A bipartisan pair of congressmen are taking on a new battle in the House of Representatives, one that could grab some attention a month out from the Iowa caucuses. In a “Dear Colleague” letter issued last week, Rep. John Sullivan
Another week, another CEO of a major U.S. company publicly calls out Washington, DC for its onslaught of new regulation. This time it’s Clarence Otis Jr., the CEO of Darden Restaurants, through which position he oversees Olive Garden, Red Lobster,
In case the fact that 76 percent of Americans oppose ditching the dollar bill in favor of a dollar coin wasn’t compelling enough, a new study that exposes the proposal’s supposed cost savings as mere myth should finally convince the
In a move that grabbed attention among the technology and retail business communities, three senators–Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)–introduced legislation aimed at allowing states to require online-only, out-of-state retailers to collect and
When Scott Brown upset the Massachusetts Democratic establishment by winning the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy for a generation, he ran as a Republican. This cycle, facing the “founder” of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Elizabeth Warren, he appears
Last week, Capitol Confidential reported that Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is considering hiking taxes on non-cigarette tobacco products in an effort to bring in more revenue from tobacco users who have apparently rejected heavily-taxed cigarettes in favor of
EthicalOil.org, the organization that sparked a diplomatic incident between Canada and Saudi Arabia with its television commercials criticizing Saudi oil imports, has brought its controversial campaign to the United States. [youtube 1SjZlqbDudI nolink] The group, which launched this summer, promotes
This week, Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies (Crossroads GPS) targets Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and her self-professed ties to the #Occupy movement in a new television ad running in the Boston, Springfield-Holyoke, and Providence, RI markets for a total buy
When Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) was convinced by a retailing giant to enact legislation imposing price controls on credit card transactions he engineered a massive wealth transfer from credit card companies to retailers – a cost that would ultimately be
Five years after Cook County, Illinois, last hiked cigarette taxes, it has emerged that revenues from cigarette taxes have substantially declined, contributing to the county’s budget challenges. In 2006, the county collected about $200 million in cigarette tax revenue, but
This week, former Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln (D) lead a cadre of small business owners from a number of states to Washington in an attempt to convince Congress that their commitment to over-regulating American entrepreneurs is a surefire way to
Washington public policy is replete with examples of government regulators thinking they know best, imposing new government rules that then exacerbate the existing problems. As things become worse, they blame the free market and call for more government regulations to
Most Americans have heard of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) through its ill-conceived scheme to prevent Boeing from building a new plant in South Carolina because the Palmetto State has a right-to-work law. The board’s actions have created a
Earlier this month, the Keystone XL pipeline was big in the news with environmental groups weighing in forcefully against the proposal and alleging a pro-pipeline bias on the part of the Department of State. Prominent among such groups was Greenpeace,
The #OccupyWallStreet movement has an agenda and has made it available for all to see. Among their demands is that government eviscerate existing contracts by “eliminating all debt, everywhere.” Imagine there was a government agency with the power to make
Earlier this month, while South Korean President Lee Myung Bak was visiting the United States, his military commanders were back home watching out for ammunition boxes. North Korea’s military had moved combat aircraft, mobile ground-to-air missiles and missile launchers to
When most people think about the Yellow Pages… well, do most people even think about the Yellow Pages anymore? Actually, you’d be surprised. Nearly 75% of Americans referred to the Yellow Pages for a phone number or business recommendation last
The current administration’s controversial federal regulatory policies (the US Treasury Department’s stunningly bad bet on Solyndra, the NLRB’s tone death sanction against Boeing, the EPA’s onerous new rules imposed on, well, everything) place heavy-handed bureaucrats in Washington squarely behind the
Big Government has learned of a shocking new dimension to the emerging Fisker Karma scandal: not only is the U.S. taxpayer-backed car manufactured overseas, but it is far less fuel-efficient than its main American competitor, the Chevrolet Volt. ABC News
Last Sunday a local chapter of YAF affiliated with Principia College organized a small and peaceful counter presence to the ongoing Occupy St. Louis demonstration at Keiner Plaza in downtown. According to the organizer the group of mostly collegians and
Earlier this month, news broke that a group calling itself the “Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative” is pushing a $1 per pack cigarette tax hike in the state. Via the AP: A Maryland health group is planning to push for a
In the pitched battle over whether government should take over our health care system, a group of pro-life Democrat congressmen held the line to oppose the legislation because they knew the bill authorized funding for abortion. Under intense pressure from
They might have a notoriously thin grasp on their demand list. They might totally miss the irony of wearing $150 Ray Ban sunglasses while carrying signs denigrating “corporatism” and “consumerism.” Some of their members may, in fact, see the protest
The EPA has justified much of its job-killing regulatory agenda by citing promises of improved public health and reduced health care costs to treat respiratory illnesses it claims are exacerbated by airborne pollution. They’ve even recruited advocacy groups like the
When President Obama announced his jobs plan back at the beginning of September, he focused almost exclusively on what the government could do for Americans. He mentioned thousands of “shovel ready” projects that needed the strong arms and constitutions of
If the American Left has a Joan of Arc, her name would be Elizabeth Warren. The Harvard professor was the designer and creator of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the independent regulatory agency that was given the power to
Just a little over a month ago, we reported that House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee had called off a hearing on a natural gas boondoggle that would have lined the pockets of T. Boone Pickens and George
While the rest of America turns away from the big government stimulus spending programs of President Obama, at least one corporate executive is turning toward him to embrace his failed policies. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt did the media circuit
President Obama called for tax hikes worth $1.5 trillion on Monday, but in a less remarked-upon move, members of Democratic leadership in the U.S. Senate have also been pushing for tax increases of their own. However, unlike Obama’s proposal, which
It should come as no surprise that the radical left is rallying behind former Ohio Attorney general Richard Cordray to head to powerful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – a newly created government agency designed to regulate the American economy
It looks like it is finally going to happen. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finally gotten their net neutrality regulations through the bureaucratic mess, and now it [IS] only a matter of times before they start to take effect.
While President Obama’s recent pushback on the EPA’s proposed ozone standard raised hopes among businesses and consumers – three quarters of whom now think that America is overregulated – he seems to think that he should be able to solve
Earlier this month, Bloomberg published an article about regulations the Obama administration is pursuing that could cost business in excess of $1 billion. Four of the proposed regulations discussed emanated from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has recently been
Data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveal that the number of Americans who smoke fell between 2005 and 2010. Moreover, the CDC report containing the numbers indicates that the number of Americans who smoke 30
It’s funny what a million dollars in political contributions, support for the right candidate and a liberal meme can buy you in Washington these days. For Google, it is buying them a free pass as they amass growing power in
On September 6th, Senate Democrats will hold a confirmation hearing on Richard Cordray, President Obama’s nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)- a new regulation producing machine created by the Dodd-Franks bill. The Democrat Leadership in Senate is
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, has some dirty laundry to air. According to the LA Times, the top backer of so-called “Amazon Tax” laws itself fails to collect sales tax on items sold through its site and paid
Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is attempting to derail a move that would finally make Illinois a major player in Republican Presidential politics. The dispute revolves around a proposed rule change to the process of selecting delegates to the Republican
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is joining her Kentucky colleague Jack Conway in waging a war on for-profit colleges – with taxpayer funds – while turning a blind eye to problems in non-profit and state schools. Except, in Bondi’s case,
In the latest turn of events relevant to California’s move to force out-of-state, online-only retailers to collect and remit to it California sales taxes– an effort that legal experts say is likely unconstitutional– Golden State liberals are pursuing a new