Latest posts by Donald Kendal (see all)
- In The Tank (ep204) – Climate “Contrarians” Blacklisted? Red Flag Laws - August 16, 2019
- In The Tank (ep203) – Bernie Sanders on Joe Rogan Podcast: A Response - August 9, 2019
- In The Tank (ep202) – Craziest Proposals From Democratic Candidates - August 2, 2019
If you don’t visit Somewhat Reasonable and the Heartlander digital magazine every day, you’re missing out on some of the best news and commentary on liberty and free markets you can find. But worry not, freedom lovers! The Heartland Weekly Email is here for you every Friday with a highlight show. Subscribe to the email today, and read this week’s edition below.
H. Sterling Burnett, American Spectator
The environmental disaster caused by the Environmental Protection Agency at Gold King Mine in Colorado may actually benefit the agency. While a private company that spilled three million gallons of toxic sludge into a major waterway would be gearing up for criminal investigations, EPA is more likely to use the disaster to push for building a treatment plant that would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. READ MORE

Gene Koprowski, Somewhat Reasonable
The Heartland Institute and other free-market groups have been calling for a set of health care policy reforms that economist and policy pioneer John Goodman once called “Patient Power.” These policies include a refundable tax credit to purchase health insurance, allowing consumers to purchase insurance across state lines, and expanding health savings accounts (HSAs). Now, some 30 years after the plan was first presented, leading candidates for the Republican nomination for president are embracing key parts of that plan. Time for a victory lap! READ MORE

Jesse Hathaway, Townhall
“It may be too late for Puerto Rico, the ‘Island of Enchantment,’ but similar high-tax, high-regulation states still have time to avert disaster if they stop treating taxpayers like ATMs and start enacting pro-taxpayer, pro-growth reforms. If they don’t change their ways soon, the result will not be enchantment, but fiscal ruin.” READ MORE

The Heartland Institute is sending a “truth squad” of elected officials, energy policy experts, and members of minority communities to Las Vegas to steal some thunder from President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, and their taxpayer-subsidized alternative energy cronies. Clean Energy Summit 8.0 – a political event organized by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid featuring a presentation by President Barack Obama – will be closely monitored, critiqued, and protested by Heartland and its allies. READ MORE

Mischa Popoff, author and Heartland policy advisor, joins Environment & Climate NewsManaging Editor H. Sterling Burnett to talk about his history as an organic farmer and his time as a government organic food inspector. Popoff explains why he abandoned the organic movement and why organic farmers should embrace GMO foods rather than fight against them. LISTEN TO MORE

The Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (#ICCC10) was another huge success. You can watch the entire conference online at climateconference.heartland.org. Watch the full panels composed of some of the leading climate scientists and energy policy experts as well as keynote addresses by Sen. Jim Inhofe, Rep. Lamar Smith, and author Mark Steyn. SEE WHAT YOU MISSED!

Isaac Orr, Townhall
U.S. households are saving hundreds of dollars a year because natural gas prices are low, but that’s about to change. A study by NERA Economic Consulting has found new regulations on power plants mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) will increase natural gas prices to 2007 levels, virtually guaranteeing these savings will soon be wiped out. READ MORE

Kenneth Artz, Times and Democrat
Many people question the wisdom of President Barack Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba, but even misguided policies sometimes produce positive unintended consequences. Low-priced Cuban medical treatment has spurred medical tourism from Canada and Western Europe, and now Americans may follow suit. While there are significant shortcomings and risks involved, the increased competition and choice should benefit some patients and perhaps taxpayers, too. READ MORE

Matthew Glans, Research & Commentary
The impressive growth of the craft brewing industry has occurred despite myriad local, state, and national laws that create barriers to new entry and expansion. Many of these regulations are decades-old and ill-suited for modern markets. Many of the restrictions serve to protect from competition the larger brewers who have the resources to manage the bureaucracy more effectively than craft brewers can. READ MORE

Liberal commentators often excuse the Obama administration’s poor economic growth record by claiming the days of more rapid economic growth are behind us. Really? Heartland Senior Fellow Peter Ferrara, author of a new book on entitlement reform titled Power to the People, joined The Larry Kudlow Show to discuss the factors and policies that stunt the growth of the American economy and how they can be changed. Economic growth, Ferrara says, is the key to solving many of the nation’s problems, including the pending entitlement crisis. LISTEN TO MORE

Heather Kays, The Heartlander
“The defenders of the traditional public school system often claim that it is superior to choice-based systems for delivering education, because the public school system is more responsive to citizens,” said Patrick Wolf, a professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas. “Isn’t it strange that when citizens actually try to influence the public school system, through the parent trigger process, the supposedly democratic traditional public school system decries and seeks to undermine their efforts?” READ MORE

Kenneth Artz, The Heartlander
Less than two years after Obamacare went into effect, the number of uninsured people has declined by 16.3 percent. The decline started before Obamacare could have been responsible for it, and much of the rest is due to the Obama administration’s expansion of Medicaid. “That would seem to be a good thing, except Medicaid is lousy coverage,” said Heartland Senior Fellow Greg Scandlen. “Most doctors don’t accept Medicaid patients, because the government’s rate of payment is so low.” READ MORE

Heartland Staff
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Roman Catholic Church held a workshop on global warming on April 28, 2015 at the Vatican. The Heartland Institute sent a delegation of climate scientists and other experts to tell Pope Francis: Global warming is not a crisis! The result was astonishing: global press coverage of our presence in Rome, a robust debate within the Church about the roles of science, ideology, and concern for the poor. We created a website with dozens of links to videos, news releases, and articles generated by our trip to Rome. READ MORE

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