Opinion
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Privatization of Prisons Continues in Minnesota and North Dakota
Opinion -Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation's largest provider of corrections management services to government agencies, announced on May 20 that it has entered into new agreements with the states of Minnesota and North Dakota to house some of -
State Budget Gaps Shrink
Opinion -More than half the states are projecting surpluses by the close of the current fiscal year, a sharp contrast to the situation they faced a year ago, according to a new report by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). -
Sin Taxes: Inferior Revenue Sources
Opinion -The search for government revenue in fiscally tight times tempts legislators to raise revenue by imposing unusually high excise taxes on cigarettes, liquor, gambling, and so on. -
Businesses Hurt by Smoking Ban in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Opinion -On April 8, voters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin approved a referendum banning smoking in some restaurants and bars. The measure passed by the slimmest of margins: 50.7 percent supported the ban. -
Let Markets Decide Where Wal-Mart Goes
Opinion -How would you like to be penalized because you do your work too well--for example, running your business so effectively that it attracts hordes of happy customers? Well, this is what is happening more and more frequently to Wal-Mart. -
NTU Chided for Kansas Effort
Opinion -Involvement in Kansas's tax hike debate by the Washington, DC-based National Taxpayers Union (NTU) touched a raw nerve among some observers of the state's political scene. -
Senate Approves IDEA Reforms, Greenspan Addresses Education Needs
Opinion -By a strong bipartisan margin, the Senate on May 13 passed its version of reforms to the nation's special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). -
Two Principals Partner to Produce ‘Wonderful Miracles’
Opinion -More than 90 percent of the 972 students at Larry C. Kennedy Elementary School (LCK) in Phoenix, Arizona are Hispanic, black, or Native American. -
McCain Vows New Vote on Climate Change Bill
Opinion -At a May 6 hearing, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) vowed to seek a second vote before the end of this Congress on his bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions. -
Just the Facts: Sources and Uses of Public Education Dollars
Opinion -Total expenditures on U.S. K-12 public education and other related programs in the 2000-2001 school year were $411.5 billion, up $29.6 billion, or 7.8 percent, from 1999-2000. Total revenues for the same period were 97. -
Massachusetts Gov. Romney Unveils Climate Protection Plan
Opinion -Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) on May 6 unveiled the state's new Climate Protection Plan, which encourages private citizens and requires state agencies and the state's large businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. -
Senate Cracks Down on Ecoterrorists
Opinion -Testifying May 18 at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Animal Rights: Activism vs. Criminality," John E. Lewis, the FBI's deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, said "The Animal Liberation Front ... -
Study Ranks States by Economic Freedom
Opinion -A new report issued by the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) ranks Connecticut, California, and New York lowest in terms of "economic freedom"--how friendly or unfriendly state governments are toward free enterprise. -
Three Cheers for Beer!
Opinion -Tolar, Texas just came off a very long dry spell in February, when voters approved the sale of off-premises beer and wine for the first time since the 1920s. -
BAT Proposed for Ohio
Opinion -In May 4 testimony to the Ways & Means Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives, the president of the Dayton-based Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions expressed support for, but also reservations about, a proposed new Ohio business -
IJ’s Bolick Takes Helm at School Choice Alliance
Opinion -Clint Bolick, who as vice president and cofounder of the Institute for Justice (IJ) was instrumental in establishing the public interest law firm as the nation's preeminent defender of school choice programs, assumed a new role in April when he became -
07/2004 Friedman Report: School Choice Roundup
Opinion -Arizona * California * District of Columbia * Florida Iowa * Louisiana * Minnesota * New Hamphire * New Jersey New York * Oklahoma * South Carolina * Wisconsin An Idea Has Consequences "... -
Marathon Oil Successfully Fighting Malaria in Equatorial Guinea
Opinion -Marathon Oil Corporation is showing environmental leadership in fighting one of the deadliest of human killers. -
Geothermal Power Would Harm California, Claims Lawsuit
Opinion -The harnessing of geothermal power, one of the "renewable" resources frequently lauded by activist groups as an alternative to carbon-based fuels, will cause irreparable harm to California's most precious environmental resources, warns a coalition of -
Natural Gas Battle Shifts to Imports
Opinion -Environmental activist groups, despite last year successfully calling for increased importation of foreign natural gas as an alternative to domestic drilling, are now engaging in a campaign to oppose natural gas imports. -
Unfunded Federal Mandates Surge Again, Study Says
Opinion -In the late 1980s, state legislators were "mad as hell" and they weren't going to take it anymore. They were angry about unfunded federal mandates. -
Citizen Groups Hail Rejection of Tax Hikes in Kansas
Opinion -On May 27, the Kansas legislature officially adjourned without passing a tax hike. A budget is in place for the coming fiscal year, though many questions remain concerning the future of the state's tax and spending plans. -
Massachusetts Should Cut Income Tax to 5 Percent
Opinion -A June 10 economic analysis by the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) at Suffolk University finds the Commonwealth could create thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in new investment if, as Governor Mitt Romney (R) proposes, the legislature would cut -
Arizona Bans Gasoline Additive MTBE
Opinion -Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D) on May 12 signed legislation banning the additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from gasoline sold in the state. The legislation had passed by unanimous votes in the Arizona House and Senate.