Opinion
-
AFL-CIO Defections May Weaken Unions’ Influence
Opinion -The defection of two major unions from the AFL-CIO has stirred questions about the possible impact on local, state, and national tax and budget policies. -
Battle over Washington State Spending Limits Law Continues in Court
Opinion -Four days after the Washington Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit asking to protect voters' right to file a referendum on legislative actions, groups representing Washington State taxpayers filed a new lawsuit to preserve tax and spending limits approved -
‘Dr. No’ Consistently Fights for Tax and Spending Restraint
Opinion -Minnesota State Rep. Phil Krinkie is a Republican and successful businessman from Lino Lakes who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1990, when the Democratic Farm and Labor Party (DFL) overwhelmingly outnumbered Republicans. -
Americans, Left and Right, Work to Counter Kelo Decision
Opinion -Controversial Supreme Court decisions animate much of American history, but few have been so widely condemned as the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in the case of Kelo v. New London, handed down June 23. -
Project Stems from Supreme Court Ruling
Opinion -In 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled states could not require sellers that do not have a physical presence or "nexus" within the same state as the consumer to collect state taxes. -
Iowa: Small State with a Big Tax Watchdog Group
Opinion -Iowa may be one of the smallest states--just five congressional districts and a population of 2.94 million--but it can boast the nation's largest state taxpayer advocacy group, Iowans for Tax Relief (ITR). -
Working for ‘Right to Vote’ on Most Taxes
Opinion -Iowans for Tax Relief's big push now is for the People's Right to Vote Amendment, which ITR secretary Jeffrey Boeyink said would give the people of Iowa the final say on taxes, by majority vote in a state general election. -
Tax-Hike Votes Haunt Some Virginia Republicans
Opinion -In June, Virginia voters selected the state's House of Delegates candidates for the fall elections. It was the first election since Virginia lawmakers passed the largest tax increase in the state's history last year. -
No 46,000% Return for Social Security Recipients
Opinion -The Social Security system, also known as Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), was enacted in 1935. In 1940, the first benefit check, for $22.54, was paid to Ida May Fuller. -
Low Demand, Mismanagement Plague I-SaveRx
Opinion -The State of Illinois' drug importation program, I-SaveRx, expanded its supplier list of countries offering prescription medications by adding Australia and New Zealand in July. -
Past Prosecutor to Combat Medicaid Fraud
Opinion -In response to revelations of ever-increasing Medicaid fraud, New York Gov. George Pataki (R) in August named Kimberly O' Connor, a former prosecutor and senior criminal justice official, as New York's Medicaid Inspector General. -
The Case for Medicaid Modernization
Opinion -Since Congress committed to cutting Medicaid expenditures in April, states have been working to reform their individual Medicaid programs and curb soaring costs. -
Medical Sharing Societies Offer Affordable Alternative ‘Insurance’
Opinion -The debate over health care reform frequently focuses on government policy and programs, often to the exclusion of nongovernment solutions. -
California Insurance Commissioner Criticizes HSAs
Opinion -A July report from California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi criticized Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and consumer-directed care and stressed his preference for a universal, government-run health care system. -
Hill Notes: Congress and Health Week: A Spark or a Sputter?
Opinion -During the final week of July, the U.S. House of Representatives allotted precious floor time to health care reform, and the Senate laid out a health care agenda before Congress recessed for a five-week "summer district work period. -
Montana Woman Becomes Good Will Ambassador for Medicaid Reform
Opinion -Every state department of social services could use someone like Sharon Rivera, to ease Medicaid benefit cuts and make the reform process a little less painful for recipients and government officials alike. -
‘Health Week’ on the House Floor July 26-27, 2005
Opinion -Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, S. 544: Passed 428-3 State High Risk Pool Funding Extension Act of 2005, H.R. -
Ohio Creates One of the Nation’s Largest Voucher Programs
Opinion -In a year already marked by several legislative victories for the school choice movement nationwide, Ohio is poised to become the state with the largest voucher program in the country by next fall. Gov. -
Quick Facts on Texas Charter Schools
Opinion -20: Number of first-generation charters granted to publicly funded nonreligious schools in the inaugural year, 1996-97. 190: Number of charters operating in Texas in 2003-04. 274: Number of campuses those charters operated in 2003-04. -
States Shouldn’t Meddle with IPTV
Opinion -Because old cable rules allowed local governments to grant near-monopolies to cable companies, bureaucrats have been able to use their power to extract big bucks and obtain special favors. Cable companies haven’t had much choice in the matter. -
Pennsylvania Expands Tax Credit Program
Opinion -The new Pennsylvania state education budget for the 2005-06 academic year, signed on July 13 by Gov. -
State Network to Collect Cross-Border Sales Tax
Opinion -An 18-state network for the voluntary collection of taxes on goods sold over the Internet or through the mail has been created by the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP), a step project members hope will lead to a national sales tax collection program. -
S. 4 ‘Healthy America Act of 2005’
Opinion -Sponsors: Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Michael Enzi (R-WY) Senator Jim DeMint (R-NC) Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) -
Fifty Years Closer to Choice
Opinion -In considering the role government plays in various areas of life in 1955, Milton Friedman cast his discerning eye on education and saw a Six Million Dollar Man.