Americans for Tax Reform offers up four variations of State of the Union Bingo. Far safer than drinking games.
MNFMI
House Repeal Vote: Latest Salvo in Health Care Battle
As you probably know by now, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). Legally, it means nothing, since it’s only an action of one chamber of Congress. Politically, it shows that Republicans may have gotten the message that the law is unpopular, and filled with problems. The Washington Post called it the “first major act of the new Congress,” and […]
A Guide to Repealing ObamaCare
What can state legislatures do to repeal ObamaCare? Plenty, says Christie Herrera of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC has just released The State Legislators Guide to Repealing ObamaCare, which offers legislators plenty of options for defunding ObamaCare, drawing attention to its harmful effects, and otherwise working to undo the increasing rate of “governmentizing” health care. For states, ObamaCare has several harmful effects, including: Increased […]
School Choice in Minnesota: Real but Small
In advance of school choice week, we should ask, “How widespread is school choice in Minnesota?” The answer is “modest, at best.” On the plus side, it has the second-best law on charter schools in the nation, according to the Center for Education Reform. The center cites the following: There are no caps on the number of charter schools. A variety of institutions–colleges, school districts, and […]
Making Lemonade out of a Lemon: How Minnesota Can Save $30 Million a Year
There’s still $4 billion in “stimulus” money dedicated to education, and the Foundation for Educational Choice has some ideas for how to spend that money in a way that will produce long-term savings. A new report by Brian Gottlob suggests that the money be distributed to states for the purpose of creating school scholarships. While “Race to the Top” funding (which has also come out of […]
Defining Property Rights After a Storm
If you shovel out a parking spot, should you be able to “own” it by placing a lawn chair or other item in the space when you’re out shopping or at work? These questions and other illustrate the importance of economic principles and institutions in addressing everyday problems. The New York Times recently ran a story on a perennial topic–the phenomenon of “space savers” in South […]
When Bad Policy is in Plain View
Sometimes the bad effects of a law are hard to see. But at other times, the problem with a law is quite visible and obvious to the naked eye. A few years ago Congress passed and President Bush signed the “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,” which, among other things, set in place a phased-in ban on the incandescent bulb in favor of the […]
Free Wi-Fi, Courtesy of Corporate Self-interest
Remember the saying, “to the person who has a hammer, everything looks like a nail?” Here’s one application of that in the political world: “If there’s a new, promising service or technology on the horizon, government must get involved to promote it.” We we’ve endured taxes, subsidies, and regulations, all in the name of increasing access to electricity, “green” products (think: Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt), […]
Throttling Small Business in Minnesota
There’s a reason why you’re hearing those radio commercials for Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Minnesota is not a great place to start or run a small business, but South Dakota is. That’s the word from the Small Business Survival Committee, which has recently released its annual index of the 50 states. Minnesota comes in at #42 in the country. Are you surprised to learn that the […]
Don’t Buy Our Stuff
If you need evidence of the strange quality of government-managed business, look no further than your energy companies. Imagine for a minute that your cable TV company sends you a letter that says “We’ve been monitoring your use of pay-per-view movies, and we found that you buy 20 percent more movies than your neighbors. Here are some ideas for reducing your purchases of movies: …..” […]