Opinion
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Universal Service: Time for Reform
Opinion -WASHINGTON, DC--Millions of Americans benefit from the Universal Service program--a patchwork of policies that helps fund basic and advanced telecommunications services in high-cost urban and rural areas, as well as the ‘schools and libraries’ program. -
Help U.S. Companies Compete Globally with New Tax Code
Opinion -October 10, 2003 The Honorable William Thomas Chairman Committee on Ways and Means United States House of Representatives 1102 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Thomas: By taxing income earned in other -
History of the FSC Dispute
Opinion -The U.S. first adopted Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC) legislation in 1985 to encourage the export of U.S.-manufactured goods. The legislation provided that certain income earned by a foreign subsidiary of a U.S. -
Will States Tax the Internet?
Opinion -Since November 1, all bets are off concerning the taxing of the Internet. -
Massachusetts Governor Gets Passing Grade
Opinion -Having fended off pressure to raise taxes in the face of a FY 2003 budget shortfall, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is earning good grades. -
The Romney Report Card
Opinion -Neutrality Avoiding taxes and expenditures that distort private choices and discourage economic activity. A- Equity Achieving fairness in taxes and expenditures; secure the social safety net. -
Lagging in Polls, Lieberman Offers Soak the Rich Tax Hike
Opinion -Presidential hopeful Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut) fell into a tie for third place among Democrats running for their party’s Presidential nomination, according to an early fall CNN poll. -
IRS to Step Up Audits and Collections
Opinion -For more than two years, Congress has been asking the Internal Revenue Service to take off the gloves. “Go get the money,” is the clarion call from Washington. -
Badly Designed Programs Will Stymie School Choice
Opinion -A new policy study from the Cato Institute provides policymakers with a practical guide for crafting successful school choice programs—ones that are likely to advance the development of a free market in education and avoid the creation of flawed programs -
While DC Choice Simmers, NCLB Slow to Settle
Opinion -The fate of President George W. Bush’s proposal to bring school choice to District of Columbia parents continued to hang in the balance as this issue went to press in early November. -
District Drops Successful Singapore Math Program
Opinion -Students in four Maryland schools who were taught using the Singapore Math program significantly outperformed their peers who were not in the program, according to a school system study released in February. -
Fixing the Do Not Call List–Do Not Exempt
Opinion -After a week-long circus that left most Americans scratching their heads in confusion, the federal “do not call” list went into effect on October 1. It was the California recall of regulatory policy: The only thing missing was Gary Coleman. -
Google as a Public Utility? No Results in This Search for Monopoly
Opinion -The Google search engine is one of the Net’s great success stories, with one analyst projecting possible revenues of $800 million and profits of $200 million this year. Just a few short years ago no one had even heard of this company. -
US and EU on Collision Course Over Taxes
Opinion -The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled on November 10 that U.S. tariffs on imported steel, imposed in March 2002, violate global trade rules. -
Schwarzenegger Inherits Huge Budget Challenge
Opinion -The ongoing California budget problem presents one of the toughest fiscal challenges any American state has ever faced. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the beneficiary of Californians’ recall of Gray Davis, carries a clear mandate to fix the state’s finances. -
New Mexico Rejects Gas Tax Hike
Opinion -A special session of the New Mexico legislature closed on November 5 after rejecting a hike in the state’s gasoline tax but approving a 3 cents per gallon increase in the diesel fuel tax. -
Maine Voters Can’t Agree on Economy-Busting School Funding Plans
Opinion -Maine voters went to the polls on November 4 for a Referendum Election that presented six questions addressing everything from horse racing and casinos to bond issues for higher education and highways. -
‘No Tax’ Pledge Signers Win in Mississippi and Kentucky
Opinion -Mississippi taxpayers celebrated in early November at the election of Republican Haley Barbour as the state’s next governor. -
Philadelphia Weighs Property Tax Reform
Opinion -Pennsylvania was the birthplace of one of the most novel approaches to property taxation: the “two-rate,” or land value tax (LVT), developed by Philadelphia-born philosopher and economist Henry George (1839-1897). -
County Officials, Business Leaders Oppose Cook County Tax Plan
Opinion -A tax increase proposal floated in late October by John Stroger, president of the Cook County, Illinois, Board of Commissioners, attracted the ire of the Chicago business community and suspicion from the county commissioners who serve under him. -
Suing Gun Makers Won’t Stop Gun Violence
Opinion -Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley recently joined officials from New York and Los Angeles in urging the U.S. Senate to reject a bill banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers. -
Practical Virtues
Opinion -Courage, Diligence, Faith, Forbearance, Forgiveness, Honesty, Love, Loyalty, Prudence, Responsibility, Service, and Trustworthiness—those are the titles of the 12 chapters of a new book by the Reverend Floyd H. Flake and his wife, A.M.E. -
Amid NCLB Negativism, Bright Spots Appear
Opinion -For the second year in a row, thousands of American schoolchildren are failing to receive the benefits of the limited educational choice to which they are entitled under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. -
GAO Cable Report Smacks Down a la Carte Regulation
Opinion -On October 24, the U.S. General Accounting Office released its long-awaited report on cable industry rate competition, “Issues Related to Competition and Subscriber Rates in the Cable Television Industry.