Opinion
-
Film Companies Enjoy Huge State Tax Incentives
Opinion -The film and television production business is booming in many areas of the country as some 40 states offer the industry tax incentives on everything from catering expenses to studio construction. -
Land-Use Laws Bode Continuing Mortgage Crisis
Opinion -Among the many theories about what caused the housing crisis, the standard line is that more-liberal credit increased demand, which increased prices. -
Maine Voters Repeal Dirigo Tax Increase
Opinion -Voters in Maine will have a slightly smaller tax burden this year after passing a ballot initiative in November repealing a tax increase implemented earlier in the year to fund an expansion of Dirigo Care, the state’s taxpayer-funded health -
Hawaii’s Keiki Crash Offers Lesson for All
Opinion -Hawaii just had a vivid lesson in health care economics, learning that if you offer people insurance for free—surprise, surprise—they’ll quickly drop other coverage to enroll. -
Medicaid Spending to Double by 2017, CMS Officials Say
Opinion -State and federal spending on Medicaid is projected to increase by more than 7.9 percent per year over the next decade under current Medicaid plans, according to a report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Office of the Actuary. -
Obama Pledges to ‘Skyrocket’ Electricity Prices
Opinion -President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to force electricity prices to “skyrocket” and to “bankrupt” any new coal-fired power plants in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -
Grass Roots Oppose Federal ‘Land Grab’ Measure
Opinion -A letter signed by 111 national and state organizations from across the country was delivered to the U.S. Senate on November 10 requesting the Senators join them in opposing the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2008. -
Bailout Bill’s Carbon Audit Promises More Pain
Opinion -An ominous carbon audit of the U.S. -
Montanans Want Choice
Opinion -A new survey has raised awareness of public support for school choice in Montana—but lawmakers say legislative success is not likely to come in the near future. -
Nevada Pushes for Single Charter School Authorizer
Opinion -After the Nevada Board of Education ended an eight-month moratorium on new charter schools in early August, the state’s Department of Education is now proposing the legislature create an independent charter school authorizing group in 2009. -
Maine Parents United for School Choice
Opinion -Parents and voters in Orland, a small rural town in northeastern Maine, have decided to preserve their right to school choice through a narrow 671-644 vote. -
Private Options for Mortgage Recovery Offered
Opinion -In an effort to relieve taxpayers of the enormous financial obligations the recent Wall Street bailout involves, economists and other analysts are offering alternatives to government takeovers of troubled loans. Costly Loan Modifications Sheila C. -
Florida Taps Overseas Firm to Expand Key Highway
Opinion -Florida transportation officials have selected a Spanish construction conglomerate to design, build, and operate the expansion of an interstate highway in the Fort Lauderdale/Plantation area. -
Louisville Groups Unite to Close Gaps in Achievement and Graduation Rates
Opinion -A coalition of black pastors, civil rights leaders, and school choice activists is combining research and grassroots action to promote school choice as a catalyst for reforms in Kentucky. -
Los Angeles Teachers Create Choice Group for Students
Opinion -Sara Hernandez, a first-year teacher at a public school in Los Angeles, realized three of her students could excel at private schools, where they would receive a more-comprehensive curriculum and a more-rigorous college preparatory experience. -
Study: School Choice Works Everywhere
Opinion -A groundbreaking new international study provides strong evidence greater competition from the private education sector increases the academic performance of public school students. Martin West, Ph.D. of Brown University and Ludger Woessmann, Ph.D. -
New Jersey Considers Dropout Reduction Program
Opinion -At 2 percent in 2007, New Jersey has one of the nation’s lowest high school dropout rates, according to the state’s education department. -
Obama’s Most Telling Choice
Opinion -The most telling choice Barack Obama has made since becoming the nation’s president-elect has nothing to do with his Cabinet or senior advisors. -
Flunked Shows Pressing Need for Choice
Opinion -Narrated by actor Joe Mantegna, the new documentary film Flunked takes a cold, hard look at the problems plaguing the American education system. -
Environmental Myths Masterfully Debunked
Opinion -Greener Than Thou by Terry L. Anderson and Laura E. Huggins Hoover Institution Press, 2008 172 pages, $15.00, ISBN 978-0817948528 Greener Than Thou, the new book by Terry L. Anderson and Laura E. -
Government’s Drunk on Taxing Spirits
Opinion -When taxes throughout the production, distribution, and sales process are totaled, the tax burden on distilled spirits is among the highest imposed on any product, according to the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation. At an average price of $13. -
Kennedy Expected to Offer Health Care Overhaul Measure
Opinion -Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has been moving to put together a comprehensive health care reform package as his final legacy. -
Therapeutic Drug Substitution Raises Consumer Concerns
Opinion -Patients across the nation are concerned medical professionals may be engaging in a process known as “therapeutic substitution” of their medications, according to a study conducted by the National Consumers League. -
Florida May Expand Medicaid Pilot Program
Opinion -The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has proposed expanding its pilot Medicaid program, which offers increased consumer choice by allowing Medicaid recipients to pick their health plan from a variety of private insurers, to 20 additional