Opinion
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Should Have Hedged
Opinion -Dear Editor: High oil and gas prices have created a great opportunity for a lot of politicians. A windfall profits tax on U.S. integrated oil companies has been proposed with the proceeds going to favored political constituencies. -
State, Local Pension Plans Are ‘A Ticking Time Bomb Set to Explode’
Opinion -In July 2005, Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) signed legislation that will change the state's public pension system from a nineteenth century defined benefit plan to a twenty-first century defined contribution plan. -
State Takes Over Special Education in Baltimore
Opinion -A 20-year-old lawsuit against Baltimore City's failing special education system ended in July when a federal judge ordered the state to assume control of the program. -
States Lead New Privatization Efforts, Report Says
Opinion -Several states have led the charge to introduce competition into their government activities in the past year, among them Florida, which has been a front-runner in this effort for years, according to the 19th Annual Privatization Report of Reason -
States Reject Expanded Eminent Domain Powers
Opinion -Responding to a groundswell of public outrage following the June 23 decision by the U.S. -
‘Suspicious’ Accounting Error Leads Illinois School District to Seek Tax Cut
Opinion -Last November, after Huntley, Illinois narrowly passed a referendum raising taxes to support four new schools in District 158 (D-158), a certified public accountant with three children in the district discovered the newly administered tax increase was -
Tax Revolt Leads to New City in Fulton County, Ga.
Opinion -In a move to gain more control over Fulton County tax dollars flowing out of their area, Sandy Springs, Georgia has decided to incorporate and is moving to privatize government services. -
Texas Governor Requires School Districts in the State to Spend 65% of Their Funds in the Classroom
Opinion -After the state legislature failed in two special sessions this summer to pass school finance reform measures, Texas Gov. -
Unfounded Fears, Lack of Funding Stall Expanded Cleanup
Opinion -Despite the successes being registered by new aquatic herbicides, invasive Eurasian milfoil remains the most widespread killer of otherwise-pristine lakes in the United States. -
Wind Farm Proposed for Vt. National Forest
Opinion -A French-owned power company has announced plans to transform portions of Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest into an industrial wind farm if its development proposal receives the approval of the U.S. Forest Service. -
Bringing Health Savings Accounts to Medicare
Opinion -Medicare is in crisis and to date little has been done to address it. Old strategies, such as cutting provider payments, will do little to solve the problem, and may make it worse by driving the best physicians out of Medicare altogether. -
Consumer Power Report #2
Opinion -Consumer Power Report, written by Greg Scandlen, director of Consumers for Health Care Choices at The Heartland Institute, is a weekly report summarizing recent developments on consumer-directed health care in the media, legislative, and regulatory -
Municipal Broadband and the Myth of Economic Development
Opinion -Hey buddy, want to attract new businesses to your city? Sign here and I'll even throw in cheaper cable TV for your residents. That pitch is being heard everywhere--from hamlets in Iowa to cities the size of Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Chicago. -
Municipally Owned Telecom Networks, an Economic Boondoggle
Opinion -Do you pay too much for broadband access at home and at work? Can you even get reliable and affordable service where you live? Many people aren't satisfied with their current broadband providers. -
Who Says Municipally Owned Telecom Networks Lose Money?
Opinion -Would you like to receive a huge outpouring of angry, bitter, and insult-laden emails? Then I have just the thing for you. -
Are We Strangling the Digital Economy?
Opinion -Advances in information technology, particularly involving the Internet and microprocessor design, have made the creation and transmission of text, sounds, and video in digital form extraordinarily fast, inexpensive, reliable, and flexible. -
Municipally Owned Telecom Networks, an Economic Boondoggle
Opinion -Presentation to the Telecommunications Association of Michigan Annual Meeting, Dearborn, Michigan. -
Iowa’s Municipal-Owned Communications Systems Should Serve as a Warning, Study Says
Opinion -According to a new analysis by a nonprofit research organization, the weak financial performance of three Iowa municipal-owned broadband communications systems "should serve as a warning to other states and municipalities considering similar enterprises. -
Statement on Draft House Bill on Telecom Reform
Opinion -(September 20, 2005 -- Chicago, IL) On September 15, U.S. Reps. -
Comments on Dubuque Municipal Connectivity Utility Feasibility Study
Opinion -I have reviewed the Dubuque Municipal Connectivity Utility Feasibility Study. -
Four Reasons Why Government Failed in New Orleans
Opinion -The public sector's failure to respond quickly to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina becomes more apparent as the news media shifts its attention from reporting on rescue operations toward inquiring into the reasons why relief efforts took days -
Congress Goes on Spending Binge
Opinion -Congress just passed and President George W. Bush just signed a highway bill that will spend $286 billion over six years on roads and bridges, rail and bus facilities, bike paths and recreational trails. The president says the projects will create jobs. -
A Mixed Month for Muni Broadband
Opinion -For both supporters and opponents of municipal broadband, the glass is either half-full or half-empty, especially after a tumultuous July. -
FCC Must Reform Its Merger Review
Opinion -Fueled largely by the digital revolution’s technological onslaught, the communications industry is in the midst of major turmoil. Competition from new entrants and the breakdown of formerly distinct service boundaries are reshaping the industry landscape.
