Did the Founders’ Constitution Permit Federal Tort Reform?
NOTE: The photo shows the author at the sundial in James Madison’s garden at Montpelier, VA. On behalf of the national Chamber of Commerce, super-lawyer Paul Clement has authored a new paper arguing that federal tort reform is constitutional. The paper begins with a section purporting to show that the Framers’ Commerce Clause was broad […]
Happy Thanksgiving
The Columbia River Crossing Is (or at Least Should Be) Dead
Taxpayers for Common Sense recently released a report (see page 27) that finds $2 trillion in budget cuts that will allow Congress to avoid the “fiscal cliff”–and one of those cuts is the Columbia River Crossing. The agency planning this bridge has managed to spend well over $130 million without accomplishing anything except to design […]
Denver Teacher Finally Able to Exit Union, But Happy Ending Isn’t for All
I have a (sort of) happy ending to a story shared here back in April. Though she had to wait nearly a whole year, Denver teacher Ronda Reinhardt finally was able to exercise her right and revoke her union membership.
In many Colorado school districts (including Denver), a teacher who wants to exercise her right to […]
Appeals Court Weighs Dougco Choice Program: Will Families Be Able to Give Thanks?
On November 19, the Colorado Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case of Larue v Colo State Board of Education. At issue is the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program, unanimously adopted by the school board in March 2011, which allowed up to 500 students greater access to private education options. Cautious optimism awaits a decision coming in “due course,” probably in early 2013.
Oklahoma Doctors vs. Obamacare – Reason.com
In Oklahoma City, there’s an alternative health care market taking shape in which hospitals offers competitive flat fee prices to self-funded companies. And it’s all modeled after the Surgery Center. Continue reading
Is Collapse Inevitable?
“What do you think is going to happen?” my friend asked, adding that most people he talked with believed the nation if not the world would suffer a major economic collapse in the next four years. Given the nation’s $16 trillion debt, plus another (according to one calculation) $84 trillion … Continue reading
Devil’s Advocate: Colorado Teachers Can Get Union Political Refunds
Senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow sits down with host Jon Caldara to discuss the Colorado Education Association’s Every Member Option. The EMO allows teachers to receive a portion of their union dues that would go towards political advocacy back. The total refund amount varies from district to district, but the refund is guaranteed – as long as teachers ask for their money back by December 15 each year.
Families Watch as Dougco Choice Program Comes Before Appeals Court Today
I’m on pins and needles today. Not because all the turkey and football is only three days away, but because this afternoon is an important hearing that could affect the future of school choice in our state. The Colorado Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments concerning the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program and the […]
Obamacare lawsuits keep coming
At National Review Online, Jonathan H. Adler reviews the pending lawsuits against Obamacare. Continue reading
“Necessary and Proper” = “Necessaria et Opportuna”
To justify the huge growth of federal regulations over the last few decades, lawyers and judges frequently cite the Constitution’s Necessary and Proper Clause (I-8-18). But is that provision really broad enough to authorize what they claim it authorizes? This little essay focuses on the meaning of the word “necessary.” Early legal documents—used by English […]
Colorado TBD and School Finance Partnership Stars Aligning: Coincidence?
Sometimes the stars seem to align, and you have to wonder who is manipulating the telescope. I haven’t gotten into astronomy — at least not yet. But what I’m talking about really isn’t about astronomy. It’s about politics, and giving money to education bureaucrats. A metaphor, as it were.
Today, Ed News Colorado reports that Governor […]
