Opinion
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Congress Hears Complaints about Telecom Taxes
Opinion -Despite pressure from consumers to reduce telecommunications taxes, lawmakers continue to view the industry as a potential source of additional revenue. -
Illinois Brothers Charged with $10 Million Cigarette Tax Scam
Opinion -Two brothers from the Chicago suburb of Burbank, Illinois were arrested June 6 for allegedly diverting millions of dollars in taxes on sales of tobacco products. A third brother was arrested in Florida on the same charges. The U.S. -
In the News
Opinion -States Step Up Video Game Regulation State and local governments are taking aim at the video gaming industry, proposing laws that would attach regulations to the distribution and sale of games with violent or sexual content. -
‘Net Neutrality’ Fight Moves to States
Opinion -The bitter fight over "network neutrality" regulations has mainly been a matter for national legislators, but the debate over how Internet broadband is managed could soon be coming to a state capitol near you. A failed amendment in the U.S. -
New Jersey Budget Crisis Ends with $1.8B Price Tag
Opinion -Sales taxes and other taxes in New Jersey are projected to rise by $1.8 billion for the next fiscal year, the apparent price of ending a stalemate between New Jersey Gov. -
New York Lawmakers Propose Spending Limits
Opinion -New York has long been known as one of the most heavily taxed states in the nation. Now two Republican lawmakers hope to bring relief to the state's beleaguered taxpayers. -
News Release: Be Afraid of ‘Big Box’ Laws, Experts Say
Opinion -(Chicago, Illinois - July 27, 2006) On July 26, 2006 the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance requiring retailers with 90,000 square feet of space and more than $1 billion in revenue to pay a "living wage" in excess of the state's current minimum -
School Finance Still Up in the Air in Kansas
Opinion -A massive increase in state spending on public schools in Kansas might not be enough to end a decade-long lawsuit against the state, as the matter went to court again in June. -
Senate Moves Forward on Telecom Reform
Opinion -The U.S. Senate Energy and Commerce Committee approved on June 28 a sweeping bill to overhaul U.S. telecommunications regulation. The House has already passed a bill. S. -
Senate Moves Forward on Telecom Reform
Opinion -Senate Republicans aim to get a sweeping overhaul of U.S. telecommunications regulation to a floor vote before Congress adjourns for the summer. -
States Take Action to Rein in Eminent Domain Abuses
Opinion -Driven by a substantial outcry from homeowners and small businesses, the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London, Conn. -
Strange Bedfellows Insist on Transparency
Opinion -When the conservative Eagle Forum and the liberal National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) come together on an issue, there's no doubt it's a position that bridges a broad range of political perspectives. -
Supreme Court ‘Muddies’ Wetlands Law
Opinion -On June 19 a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must show a significant nexus between a wetland and a navigable body of water in order to assert regulatory control under the Clean Water Act. -
Technology Has Made Our Public Schools Less Efficient
Opinion -Michigan education officials are championing a new regulation that would require every high school student’s education to include a substantial “online experience” of some kind, with the assumption being most students would complete an online class. -
Time to End the Silicon Valley ‘Talent Tax’
Opinion -President George W. Bush wants to make the American workforce globally competitive, but new government rules may soon push the best and brightest of Silicon Valley out of the country. Unless the U.S. -
Tobacco Ruling Pried from Attorneys General
Opinion -On June 21, two free-market public policy groups succeeded in wresting from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) details of a secret ruling on the nationwide tobacco settlement. -
Union Spending Exposed by New Rule
Opinion -Question: What does Tiger Woods have in common with union officials? Answer: They both play a lot of golf. The only difference is that union officials get to play on their members' dime. A lot of dimes, actually. Organized labor spent $1. -
What Are Prevailing Wages? It Depends on Who You Ask
Opinion -A big part of the problem with prevailing wage laws is that prevailing wages don't prevail. The federal government and many state governments use a voluntary survey to determine the wage that prevails in construction. -
A World Without Experts
Opinion -Dear Editor: Isn't it a bit disingenuous to attack climatologist Patrick Michaels ["Utilities Pay Scientist Ally on Warming," July 28] for taking money to fund his ongoing research and advocacy? Are scientists supposed to work for free? -
Heartland Misrepresented
Opinion -Dear Editor: Eric Schlosser severely misrepresents my organization, The Heartland Institute, in his interview with Robin Schatz ["Q&A: Trying to Enlighten Kids on the Perils of Fast-Food," July 26]. -
Consumer Power Report #42
Opinion -Consumer Power Report, written by Greg Scandlen, director of Consumers for Health Care Choices at The Heartland Institute, is a weekly report summarizing recent developments on consumer-directed health care in the media, legislative, and regulatory -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #5-9
Opinion -Fast Food Police Gang Can't Shoot Straight In 1988, the Center for Science in the Public Interest demanded McDonald's cease using beef tallow to cook its French fries and instead substitute partially hydrogenated cooking oils that contain trans fat. -
Welfare Is the Real Problem, Not Immigration
Opinion -One of the big arguments for tightening immigration barriers is the fear that immigrants will enlarge the welfare rolls. An example of this fear was recently demonstrated in California at a hearing of the House Government Reform Committee in San Diego. -
Consumer Power Report #41
Opinion -Consumer Power Report, written by Greg Scandlen, director of Consumers for Health Care Choices at The Heartland Institute, is a weekly report summarizing recent developments on consumer-directed health care in the media, legislative, and regulatory
