Regulations and red tape should be campaign issue. Deficits, taxes, and spending are the defining issues of the 2012 campaign. Regulation deserves a seat at the table, too. The federal government spent $3.6 trillion in 2011. But according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), the annual cost of complying with federal regulations has exceeded $1 trillion ... MORE
The misguided ambitions of local regulators. An important law that would protect California consumers from state-level regulation of VoIP and other IP-based services passed the California State Senate late last week on a bipartisan 30-6 vote. The bill, SB 1161, now moves to the State Assembly, which has scheduled hearings for June 11. SB 1161 is ... MORE
by Peter Ferrara. Climate change itself is already in the process of definitively rebutting climate alarmists who think human use of fossil fuels is causing ultimately catastrophic global warming. That is because natural climate cycles have already turned from warming to cooling, global temperatures have already been declining for more than 10 years ... MORE
His second term could take us over the cliff. One of the biggest issues in the November election is whether we will continue or stop President Obama's move toward restricting U.S. sovereignty and rushing down the road to global governance. One would think that the obvious failure of the European Union and disdain for the euro would put ... MORE
A grain of sanity infiltrates the big apple. The New York Police Department, the mayor and the city’s top prosecutors on Monday endorsed a proposal to decriminalize the open possession of small amounts of marijuana, giving an unexpected lift to an effort by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to cut down on the number of people arrested ... MORE
“I only care about the moral issues." If I’ve heard that phrase once, then I’ve heard it a few hundred times. It’s a common response among social conservatives during campaigns and election cycles. And this year, as Washington compromises our nation’s future with profligate spending and economic turmoil threatens nations abroad, we need to add to that ... MORE
Misleading political redefinitions. Would anyone work to support themselves or their families — and then turn over a chunk of that hard-earned money to somebody else, just because of the words used by that somebody else? A few people may be taken in by the words of con men, here and there, but the larger tragedy is that millions more are taken in ... MORE
Perhaps we are debating the wrong issue? Benjamin Franklin, statesman and signer of our Declaration of Independence, said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." John Adams, another signer, echoed a similar statement: "Our Constitution was made only ... MORE
Gender-based political correctness is all too common. Dueling charges of misogyny from the left and the right have become a depressingly regular media circus—one that, regardless of the real issues, is mostly about moral posturing and political point-scoring. Worse, both sides are feeding a toxic obsession with women-as-victims and promoting a sexism of ... MORE
from the Auburn Plainsman editorial board. Whenever the issue of a smoking ban comes up, whether it be for a college campus or an entire city, both sides get loud and angry. Auburn's new smoking ban, which doesn’t take affect until the 2012 fall semester, is source of contention for us. We actually agree with both sides of the argument on most of their talking ... MORE
Business environment continues to deteriorate. Federal regulators are keeping America from moving forward. According to recent news stories reviewed by my colleagues at the conservative nonprofit organization Engage America, federal red tape has squelched at least 736,203 potential jobs. If these positions were filled, today's ... MORE
Shining light in dark places. With the presidential campaign in full gear, expect Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform to expand his public probe of the Obama administration’s green crony program that included risky loans to below-investment-grade companies like now-bankrupt Solyndra. The ... MORE
The hangover is setting in. Many people became convinced that data releases earlier this year indicated that "recovery" in the U.S. was imminent. But as I have been saying for months, this evidence would ultimately be shown to be as reliable as sightings of Bigfoot. Lots of people claim to say they have seen it, some even produce plaster footprints, but in the ... MORE