Opinion
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Port of Seattle Spends to Defend Itself
Opinion -The Port of Seattle's legal bills have topped $1 million for three law firms hired in response to its recent performance audit and the launch of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. -
Online Retailers Sue Over N.Y. Internet Sales Tax
Opinion -Overstock.com informed more than 3,400 New York-based affiliate advertisers that they can no longer provide ads for Overstock. -
Wisconsin Dams Neglected, Deteriorating as State Has Diverted Repair Funding
Opinion -Heavy flooding in Wisconsin this spring and summer has drawn many a wary eye to the condition of the state's approximately 3,800 dams--and to the state's neglect of funding for a program to repair or remove them. On June 11 Wisconsin Gov. -
Bottled Water Tax Brings Only a Trickle of Revenue
Opinion -Chicago city officials predicted a big flow of revenue from the nation's first tax on bottled water, but the take so far has been just a trickle, forcing Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) to order millions of dollars in budget cuts. -
Congress Opts for Farm Bill Pork Rather than Reform
Opinion -After repeated delays, unexpected clerical missteps, and two presidential vetoes, the 2007 Farm Bill became law in June. The previous Farm Bill was passed in 2002. -
IPCC Author Selection Process Plagued by Bias, Cronyism: Study
Opinion -The selection of authors for the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose 2007 assessment report is often referred to as the definitive consensus regarding climate science, has been riddled with bias and cronyism, falling -
Still More Peer-Reviewed Studies Contradict Global Warming Alarmism
Opinion -Despite what many global warming alarmists assert in the media, there are many articles in the world's leading science publications contradicting the assertion that "the debate is over" about global warming. -
Michigan Says Bald Eagles, Gray Wolves No Longer Endangered There
Opinion -Bald eagles and gray wolves have made such a dramatic comeback in Michigan that the state's Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is proposing the two species be removed from the state's Endangered Species List. -
House Bill Would Require States to Report SCHIP Expansion Efforts
Opinion -Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to require states to submit annual reports on their enrollment and outreach efforts for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). -
Arizona a Prime Example of Financial Ruin by Medicaid
Opinion -Medicaid is the primary culprit behind state and local governments' bleak financial outlook, according to an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) review of data recently released by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO). -
Voucher Competition Begins to Make Inroads in Milwaukee
Opinion -Although vouchers are supposed to prompt improvements in the public schools through competition for students, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) have shown little improvement in graduation rates or test scores -- despite the migration of more than 19,000 -
Rev. Al Sharpton, Other Prominent Democrats Break with Unions, Join Choice Movement
Opinion -Teacher unions and other traditional voices in education may be getting it wrong, the Rev. Al Sharpton has decided. -
Tax Bites: The Toll of Hidden Taxes on Car Rentals
Opinion -The taxpayer-advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) has estimated average prices and taxes imposed on 13 popular targets for multiple layers of hidden taxes. "Sin" taxes, telecommunications taxes, and taxes on tourists are included in the analysis. -
Fees Bringing in More than Enough
Opinion -Research by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a nonprofit, free-market research institute based in Austin, shows Texas consumers in the state's 10 largest cities have paid more than $4 billion in franchise fees for various private-sector services over -
Budget Transparency Problems Are Identified in 50-State Survey
Opinion -The Institute for Truth in Accounting, based in Northbrook, Illinois, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded by financial and public policy experts to develop more effective accounting standards and deliver accurate government financial -
Illinois Is Playing a Dangerous Game with its Broken Annual Budget Process
Opinion -For the second year in a row the Illinois state government started its fiscal year, which began July 1, without an approved budget. Legislators passed a 2009 budget by the May 31, 2008 deadline, but the governor refused to sign it. -
Many Dam Removals Unnecessary, Pressed by Activists
Opinion -The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has identified dams as one of the biggest threats to Wisconsin's biodiversity, according to the River Alliance of Wisconsin, an advocacy group for the protection of rivers. -
New South Dakota Measure Favors Railroads Over Private Property Rights
Opinion -Railroads operating in South Dakota will have an easier time seizing private property under state Senate Bill 174, which became law July 1. -
Researcher Says ‘Raucous Showdown’ with Government Unions Is Ahead
Opinion -To guarantee continued delivery of public services at a reasonable cost, local, state, and federal lawmakers will soon be forced to stand up to government employee unions, according to a new study by Lewis M. Andrews, Ph.D. -
R.I. Court Throws Out Lead Paint Case
Opinion -The Rhode Island Supreme Court has unanimously ruled paint companies are not liable for $2.4 billion required to abate deteriorating lead paint in 240,000 privately owned residences. -
Delaware Court OKs Harvest of Horseshoe Crabs
Opinion -Environmental activist groups have no basis for challenging horseshoe crab harvesting guidelines enacted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Delaware Supreme Court has ruled. -
Public Opinion Shifts in Favor of Domestic Oil and Gas Production
Opinion -Reeling from skyrocketing gasoline prices and soaring electricity costs, a clear majority of Americans now favor increased drilling for oil and natural gas on U.S. territory and on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), polls show. -
Expert Sees Problems with Drink, Rental Car Taxes
Opinion -"Any time you raise the price of something, you decrease its consumption." So says Frank Gamrat, an economist and senior research associate at the Allegheny Institute in Pittsburgh. -
Texas Treats Phone Use Like a ‘Sin’
Opinion -Texas lawmakers have been studying the state's telecom taxes, which rank among the highest in the nation, and have begun lowering the tax burden on telephone users.