How the FDA limits access to life-savings drugs
The FDA makes the production of life-saving medications prohibitively expensive. There are better alternatives to the FDA’s authoritarian practice of banning new drugs.
New Forest Planning Rules
A curious article in the New York Times says the Forest Service has a “new plan to manage the national forest system.” This new plan, says the Times, is 97 pages long (actually only 94) and has environmentalists upset because it no longer requires the agency to protect minimum viable populations of wildlife. In reality, […]
Opponent Arguments Batted Down, HB 1048 Stuck in Legislative Sausage Maker
A few weeks ago I told you about the “voucher bogeyman” fearmongering around Colorado House Bill 1048 (PDF) — which would provide non-refundable tax credits to parents or donors supporting a student’s private school tuition or home education. (And therefore, not a “subsidy” as was headlined and reported with a strong anti-choice slant on the […]
Breaking News: Binz Withdraws
A few minutes ago, I was sent a copy of a letter from PUC Chairman Ron Binz to Governor John Hickenlooper, in which Binz withdraws from consideration for another four year term. I just called the PUC media office, and a spokesman confirmed that Binz is stepping down. He was appointed PUC Chairman in January […]
Audio: Sentencing Reform in the 2011 Colorado General Assembly
On Tuesday, February 8th the Independence Institute’s Justice Policy Initiative, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, and the Pew Center on the States came together again to hold a panel event at the University Club to discuss the work by the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) and sentencing reform in 2011. Despite […]
President Obama vs. Judge Vinson
A great cartoon by Steve Kelley. Obama to Judge Vinson: “I can’t believe you ruled against my health reform program. Judge Vinson replies: “I can’t believe you taught Constitutional Law.”
High-Speed Train Wreck
Secretary of Immobility Ray LaHood says the administration’s high-speed rail fantasy won’t be derailed. But remember, this is the guy who said “there is no stopping” high-speed rail in Wisconsin a few months before the November election–and then he killed Wisconsin’s project himself when the “wrong party’s” candidate won the governorship. Wikipedia commons photo of […]
Upgrading Colorado Teacher Policies
Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, discusses the latest annual update to her group’s State Teacher Policy Yearbook. She explores the impact of 2010’s groundbreaking Senate Bill 191 and highlights key areas where Colorado can improve its teacher policies.
What's wrong with "least cost" for CO ratepayers?
In State Senator Scott Renfroe’s closing remarks to the State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee, he reasonably questioned members while asking for support of their support for SB11-058: “What’s wrong with striving to have our energy sources be the least cost?” Apparently everything. The committee defeated Renfroe’s “Electric Utilities Employ Least-Cost Planning for New Resource Acquisition” […]
Making Progress in K-12 Financial Transparency, But Still a Long Way to Go
A few weeks ago I pointed out to you the weak effort of Kansas’ largest school district (Wichita) to implement online financial transparency — an effort I learned about through the great work and analysis of Matthew Tabor of Education Debate at Online Schools. Afterward, I received a phone call telling me about KansasOpenGov.org, a […]
Two Local Iowa Teachers Unions Secede from NEA, State Affiliate in One Week’s Time
The Education Intelligence Agency’s Mike Antonucci
High-Speed Pork
President Obama proposes to spend $53 billion on high-speed rail over the next six years, or nearly $9 billion a year. No one knows where this money will come from, especially in view of Obama’s proposed spending freeze. Some speculate that the administration will propose to take it out of gasoline taxes, but the nation’s […]
