Opinion
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Minnesota Moves to Ban Online Gambling
Opinion -In an effort to ban Internet gambling, the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division of Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety announced in late April it was ordering 11 Internet service providers to block computers from gaining access to online -
Minnesota Power Lines Don’t Require Renewable Set-Asides
Opinion -An administrative law judge in Minnesota has determined utilities need not set aside a specific amount of space for renewable power, clearing the regulatory way for new power transmission infrastructure in the state. -
Nevada Assembly Reverses Voter-Approved Tort Reform
Opinion -In a bid to overturn the will of the state’s citizens as expressed in a 2004 ballot initiative, the Nevada Assembly has passed a measure removing a $350,000 cap on jury awards for non-economic damages in medical liability lawsuits. -
New York City Presses EPA to Ban Insect Foggers
Opinion -The New York City Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy has petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to restrict the use of insect foggers. -
No Taxpayer Bailout for Indy Sport, Convention Sites
Opinion -The Indiana General Assembly adjourned without bailing out the cash-strapped Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board, which manages the city’s sports and convention facilities. -
North Dakota Rejects State Health Expansion
Opinion -The North Dakota legislature has rejected a measure to expand eligibility for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. -
Obama Administration: Fourth Amendment Does Not Protect Cell Tower Records
Opinion -Law enforcement and other government officials should be able to look at cell phone records without first getting a warrant, according to a position the Obama administration is taking in a federal drug case. -
Obama Announces New Fuel Mileage Restrictions
Opinion -New federal government restrictions will require consumers to purchase vehicles averaging 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, President Barack Obama has announced. -
Obama Staffer Warns against Costs of CO2 Regulation
Opinion -The Environmental Protection Agency is likely to impose serious economic harm on the U.S. economy if it decides to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, an Obama administration official has warned in an interagency memo. -
Parasite Tied to Global Bee Deaths
Opinion -The sudden collapse of honeybee colonies around the world, a condition identified in 2004, is most likely caused by the parasite Nosema ceranae, not the human causes alleged by environmental activist groups, Spanish researchers have reported in -
Polls: Voters Skeptical of Global Warming Claims, Bills
Opinion -According to a new Rasmussen Poll, Americans increasingly reject the notion that humans are the primary driver of recent temperature change.Just 39 percent of American voters believe global warming is caused by human activity. -
Restaurant Menu Labeling Mandate Debated
Opinion -Citing a need to curb childhood obesity, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) has signed on as Senate sponsor of a federal bill to require calorie counts on restaurant menus. -
State Legislatures Seek to Override Governors’ Stimulus Money Rejections
Opinion -To the delight of taxpayer activists, some governors have voiced concerns about the federal stimulus package’s “bailout” of the states, with Govs. -
The Newest Unnecessary ‘Car’ Fad
Opinion -A collaborative effort between General Motors and Segway Inc. debuted Tuesday, April 7, in New York: the new PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle). -
Virginia Gov. Kaine Approves Measure Increasing Online Transparency of Budget
Opinion -Virginia taxpayers scored a big win in the 2009 General Assembly session when Gov. Tim Kaine (D) in April signed a bill putting more of the state’s budget and expenditures online in a user-friendly format easily accessible to the general public. -
Yucca Mountain Construction Involves Multiple Safeguards
Opinion -We are a long way from storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but when we do, the facilities will look much like the underground bunker in a James Bond film, where a nefarious villain hides out while plotting to blow up the world. -
Experts Applaud Supreme Court’s Decision in New Haven Discrimination Suit
Opinion -The United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision issued on Monday, June 29, 2009, ruled the City of New Haven, Connecticut violated Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 in discarding test results that would have resulted in firefighter -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #8-12
Opinion -Denture VentureThe plaintiffs’ trial bar hopes to take a bite out of makers of denture cream, alleging the product causes neurological problems due to zinc buildup in persons using it. -
Consumer Power Report #184
Opinion -The Heartland Institute is holding two Town Hall Meetings on health reform next week, one on June 30 in Indianapolis and another in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 1. We are also planning similar events in Dallas on July 8 and Atlanta on July 14. -
Proposed Caps for Massachusetts Doctor Payments Could Lead to Shortages
Opinion -A new piece of legislation in Massachusetts could fundamentally change the conditions of licensure for doctors in the state, requiring them to accept reduced pay and commit to seeing certain patients. Senate Bill 2170, introduced by state Sen. -
Protect The Promise of ‘Biosimilar’ Drugs
Opinion -Congress is exploring legislation that would create a new drug-approval process in the Food and Drug Administration for what are called “biosimilars,” drugs marketed after the patent has expired on an original biologic drug, such as insulin. -
Consumer Power Report #183
Opinion -Things in Washington get weirder by the day. It reminds me of a bunch of toddlers playing in the sand box. -
Heartland Replies To Matthew England’s Ugly and Dishonest Essay
Opinion -[Heartland President Joseph Bast submitted the following reply to an opinion-editorial by Matthew England, joint director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, that ran on June 17, 2009 in the Sydney (Australia) -
Louisiana Uses Children As Decoys For Internet Tax
Opinion -It is disheartening to see the Louisiana House nearly unanimously approve a tax on Internet access with the specious claim it is necessary to protect “the children.