Big Government recently noted that the Texas legislature voted to ram through a California-style tax-hiking “Amazon Tax” bill. Gov. Rick Perry subsequently vetoed that bill, but Big Government has learned that Texas legislators have renewed their push for policy that
House Republicans have spent the last few months trying to put an end to a sneaky union move that might mean American workers lose their say in whether their shop forms a union. House Republicans have managed to head off
Lead by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Republicans have set high marks trying to steer the country back down the road of fiscal responsibility. This next week will test the Republican Leadership’s resolve. That’s because lobbyist for big banks and financial
California’s proposal to institute an “Amazon Tax” took another major step forward last week. The last of three bills aimed at getting the Seattle giant and other out-of-state online retailers to pay sales tax passed the Assembly on Wednesday afternoon.
Giving handouts to Wall Street and big banks has become a reflexive action for members of Congress. One would think that billions in bailout money would be enough to satisfy the appetite of those in Washington who want to placate
The White House has a new report out touting the “resurgence” of the automotive industry, primarily aimed at depicting President Obama’s auto bailout as an unqualified success. One thing that springs out of the report are claims it makes as
Donald J. Trump and Ross Perot are both billionaires- but that’s where the similarity ends. Perot is erratic, cranky and conspiratorial while Trump is outspoken, blunt and charismatic. Ross Perot actually became a legal candidate for President, withdrew and became
Cap-and-trade legislation may have failed in Congress in 2010, but that doesn’t mean that this is the last we will hear from this economically-harmful policy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Clean Air Act has been busily proposing and
Donald Trump may not be finished in the 2012 Presidential race after all. Trump has been telling freinds that he would not rule out launching an Independent big for President as late as June of next year if the economy
On June 28th and 29th in Silver Spring, Maryland, cancer patients and their families will gather in protest of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) effort to ration the late-stage breast cancer drug Avastin. These patients credit the drug for
Texas took yet another step this week that is certain to tighten its grip on the designation as the nation’s leading state for business. Governors in other states looking to improve their jobs situation should give serious consideration to mirroring
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has filed a simple amendment to the Patriot Act protecting the rights of Americans to lawfully carry a firearm. His Amendment would stop federal agencies from collecting gun records under the Patriot Act. The amendment preserves
Big Government has previously discussed the Texas legislature’s surprising move of passing legislation aimed at forcing out-of-state, online only retailers to collect and remit to the state sales/use tax. Such legislation is constitutionally dubious, and sources say, may well be
California Democrats are about to initiate a big effort to ram through bills that would force out-of-state, online-only retailers with no physical presence in the state to collect and remit to California sales/use taxes. Starting with a press conference today,
Trump is drowning in e-mails, letters and phone calls from disappointed supporters who wanted him to make the 2012 Race. Trump spent $100K on lawyers and accountants who would prepared the disclosure forms to show Trump is worth $7.5 B
One day last week Phil Christofanelli, the student whistleblower behind the UMKC/UMSL union video story, was sent a certified letter from UMSL. Is the university attempting to intimidate Christofanelli? Also, why will UMSL not release the full videos of the
The expression ‘Everything is Bigger in Texas’ used to apply to ambulance chasing attorneys, frivolous litigation, and mega-payouts to plaintiffs. The Lone Star state was known for attracting a robust tort bar and a less-than-thriving medical community, as physicians gave
It’s not often that the outcome of a protest could be a life or death decision, but that is the position that thousands of women with breast cancer find themselves thanks to a proposal by the Food and Drug Administration
From The Hill: The Senate will hold a test vote Tuesday evening on a Democratic plan to repeal several tax breaks for the big five oil companies. The plan would repeal an estimated $21 billion worth of incentives over a
Texas is generally regarded as a conservative state, but you would not guess that based on some of its legislators’ pursuit of a California-style effort to hike taxes by targeting out-of-state, online-only retailers with no physical presence in the state.
Big Government has previously covered efforts led by California liberals, including Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, to force out-of-state, online-only retailers with no physical presence in California to collect and remit California sales tax where they sell into the state, based purely
Conservatives looking to balance the federal budget know the importance of reining in the cost of Medicare. But how you reduce the cost of the program is almost as important as whether you reduce the cost. The implications are enormous
The objective of having community colleges is to provide low-cost education to those who, for whatever reason, find four-year universities inaccessible. The idea behind supporting and subsidizing non-profit community colleges seems to be to give opportunity specifically to low-income students,
On Friday, we all woke up to the happy news that gas prices might go down a teensy little bit after Memorial Day. Even though that “teensy bit” might just mean “down to $3.50, that news was welcome in a
Thursday, The Hill’s “Floor Action” blog reported that the Obama administration was “floating” a plan to tax drivers according to the number of miles they drive. Administration officials, including White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, were quick to push back on
News that Android and Apple phone communicate collect data on your personal information reveal much about the two companies and their views of the consumer. Upon the release of the news, Steve Jobs took to the microphone denying Apple products
Drug A is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat a disease. Drug B is not. Drug A is proven effective to treat a serious disease. Drug B is not. Drug A is proven safe. When Drug B
Sources have told the Chicago Tribune that Google’s Eric Schmidt was seen dining with Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign manager Jim Messina at Café Spiaggia in Chicago last week providing further evidence of Google incestuous relationship with the Administration. Democratic sources
In the days before ObamaCare, there was a clear delineation between the American medical industry and the government. The industry would invest – often with the assistance of government policy initiatives — in finding cures and the government would ensure
On Tuesday, President Obama urged Congress to raise taxes on energy firms by ditching the ability of oil companies to take advantage of certain tax provisions– a move he no doubt expected to be greeted with enthusiasm by members of
California Democrats continue to pursue constitutionally dubious bills aimed at forcing online-only retailers with no physical presence in the state to collect and remit sales tax. However, having realized that this type of legislation could cause remote sellers to flee
When Sarah Palin asked America if they really wanted a community organizer as president, some Obama acolytes posited that Jesus was a community organizer. In addition, these self-proclaimed theologians stretched it further by stating that the man who ordered Jesus
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the disastrous BP oil spill. Remembrance of the fateful months after the spill was followed by strict criticism from several politicians across the country. Gov. Bobby Jindal appeared on television this morning offering praise
The most instructive part of the president’s “deficit” speech last week was his insistence that he could help balance the budget through an “independent commission” with the “authority to make additional savings by further improving Medicare.” That commission is the
Rhetorically, President Obama prides himself on bashing “greedy corporations.” Insurance companies, the health care industry and Wall Street have all been subjected to verbal abuse from the president. Despite his statements, the Obama Administration policy often rests on corporatism –
There’s been a buzz the last few months about the possibility of Donald Trump running for President. You’d pretty much have to be living under a rock not to know that, or know that polls show there is at least
Individual earmarks may have swum upstream for the winter, but there’s still something very fishy going on with Congress in terms of spending. Despite all the discussion about austerity and countless campaign promises to cut spending, the crafters of the
Senator Jon Kyl and a group of Senators – including Sens. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) have introduced critical legislation that seeks to protect the doctor and patient relationship
Google’s growing influence with government is beginning to pay dividends for the company while leaving consumers and taxpayers on the short end of the stick. Since donating over $1 million to the president’s campaign and building its online presence and
Canadians will go to the polls on May 2nd to elect a Prime Minister. The election has gained almost no attention in the U.S. but one candidate suddenly has a very American problem. As reported in the Toronto Sun, Michael