
Opinion -The past year of education debates in legislatures and widespread annoyance over antiquated technology in public education has prompted myriad expensive, time-consuming digital records projects in states and districts. -
Fed Recruits Academia to Its ‘Brave New World’ of Monetary Policy
Opinion -John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, delivered an address this summer to the American Economic Association’s National Conference on Teaching Economics and Research in Education. -
How Much Should Teachers Make? Who Cares!
Opinion -Recently, Education Secretary Arne Duncan no doubt thought it radical to say that teachers should get a $60,000 yearly starting salary and top out around $150,000. -
Chicago Mayor Says ‘No’ to New Taxes
Opinion -Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) says without significant reforms the city’s 2012 budget will be hundreds of millions of dollars in the red, and he pledges to address the problem without raising taxes. “We have come to that moment of truth as a city. -
Philly’s Wi-Fi Failure Contrasts With North Carolina’s Caution
Opinion -Philadelphia taxpayers left stranded, again, with a failed municipal wi-fi network might wish Philly were in the Tar Heel State. -
FCC Approves ‘Spoofing’ Regulations
Opinion -The Federal Communications Commission will implement the Truth in Caller ID Act on Aug. 19 in an effort to crack down on caller-identification fraud. The law prohibits falsifying caller ID information with intent for wrongdoing. -
Long Island-Area Voters Trounce Stadium Subsidy Proposal
Opinion -The owner of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League threatened to move his team unless he receives hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer backing for a new stadium. -
Lots of Life in This ‘Ghost City’
Opinion -Late last year London’s Daily Mail newspaper reported the Zhengzhou New Area was China’s largest “Ghost City.” A visit I made to the Zhengzhou New Area earlier this year indicates exactly the opposite.
