Opinion
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Holistic Medicine, Not Global Warming, Linked to Herbal Extinctions
Opinion -A $20 billion worldwide market for “natural” herbal medicines is threatening up to 10,000 plants with extinction, according to a report published January 4 by New Scientist magazine. -
Hog Farms No Threat to North Carolina Water Quality
Opinion -Although there have always been hog farmers in North Carolina, the industry was fairly small until the mid-1980s. -
Lessons from 30 Years of TEL Experience
Opinion -The first tax and expenditure limitation (TEL) was proposed by California Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1972. In the years since then, numerous states have adopted TELs. -
Cook County Assessor Wants Property Tax Caps
Opinion -In a January 28 article in the Chicago Tribune, Cook County, Illinois Assessor James Houlihan renewed his call for state lawmakers to “impose a 7 percent per year cap on increases in residential property assessments in Cook County. -
The 5Ws of the DC School Choice Incentive Act
Opinion -In the journalistic tradition of the 5Ws (plus one “H”), here are the basics of the school voucher program for the District of Columbia that Congress included in its omnibus appropriations act of 2004 and that President George W. -
California Schools Take Six Years to Build
Opinion -A new study from the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) reports it takes six years or longer to build a school in California. -
School Safety: Unsafe Structures
Opinion -Many students could have been injured last October when a 30-foot span of ceiling collapsed in a school library built by the Miami-Dade County Public School District (MDCPS) only five years earlier. -
Schools Are More Dangerous Than Data Suggest
Opinion -Last fall, every state was required by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act to identify schools with a “persistently dangerous” atmosphere so parents would have a better idea of whether their children were being educated in a safe learning environment. -
New Jersey Adopts California’s Vehicle Emissions Standards
Opinion -On January 12, New Jersey Governor James McGreevey (D) signed legislation, passed earlier that day by both houses of the state legislature, applying California’s greenhouse gas emission standards to vehicles sold in the state. -
Air Conditioning Ruling Puts Freeze on Consumer Buying Power
Opinion -On January 13, a federal appeals court overturned a Bush administration rule that would increase energy efficiency standards for central air conditioners and heat pumps by 20 percent. -
Georgia Governor Touts Spending Restraint, No New Taxes
Opinion -Before a joint session of the Georgia legislature on January 13, Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) outlined his vision for the state of Georgia during the annual State of the State address in Atlanta. -
IRS Error Rate Still High
Opinion -The January 2004 report of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration [TIGTA] confirms the IRS’s error rate for advice it gives at its hundreds of walk-in Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) remains unacceptably high. -
Mixed Results Achieved by ‘Sin’ Taxes in Nevada
Opinion -A liquor tax hike implemented in Nevada in summer 2003 has done nothing to reduce alcohol use, but cigarette sales have slowed after an 80-cents-per-pack increase, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported on December 22. -
Michigan’s Budget: Good Start, More Can Be Done
Opinion -Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (D) announced on December 18 that an agreement was reached to eliminate a $920 million deficit in the 2004 fiscal year budget. -
The High Cost of Spam Legislation
Opinion -A federal law pre-empted state spam laws on January 1 of this year, but the erroneous thinking behind many of these laws still persists, threatening the free flow of commerce. -
Don’t Give Up Yet on Property Rights for the Digital World
Opinion -WASHINGTON, DC -- Property rights, contracts, and voluntary markets have played a primary role in the development of our vibrant industries. In a new Cato Policy Analysis, University of California-Berkeley Law School professor Robert P. -
Is Anyone Honest Anymore?
Opinion -The Chicago Tribune editorial of December 27 asks the question, “Is anyone honest anymore? -
School Choice Offers Flexibility for an Autistic Child
Opinion -Some children aren’t ready for public schools, and public schools aren’t ready for some children. Carson Smith is one of those children. Three years ago, Carson was like most two-year-olds: He liked to put things into his mouth. -
Homeschooler Wins Bill of Rights Day Contest
Opinion -Andrew Ausley, a homeschooled student from Niceville, Florida, won a $500 scholarship in December for the best essay on the topic, “Synergism Within the Bill of Rights. -
Fighting Fads by Informing Consumers: an exclusive interview with J.E. Stone
Opinion -Starting with the Milwaukee voucher program some 15 years ago, new school choice programs--whether vouchers, tax credits, or charter schools--have been subjected to an almost constant barrage of criticism from opponents who have demanded the programs -
Illinois Governor Proposes Takeover of Board of Education
Opinion -In a January 15 State of the State address that stunned many, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) dropped what one senator called an “atomic bomb” on the state department of education. -
Corporations Don’t Pay Taxes, People Do
Opinion -When Democrats on the Presidential campaign trail talk taxes, attacks against the Bush administration are de rigeur. The Bush tax cuts, they complain, benefitted big corporations rather than individual taxpayers. -
VoIP and the Future of Telecom Regulation
Opinion -Much has been written over the past few months about the revolutionary potential of Internet telephony, or voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service. -
Antitrust Dogs Turn on Oracle
Opinion -It was only a couple of years ago that Oracle was leading the dogs of antitrust in hot pursuit of Bill Gates and Microsoft. How things have changed. Somewhere along the way, the pups got loose. Oracle itself may feel the antitrust bite.