Dave Kopel Explains SCOTUS ObamaCare Decision
Host Jon Caldara is joined by Dave Kopel, constitutional law professor and attorney of record for two (count ’em, two) Independence Institute amicus briefs in the Obamacare Supreme Court case, to dissect and explain the court’s rulings on the controversial health care law. Continue reading
Bad Times Bring Great Education Reforms
Former Colorado Commissioner of Education Dr. William Moloney discusses remarkable education reforms in Louisiana, Indiana, and Idaho.
Disgraced EPA Official Joins Sierra Club
The disgraced former EPA regional official forced out after Senator James Inhoff (R-Oklahoma) posted a video of his enforcement philosophy for fossil fuel companies has found a home with the Sierra Club and its anti-coal campaign. EENews reports: Al Armendariz will take over leadership of the group’s “Beyond Coal” campaign office for Austin, Texas, on July […]
Does Colorado Fail to Spend State Taxes on Services?
Policy debates frequently turn on whether the government is spending at a reasonable level, and that is defined by the relative spending in other states. Relatively low rankings are presumed to indicate of under-spending by Colorado governments. The low rankings, however, are inconsistent with Colorado’s overall ranking for tax burden, which is close to the national median. We examine many claims relating to Colorado government spending overall, in K-12 education, in higher education, and in healthcare, and we conclude that most are misinterpreted or overstated. Colorado collects the national average in taxes,
so how could it be that support for government programs is so uniformly near the bottom?
Is There a Silver Lining to the Supreme Court’s Obamacare Decision?
What does the SCOTUS decision mean for the implementation of the law and the political effort to repeal it? Continue reading
Cities Growing Faster Than Suburbs–Not!
A return to the cities and rejection of the suburbs is an article of faith among smart-growth planners, and their wishful thinking is often supported by breathless media reports. The latest news comes from 2011 Census estimates, which the Wall Street Journal reports as revealing that the “cities outpace suburbs in growth.” MSNBC reports that […]
Dave Kopel Responds to ObamaCare Decision
The Court’s decision against the Medicaid mandate means that Colorado has the right to choose whether or not to drastically expand state spending on Medicaid; Congress cannot coerce Coloradans to do so. Continue reading
Flashback: Drunk on Sunshine
A mere seven months ago, the Denver Business Journal quoted Abound Solar President and CEO Craig Witsoe bragging that his thin-filmed cadmium telluride solar panel manufacturing company was the “anti-Solyndra,” referring to the scandalous and abrupt bankruptcy of the California-based thin-filmed manufacturer that saw the FBI raid its luxurious taxpayer-supported headquarters. Cathy Proctor of the […]
CO Solyndra: Pat Stryker’s Abound Solar Goes Bankrupt
Pat Stryker’s Abound Solar “will close its doors and file for bankruptcy” next week according to the Department of Energy (DOE) blog. Because the bankruptcy means roughly $70 million in lost taxpayer money, we take no joy in saying that “we told you so.” Back on January 11, 2012, we wrote: Unfortunately for taxpayers who […]
CO Solyndra: Pat Stryker's Abound Solar Goes Bankrupt
Pat Stryker’s Abound Solar “will close its doors and file for bankruptcy” next week according to the Department of Energy (DOE) blog. Because the bankruptcy means roughly $70 million in lost taxpayer money, we take no joy in saying that “we told you so.” Back on January 11, 2012, we wrote: Unfortunately for taxpayers who […]
Defects in the Supremes' holding that the Obamacare penalty is a "tax"
For a podcast covering this subject in more detail, click here. Under the Constitution’s original meaning, the Supreme Court’s holding that Obamacare’s penalty for not purchasing health insurance is a tax is defective in at least two respects. First: The court fails to understand the Constitution’s line of distinction between those exactions that qualify as […]
Planners Inspired by Supreme Court Decision
Representatives of the Association of American Planners applauded the Supreme Court’s health-care decision that a Congressional requirement to buy health insurance was a tax, not a mandate. “This provides us the tools we need to fix everything that’s wrong with America,” said association CEO Paul “Precious” Farmlands. The association’s government affairs staff immediately began crafting […]
