Putting profit over principle. Pot legalization activists are running into an unexpected and ironic
opponent in their efforts to make cannabis legal: Big Marijuana. Medical
marijuana is a billion-dollar industry — legal in 18 states, including
California, Nevada, Oregon and Maine — and like any entrenched business,
it’s fighting to keep what it has and shut ... MORE
by Michael Bastasch. California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer blamed the tornado that devastated Oklahoma on global warming during a Senate floor speech Tuesday, using the opportunity to push her own plan to tax carbon dioxide emissions. “This is climate change,” Boxer said. “This is climate change. We were warned about extreme ... MORE
A book review by George C. Leef. Nearly everyone agrees that a few core government functions —foremost among them the provision of law and justice—can’t be performed in a free market. A handful of rogue thinkers, however, questions this conventional wisdom. Foremost among them is Florida State University economics professor Bruce ... MORE
from the staff writers at Online Colleges. Corporations and big businesses often get the worst of the backlash against political lobbying, but it’s important not to forget that colleges are businesses, too, and they engage in lobbying as well, sometimes in a very questionable manner. Over the past few decades, the strength ... MORE
Government gives more special privileges to itself. Democrats and Republicans in the California Legislature once again have broadcast this troubling fact: They are far more concerned about the ever-expanding demands of a relatively small group of public-sector union members than they are about the welfare of the citizens of our ... MORE
AARP doesn't care about elderly members. I’m going to come right out and say it: AARP is about money and power. That’s all it’s interested in. Formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, the nation’s largest seniors group hasn’t cared about its elderly members’ well-being for eons. It’s been too busy building a financial empire. ... MORE
by Steven Greenhut. Gov. Jerry Brown last Monday released “An Open Letter to the People of California,” in which he called for the state’s taxpayers to approve tax-raising initiatives to “fix” the state’s structural deficit. Here is the letter and my translation of what Brown really meant to say. Brown: When I became governor again … California was facing a ... MORE
Federal regulation is killing energy development. American energy policy is increasingly defined in terms of what is prohibited, not what is promoted. Coal, nuclear, and natural “shale” gas all have been hampered by the current administration. And the last three weeks have offered two more examples of how America’s byzantine energy laws and policy deter ... MORE