Opinion
-
Vermont Creates $40 Million Telecom Authority
Opinion -As president of the state Senate, Vermont's lieutenant governor cast a tie-breaking vote in May to pass, 16 votes to 15, a controversial bill establishing a telecommunications authority in the state. -
Congress Revisits Online Gambling Ban
Opinion -In late April, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and 11 co-sponsors introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2046). -
Mobile TV Poised to Create Even More Competition
Opinion -In May, Motorola released a new wireless phone that's more about media than calling. The phone comes loaded with The Bourne Identity and is designed to play Hollywood blockbusters and video games. -
Vermont Global Warming Trial Challenges Auto Emissions Law
Opinion -In a scene reminiscent of Michael Crichton's novel State of Fear, global warming alarmists and realists squared off in federal district court in Vermont for two weeks in early May. -
California Senate Rejects Dam Proposal
Opinion -California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) plan to build two new hydroelectric dams has foundered, at least temporarily, as the California Senate on April 24 voted against the governor's $4 billion proposal. -
Rush to Fight Global Warming Misses Adaptation Opportunities
Opinion -This article is the first in a two-part series exploring how industry and society at large might respond to predicted climate change. U.S. -
Biofuels Are Threatening Tropical Rain Forests
Opinion -Increasing use of biofuels threatens environmental degradation in the Earth's most fragile ecosystems, according to an April 17 report by the environmental group Ecologists in Action. -
Idaho County Stands by Aquatic Herbicides
Opinion -Guided by the findings of a blue-ribbon panel of aquatic plant managers, Bonner County, Idaho commissioners agreed on May 8 to continue using aquatic herbicides as the centerpiece of their program to eradicate Eurasian milfoil. -
‘Unbiased’ Advisory Group Exposed
Opinion -The Center for Climate Strategies, an advisory organization that contracts with state governments to implement global warming strategies, is funded by and linked to some of the nation's most alarmist environmental activist foundations, according to an -
Skeptics Are Scoring Points, Changing Global Warming Debate
Opinion -With great fanfare, former Vice President Al Gore took Capitol Hill this March like a conquering hero as he testified on global warming before both houses of Congress. -
Kansas Hikes Spending, Cuts Business Taxes
Opinion -Kansas legislators approved a 10 percent spending hike and targeted tax cuts as their legislative session ended May 2. -
Profile in Civic Commitment: Michael Dunmire
Opinion -In November 2005, Washington State voters restored the state auditor's authority to conduct independent performance audits of state and local government. -
Massachusetts Officials Say State Must Curb Health Cost
Opinion -To sustain the landmark Massachusetts health insurance initiative, the state must find ways to control the climbing costs of health care, policymakers said at a May 14 forum on the first year of health care reform. -
Solutions to the Uninsured Problem
Opinion -The following is an excerpt from the study Understanding the Uninsured and What to Do About Them, by the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, March 2007--the second of a two-part series. -
States Nearing Crisis in Retiree Benefits
Opinion -While early estimates suggested state and local governments have accumulated hundreds of billions of dollars of debt in unfunded "other post-employment benefits" (OPEBs), revised estimates now indicate those early numbers may have been much too low. -
U.S. Broadband Adoption Rank Triggers Debate
Opinion -The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April released new statistics on broadband penetration. The figures put the United States at 15th among OECD countries as of year-end 2006, down from 13th a year earlier. -
Definition Could Affect Poker’s Legal Status
Opinion -Poker players, whether they play online or in brick-and-mortar casinos and card rooms, agree winning consistently depends largely on skill, even though an element of luck comes into play with the turn of the cards. -
Letter Urges Caterpillar to Withdraw from Climate Action Partnership
Opinion -The following letter was sent in June by numerous private citizens and public policy organizations to James W. Owens, CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., urging him to withdraw Caterpillar from the U.S. -
Global Warming Activists Target Farmers
Opinion -When politicking in Farm Belt states, global warming alarmists frequently assert global warming legislation will benefit farmers. -
Tax Hikes Are ‘Off the Table’ in California
Opinion -All 15 Republican members of the California Senate and all but one of the 32 Republican members of the California Assembly have joined state Sen. -
States See the Need for Spending Transparency
Opinion -This spring several states either passed or went to the verge of passing legislation that would mandate the creation of comprehensive databases detailing government expenditures in a clear and consistent format accessible to all taxpayers. -
$280 Billion a Year in Federal Waste, Abuse Is Identified
Opinion -According to current budget proposals, Congress cannot find a single wasteful program or project it wants to cut. -
HHS Aims to Adopt Electronic Medical Records
Opinion -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working on ways to adopt a national electronic medical records (EMRs) infrastructure within a year, while still trying to ensure patients' privacy. -
Independent Health Record Bank Act
Opinion -In response to public concerns regarding health data, last year Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Rep. Paul D.
