Opinion
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Medical Evidence Helps Hold Off Smoking Bans in St. Louis Region
Opinion -Despite the smoking ban juggernaut that has run over other towns, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and St. Louis County Council have both declined to impose such a ban on area bars and restaurants. Smoking ban opponents have shown these St. -
Taco Wars No Mas?
Opinion -Dear Editor: The recent truce called between the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and "taco truck" operators in unincorporated portions of the county ("Effort against LA-area taco trucks loses its bite," Denise Petski, Associated Press, October -
Survey Shows Gas, Sales, and Cigarette Taxes Are Trending Higher
Opinion -The taxes Americans pay as consumers in retail stores, at the gas pump, and for cigarettes are trending higher, according to an annual survey of consumption taxes by CCH Inc. -
Colorado Lawmakers Approve Sunday Liquor Sales
Opinion -Colorado liquor stores are now allowed to sell beer, wine, and other spirits on Sundays, ending a sales ban that had been in force since Prohibition days. The lifting of the ban is the result of Senate Bill 82, effective July 1. -
Bargaining, Contributions an Issue in Indiana
Opinion -A labor union with a large public-sector membership is pledging to spend any amount necessary to elect in Indiana a Democrat governor who will restore collective-bargaining powers that have been rolled back by incumbent Mitch Daniels (R). -
October 2008 Budget & Tax News: The High Cost of Government
Opinion -The October 2008 issue of Budget & Tax News highlights the high cost of government, reporting on the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Ten Thousand Commandments report and the annual Cost of Government Day report issued by the Americans for Tax -
NTU Awards Nine Grants to State, Local Tax Watchdog Groups
Opinion -The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has begun a program to help launch nine state- and local-level taxpayer groups, from Florida to New Hampshire and points in between, by recently awarding thousands of dollars in grants. -
California Dreaming Green Pipe Dreams
Opinion -Dear Editor: Mayor Chuck Reed is nationally renowned for his celebrated "green jobs" initiative in San Jose. -
Davis-Bacon Union Wage Costs Are Reaching Far Beyond Government
Opinion -Construction projects across the country cost more than they should because of a Depression-era minimum wage law meant to apply only to federally financed public works projects. -
IRS Promises to Get More Aggressive in 2009
Opinion -The head of the small business/self-employed division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has promised more audit activity in 2009. -
Labor Union Conflict-of-Interest Question Hits Washington Governor
Opinion -Labor unions in Washington state are pouring millions of dollars into the re-election campaign of Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) in hopes she will pour billions of dollars of taxpayer money into programs that pay state government workers. -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #7-17
Opinion -Let’s Sue It Again Another lawyer has visions of dollar signs dancing in his head over a lost pair of pants. Last year a Washington, DC administrative law judge sued his local dry cleaners for $54 million because they lost his trousers. -
St. Louis Bars and Restaurants Try Clearing the Air
Opinion -Many St. Louis bars and restaurants that want to allow smoking but also attract customers concerned about secondhand smoke are installing machines that filter smoke from the air. -
Wal-Mart Helps, Doesn’t Hurt, Local Mom and Pop Stores
Opinion -Media people, union officials, owners of small stores, politicians, and many others routinely criticize Wal-Mart for nearly as many reasons as there are suppliers unloading their wares at the retail giant. -
Yankees Stadium Gobbles Taxpayer Money, Reignites Debate over Public Funding
Opinion -The New York Yankees’ new $1.3 billion stadium—the most expensive ever built in the United States—is being made possible by a generous grant from an increasingly familiar sponsor: the taxpayer. -
Entrepreneurs in Education
Opinion -Dear Editor: Ordinarily we think of entrepreneurs as folks who take risks in quest of a big financial return. However, as Kevin Teasley’s thought-provoking Oct. -
Green Programs that Partner with Corporate America Work
Opinion -Dear Editor: Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Stacy Shelton may have been the herald of a new world order for sustainable "green" energy conservation consumer strategies ("Tax holiday on low-flow toilets, energy-efficient products," October 2). -
To the Editor
Opinion -Thank you for publishing John Fund's touching tribute to J. Patrick Rooney, who died this week at the age of 80. -
Will Civil Disobedience Play In Peoria?
Opinion -Comedian Richard Pryor was infamous for smashing the sacred cows of American culture in ludicrous fashion. -
Wind Farms in the Ocean? Maybe Not
Opinion -While we hear of the great potential of wind turbines at sea, the reality reminds us of the experience of every American rancher and farmer who was in business before 1940 and depended on windmills, which were high maintenance and unreliable at their -
Consumer Power Report #147
Opinion -Our latest Consumer Education workshop was held on Wednesday, October 1, in Chicago. The presentations by Doug Andrews of Argus Financial, Glenn Stokes of HSA Bank, Bob Hamilton, MD, and Doug O'Brien of the state Chamber of Commerce were just terrific. -
The Excitement of Hoosier Academy
Opinion -Dear Editor: News of the opening of The Hoosier Academy is exciting, not just because it is a charter school but because it gives promise of being a truly innovative institution integrating the strengths of home-schooling, coaching, and online -
Subsidies Make the Energy World Go ‘Round
Opinion -The green energy and alternative energy movements are on the march. The subsidies for solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro energy are in place and poised for any program that passes the test--is it something other than old reliable coal and oil? -
FDIC Is Putting Taxpayers at Huge Risk
Opinion -Many pro-market economists have been explaining for years that the FDIC banking system creates an intolerable risk for banks and the economy.