Opinion
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Franchise Reform Bills Snowball in the States
Opinion -The Missouri General Assembly has overwhelmingly passed legislation that would allow statewide franchising for cable TV competitors. -
Georgia Speaker Is Considering State Tax Overhaul
Opinion -Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) has hired economist Arthur Laffer, known as the father of supply-side economics, to develop tax solutions for the state. Laffer has proposed eliminating all taxes in Georgia except for "sin taxes," a 5. -
Gore Testifies Before Congress on Global Warming
Opinion -In testimony before the U.S. Congress on March 21, former vice president Al Gore asserted "there is no longer any serious debate over the basic points that make up the consensus on global warming." He advocated laws that would force U.S. -
Governors Press Bush for More Children’s Health Money
Opinion -Democrat and Republican governors alike want President George W. Bush to provide $745 million in additional funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). -
High Court to Decide Whether Union Rights Trump Personal Rights
Opinion -The U.S. Supreme Court is considering oral arguments in the consolidated cases of Washington v. Washington Education Association and Davenport v. WEA, which could have major implications for organized labor and the rights of workers nationwide. -
‘Income Inequality’ Claims Ring Hollow When Correctly Examined
Opinion -New York Times columnist David Brooks began a January 14, 2007 piece by saying, "Income inequality is on the rise." No fact or explanation was offered because this is something "everyone knows. -
Kentucky Corporate Minimum Tax Comes Under Fire
Opinion -Despite a top lawmaker’s claim that Kentucky’s alternative minimum calculation (AMC) tax, also known as a gross receipts tax, is “un-American,” it appears the business levy will remain in place at least until the state’s -
Lawmakers Push for More State, Local Flexibility Under NCLB
Opinion -As Congressional committees opened hearings on reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in mid-March, conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill unveiled a proposal to give states greater freedom and flexibility in how federal funds for -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #6-5
Opinion -A Real-Life ‘Perry Mason’ Moment It’s not uncommon for medical malpractice defense lawyers to hire investigators to secretly videotape plaintiffs who claim serious crippling injuries, hoping to catch them in a big lie. It almost never works. -
Local Wisc. School Superintendent Wants Charter School for His District
Opinion -When Ken Bates became superintendent of the Green Lake School District in central Wisconsin last July, he inherited a huge problem--a financially struggling school system with little state aid and steadily declining enrollment. -
Media Advisory: American Lung Association Misleads Public, Says Expert
Opinion -(Chicago, Illinois - May 1, 2007) Today, the American Lung Association released its State of the Air 2007 report. The following comment on the report is from Joel Schwartz, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. -
Missouri House Rejects Two School Choice Measures
Opinion -In March, the Missouri House of Representatives rejected a school choice bill that would have created tax credits for individuals and businesses. The vote was 96-62. House Bill 498, sponsored by Rep. -
Mo. Judge Pulls Tax Cut from Ballot
Opinion -A judge in St. Louis County, Missouri has ruled that trustees for a local fire protection district may ask voters to raise the district's maximum tax rate, but not to lower it. Judge James R. -
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Municipal Broadband Subsidies Are ‘a Waste’
Opinion -Fifty-two municipal broadband systems have soaked up $840 million in taxpayer money over the past 20 years while providing little benefit, according to a study released in February. -
Municipal Broadband Systems Censor Web
Opinion -In decisions that might become more common as cities deal with user congestion on their municipal wireless systems, two cities are blocking access to high-bandwidth content and applications. -
Municipal Consultant Rips Broadband Activists
Opinion -The head of one of the top international municipal wireless consulting firms has accused the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) of promoting a political agenda at the expense of a sound business plan for a -
New Hamp. Legislators Address RFID Concerns
Opinion -Controversy over the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) continues to grow as New Hampshire has reintroduced legislation to regulate the use of RFID chips in consumer products and entirely ban their use in government documents such as driver's -
New Mexico’s Gross Receipts Tax Offers a Cautionary Tale
Opinion -Gross receipts taxes are beginning to spread nationwide, to the dismay of economists, businesspeople, and consumers, a new report observes. -
President Curbs Power of Agencies to Issue Regulatory ‘Guidance’
Opinion -An executive order by President George W. Bush, aimed at curbing the power of federal agencies to regulate businesses through "guidance," will be watched closely by business and environmental groups in the coming months. -
School Choice by the Numbers
Opinion -Getting Choice Right: Ensuring Equity and Efficiency in Education Policy edited by Julian Betts and Tom Loveless Brookings Institution Press, December 2005 255 pages, $19. -
Several Systems Studied
Opinion -The municipal telecom systems selected for analysis in Wi-Fi Waste: The Disaster of Municipal Communications Networks, the Pacific Research Institute report by Sonia Arrison, Dr. -
Small Companies Seek Alternatives for CALEA
Opinion -With the deadline for compliance with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) approaching, rural telephone companies are scrambling to meet the Congressional mandate to make it possible for possible for law enforcement personnel to -
States Eye Open Source Software Rules
Opinion -Three states are looking to legislate procurement and use of computer software formats for document storage, triggering a new round of debate over whether such laws actually benefit citizens and save money or simply provide a government-aided advantage
