Opinion
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Prescription Drug Pricing Attacked, Defended
Opinion -At a January meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) in Chicago, critics of the prescription drug industry unleashed a barrage of attacks on the way the industry prices its product. Most of the criticism was off the mark. -
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Bandwidth for the People
Opinion -Broadband stands to be a tremendous boon to economic growth. Consumers benefit from new ways to acquire information, enjoy audio and video entertainment, monitor remote locations, receive medical care, and buy items ranging from books to cars. -
British Study Casts Doubt on Benefits of Class-Size Reductions
Opinion -A recent British study has cast serious doubt on the commonly held notion that smaller class sizes can by themselves improve student achievement. -
Bush Calls for Historic Social Security Reform
Opinion -President George W. Bush used his annual State of the Union speech on February 2 to call for sweeping changes to the nation's Social Security system, a call that has been met with approval, doubt, and opposition from lawmakers and interest groups. -
Coalition Forms to Promote Federal Protection of State Tax Incentives
Opinion -More than 60 businesses, business groups, and state and local officials have formed a coalition to back federal legislation to protect the right of states to offer targeted tax incentives for economic development. -
Competition Improves Government Performance, New Studies Show
Opinion -Two important new studies show competition improves the efficiency of government departments. -
Deputy Education Secretary Hickok Resigns
Opinion -Deputy Secretary of Education Gene Hickok resigned from the U.S. Department of Education effective at the end of January, after four years of efforts to bring historic changes to the culture of American K-12 education. -
Doing Business in New York is a Costly Matter
Opinion -The advantages of doing business in New York, such as access to technology and a strong labor force, do not offset the disadvantages of high costs of employee benefits, energy, taxes, and other expenses, according to a new "Just The Facts" data -
E-Commerce Stokes the Wine Wars
Opinion -On December 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that will help determine whether producers of wine can sell their product to a national market over the Internet and ship it directly to customers. -
How Do I Fire an Inept Teacher in New York City Schools?
Opinion -This flowchart is from “Over Ruled,” a study from Common Good. The full flowchart, involving 83 steps and legal considerations that can take a year to complete, is available at http://cgood.org/burdenquestion-6.html. -
HSAs Next Big Opportunity for Banks
Opinion -The Business Journal of Minneapolis reports, "Health savings accounts could be the next big business opportunity for banks in 2005. -
I want my DTV!
Opinion -The Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January was a coming-out party for several of the nation’s leading service providers. -
In the News
Opinion -Intel Lobbies for Muni Wi-Fi Although a company executive conceded taxpayer-funded broadband was not the best model for providing that service, Intel plans to step up its lobbying efforts to thwart legislation aimed at prohibiting municipalities from -
Plodding along a Cul-De-Sac
Opinion -If there is one thing most tragic about the ideas promoted by the advocates of national health care, it is that they keep going around in circles, always starting and ending at the same place: more government regulation. -
Private Prisons Could Cut Georgia’s Spending, Studies Suggest
Opinion -With the state of Georgia facing a budget shortfall, legislators are looking for new areas of saving to help balance the budget. -
RAND Study Forecasts Problems Meeting National Reading Goals
Opinion -U.S. students in grades 4-12 are not meeting state or national goals in reading achievement, a recently released RAND Corporation report warns. -
Rockford Parents Want to Keep Successful Reading Program
Opinion -The parent organization of the Lewis Lemon public school in Rockford, Illinois is asking the local school board not to drop a three-year-old reading program that has raised the school’s test scores well above the district average. -
Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights Could Have Prevented Texas Budget Crisis
Opinion -The state of Texas' recent $10 billion budget crisis could have been prevented if the state had implemented a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment in the 1990s, according to a study by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. -
Teacher Union Violating Utah Election Laws, Complaint Alleges
Opinion -On December 16, 2004, the education reform group Education Excellence Utah filed a complaint with Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff (R) against the Ballot Fund of the National Education Association (NEA). -
U.S. Girl Students Outperform Boys in Most Subjects, Study Finds
Opinion -“Girls and young women still have a long way to go in gaining full educational equality,” says NOW President Kim Gandy. -
U.S. Students Show Slight Improvement in Math, Science Achievement
Opinion -According to the annual Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), designed and coordinated by Boston College’s Lynch School of Education, U.S. -
Verizon Exec Delivers Tough Message to Mayors on Telecom Taxes
Opinion -Verizon Executive Vice President Tom Tauke on January 18 urged the U.S. Conference of Mayors, meeting in Washington, DC, to work with telecom companies to lower taxes the industry faces, with an eye toward boosting the economy. -
Winds of Change In California?
Opinion -On January 27, as this edition of IT&T News went to press, the CPUC voted to stay the new wireless regulations created under the Consumer Bill of Rights.