Opinion
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Open Letter to Congressman William Thomas Calling Lower Taxes
Opinion -TAX CUT WORKING GROUP A Coalition for Lower Taxes and Limited Government May 1, 2003 Hon. William M. Thomas United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Thomas: Soon you will be fashioning a tax reduction bill. -
Uninsured Get a Reality Checkup
Opinion -The estimates of uninsured usually touted to justify intrusive government health care policy don’t hold up under careful scrutiny. -
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Best in Decades
Opinion -Lake Michigan creel surveys confirm what charter boat captains and sport anglers reported last summer: Trout and salmon fishing on the big pond was the best in nearly 20 years. -
Camden, NJ Takeover Upheld
Opinion -On March 18, at the Mercer County Courthouse in Trenton, New Jersey, Superior Court Judge Andrew J. Smithson upheld the constitutionality of a state takeover plan, originally passed last July, for the city of Camden and its public schools. -
With Vouchers, Would Religious Schools Predominate?
Opinion -If parents were provided with tax-funded vouchers, or scholarships, so they could freely choose to send their child to a public school, a secular private school, or a religious school, would it lead to a preponderance of religious schools of choice? -
Six Bills Would Expand Choice in Vermont
Opinion -Suit Aims to Open Choice to Religious Schools Although the U.S. -
05/2003 State Update
Opinion -Colorado * Connecticut * Georgia * Iowa Maine * Massachusetts * North Carolina * Vermont COLORADO ACLU Challenges Medicaid Cuts The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a lawsuit attempting to prevent the state from balancing its -
Illinois Mulls Single-Payer Plan
Opinion -The House passed H.B. 2268, the Health Care Justice Act, on April 1, and its potential $2.6 to $4 billion cost is no joke. -
Advocacy Groups Inflate Number of Uninsured
Opinion -Three of the most powerful advocacy groups in the country spearheaded an unprecedented $8 million campaign to persuade Americans to take yet another step down the road to a single-payer health care system. -
Bush Call for Hydrogen Funding Fuels Debate
Opinion -At an April 9 auto trade show in Hanover, Germany, General Motors and BMW announced a cooperative effort to develop refueling devices for liquid hydrogen vehicles. -
Feds Tighten Fuel Economy Mandates
Opinion -Federal regulators on April 1 imposed controversial new restrictions on light trucks, vans, and SUVs, mandating a 1.5 mile per gallon increase in fuel economy. Under the new standards, auto manufacturers must achieve a fleet average of 22. -
New Report Decries Eco Scare Tactics
Opinion -Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop has urged lawmakers and regulators to ensure that policies aimed at protecting children are scientifically sound. -
EPA Regulation Impedes Oil-spill Cleanups
Opinion -Several months after the oil tanker Prestige foundered and sank off Spain’s Galician coast, spilling 20,000 tons of fuel oil, it is clear the catastrophe is one of the worst in history. -
Congress Revises Bush Energy Plan
Opinion -Furious debate and closed-door maneuvering are shaping the fate of President Bush’s energy plan. The President suffered a setback as the Senate narrowly rejected legislation to allow oil recovery in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). -
Business Roundtable Launches Climate RESOLVE
Opinion -The Business Roundtable (BRT) announced on February 12 a large-scale initiative to voluntarily reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of its member companies. -
ALEC Offers Guidebook on State Greenhouse Gas Regulation
Opinion -With the failure of the Kyoto Protocol at the federal level, several states are advancing so-called “son-of-Kyoto” legislation at the state level to eliminate affordable hydrocarbon-based fuels--such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas--from -
SARS Lessons for U.S.
Opinion -It’s been almost two months since SARS, the Asian “mystery pneumonia,” burst onto the world scene, yet already so much has changed. The causative agent is now believed to be an especially virulent form of a common cold virus--the coronavirus. -
Heart Problems Reported in Smallpox Vaccine Recipients
Opinion -Two women, both first-responder health care workers in their 50s, have died of heart attacks suffered after receiving vaccinations against the smallpox virus. -
Market-based Health Care Reform Can Spur the Economy
Opinion -The federal government released data in January showing the United States spent $1.4 trillion--$5,035 per capita--on health care in 2001. This year, spending could increase to nearly $1.7 trillion. -
05/2003 Scandlen at Large: Consumer Choice Matters
Opinion -The National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) are in the forefront of opposition to Association Health Plan (AHP) legislation now before Congress. -
Malpractice Reform Takes a Hit
Opinion -While the war in Iraq has distracted Congress from medical malpractice reform, it appears legislators remain focused on Medicare reform and the creation of a workable prescription drug benefit program for seniors. -
Two Hairy Stories
Opinion -A public school policy that a judge regards as “stupid” nevertheless provides two lessons for private schools who wish to maintain their independence: It is vitally important--even in the absence of vouchers--to adopt and communicate written policies -
Accountability Requirements of Existing School Choice Programs
Opinion -Independence Institute researcher Marya DeGrow has compiled an informative list of the accountability requirements of current voucher and tax credit programs, from tuitioning in Vermont and Maine to the latest tax credit and voucher programs in -
School Choice Would Encourage Parental Involvement
Opinion -Although education-related organizations like the National PTA, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association all promote the idea of parental involvement, they are rigidly opposed to one proven method for encouraging