Opinion
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Democrats Dodge Campaign Finance Law with Environment 2004
Opinion -Taking advantage of campaign finance laws that restrict direct contributions to political candidates but allow unrestricted contributions to “issues” advocacy, several former Clinton administration officials have begun raising money to -
Leavitt Signs Rule to Reduce Smog, Acid Rain
Opinion -Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt on December 17 signed a regulatory proposal, the Interstate Air Quality Rule, ordering the most significant cuts in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, the culprits of -
Appellate Courts Clash on Supreme Court’s Wetlands Decision
Opinion -On the same day the Bush administration announced it would not issue new wetlands regulations, the U.S. -
Portland’s Northwest 23rd Avenue No Model for Others
Opinion -Why can’t everywhere be like Disney World? So goes the question asked by many a child after a fulfilling day of joy at the world’s leading amusement park. -
MyTurn: A Reasonable Doubt
Opinion -Thanks to increased border security in the wake of September 11, seizures of diluted and counterfeit drugs entering the U.S. from Asia, Europe, and other locations have increased dramatically over the past two years. -
Getting Through the Terrible TELRICs
Opinion -Like the hapless daycare provider to a hyper toddler, the FCC is grappling with the complexities of price regulation in telecommunications. -
Telecom Policies Outdated
Opinion -The World Bank recently released a study concluding that the least regulation fosters the strongest economic growth. -
Schwarzenegger Caves on Spending Limit
Opinion -California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger abandoned a core campaign promise in mid-December when he signed a fiscal-reform package that did not include a constitutional spending limit. -
Wisconsin Needs a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights
Opinion -Although most policy analysts acknowledge weaknesses in Colorado’s tax and expenditure limitation--the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) adopted in 1992--the measure remains the country’s leading model for how to structurally require a state to keep its -
Boston Mayor Advocates Property Tax Shift
Opinion -At a December 30 meeting of a special legislative commission on property taxes, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino advocated a plan for a temporary shift of the local property tax burden, from residential to commercial property tax payers. -
School Figures Throws Light on Reform Issues
Opinion -School Figures: The Data behind the Debate Hanna Skandera and Richard Sousa Hoover Institution Press, 2003, $15. -
The Little School That Could
Opinion -The transformation of Vaughn Elementary School in Los Angeles began on July 1, 1993, when teachers overwhelmingly voted for change and the facility became, in the words of its principal, Yvonne Chan, “the first independent, urban conversion charter -
Petition to President Putin: Kyoto Not Based on Sound Science
Opinion -The National Center for Public Policy Research is circulating this petition seeking signatures for a petition asking Russian President Putin not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. -
Nature Study Debunks Kilimanjaro Glacier Myth
Opinion -“The icecap atop Mount Kilimanjaro,” reported a 2001 New York Times article, “which for thousands of years has floated like a cool beacon over the shimmering equatorial plain of Tanzania, is retreating at such a pace that it will -
U.S., Mexico Announce Plans to Improve Border Environment
Opinion -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the framework for a landmark environmental protection agreement between the U.S. and Mexico. -
Economists Warn of Dangers of Drug Importation, Price Controls
Opinion -We are deeply concerned about proposed legislation to remove pharmaceutical companies’ ability to control the importation of their products. -
Medicare’s Long Rx History
Opinion -They say the wheels of progress grind slowly. The history of getting a prescription drug benefit into Medicare seems to validate that truism: It took 36 years. -
Retailers Cut Prices in Moscow as Sales Tax Ends
Opinion -Russia’s largest retail chains plan to lower prices 5 percent in response to the government’s decision to drop the sales tax in 2004, according to the Moscow Times. -
Letter to Pinera from Slovakia
Opinion -Dear Mr. Piñera, Please allow me to convey to you my warmest greetings and thanks for your precious time during our visit to Chile. At the same time I would like to share some good news with you. -
About Jose Piñera
Opinion -Cato Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow Jose Piñera is co-chairman of Cato’s Project on Social Security Choice. As Chile’s secretary of labor and social security, he was the architect of that country’s successful privatization of its pension system. -
A Review of Tax Changes Taking Effect this Year
Opinion -Tax law changes that take effect this year will make a difference in your personal finances. Some will happen automatically, and some of these new tax deals require you to take some action now. The tax cut. -
Virginia Governor Proposes Largest Budget, Tax Increase in State History
Opinion -Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner (D) on December 17 presented his executive budget for the 2005-2006 biennium to the joint money committees of the commonwealth’s General Assembly. -
Pennsylvania Legislature Finishes Only Half of Budget Business
Opinion -Although they did not get the property tax relief measure they were holding out for, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives nevertheless voted 104-89 on December 22 to approve $1 billion in new taxes to finance new programs and close a state budget -
Oregon Should Follow the Example of Florida, Outsource Human Resource Services
Opinion -A tax recall vote on Oregon’s February 3 ballot is just one indication that taxpayers nationwide prefer spending cuts, rather than tax increases, for balancing state budgets.