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.
Tim Benson, Crain’s Chicago Business
The condition of the mismanaged and underperforming government-run school system of Chicago continues to deteriorate. The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is facing a $500 million budget shortfall for the 2015–16 school year alone, and it is more than $1 billion in the hole. If Illinois lawmakers truly want to end the unsustainable spending and borrowing practices of school districts around the state, they should empower parents and take much of the financial control of schools out of the hands of bureaucrats. One of the best ways to do this is provide each student with an education savings account, which would be directed by parents. READ MORE

Tim Benson and Taylor Smith, Heartland Research & Commentary
The standoff at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon has been successful in at least one thing: It has brought attention to the issue of federal land ownership. According to the United States Geological Survey, nearly half the land in the Western United States is owned by the federal government. This includes 52.9 percent of Oregon and 84.9 percent of Nevada. Without market forces at work, Western states will continue to suffer economically and environmentally. READ MORE

Isaac Orr, Investor’s Business Daily
Someone really ought to inform Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders that the spending sprees of his beloved socialist models, Denmark and Norway, are bankrolled by Big Oil. You heard that right. While Sanders is calling for a ban on oil production on U.S. government land, the Norwegian government, which owns 67 percent of Statoil ASA, the largest oil company in Norway, is producing oil and natural gas on government land – and lots of it. READ MORE

In this episode of the In The Tank Podcast, hosts Donald Kendal and John Nothdurft take on 10 questions most frequently asked of libertarians. They include: Are you an anarchist? Don’t you care about the environment? And, of course, who will build the roads? Donald and John also talk about a few articles that appear to show global warming is having positive effects on the world’s forests. LISTEN TO MORE

The Heartland Institute’s newest book, Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming, demolishes the most pernicious myth in the global warming debate: that “97% of scientists” believe mankind is the cause of a global warming catastrophe. Scientists Craig Idso, Fred Singer, and the late Robert Carter critique the sources of this myth and present a summary of the physical science that makes it plain beyond any doubt that there is no global warming crisis. Go to Amazon.com or the Heartland store now and order a copy, or become a Heartland donor and get a free copy! READ MORE

Robert Holland, Washington Examiner
If some choice is better than none, it ought to follow logically that unfettered choice is superior to limited choice. However, that proposition offends guardians of government-run schools who insist that every dime of public appropriations must go to maintain the current, broken system, not to aid parents who know of better educational options for their children in the private sector. It’s for this reason that January is rarely all cheers for choice. READ MORE

Michael Hamilton, Inside Sources
Obamacare dramatically expanded the government’s role in health care and may yet extinguish private care altogether. Hillary Clinton defends Obamacare but calls for additional market interventions that would lead to single-payer socialism. Bernie Sanders simply says what both Obama and Clinton are afraid to say out loud: Entrust your health to socialism, the system that failed catastrophically around the world just a few decades ago. READ MORE

Justin Haskins, Consumer Power Report
Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in 2010, millions of Americans have been forced to obtain a new, often inferior health insurance plan; health insurance premiums have risen dramatically; and many health insurance companies operating in the Obamacare exchanges have lost millions of dollars. ACA has also had a detrimental effect on small businesses, which are at a significant disadvantage when competing against larger businesses because the latter can more easily absorb higher health insurance costs. READ MORE

Logan Pike and John Nothdurft, Clarion Ledger
The Heartland Institute’s 2015 Welfare Reform Report Card gave Mississippi a C- grade, ranking the Magnolia State 29th for its anti-poverty Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policies. Mississippi took a step in the right direction to better that grade earlier this month by implementing work requirements for those who receive food stamps. Logan Pike and John Nothdurft outline four policies the state could enact that would further bring people out of government dependency and into self-sufficiency. READ MORE

Jonathan Williams, vice president of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Center for State Fiscal Reform, joins Budget & Tax News Managing Editor Jesse Hathaway to discuss what states can do to help the needy get back on their feet. ALEC’s report, Rich States, Poor States, cites The Heartland Institute’s 2015 Welfare Report Card, allowing governors and state legislators to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of their states’ welfare programs. LISTEN TO MORE

Joy Pullmann, School Choice Weekly
The Cato Institute discusses how to design tax credit scholarships on the education savings account (ESA) model. Putting the two together will likely offer even more benefits than any of the current school choice designs to date. And we may not have to wait long to see. Missouri is the first state to consider legislation for a tax-credit-funded ESA. READ MORE

H. Sterling Burnett, Climate Change Weekly
This issue of Climate Change Weekly is dedicated to the memory of Heartland Senior Fellow Robert M. Carter. Heartland President Joseph Bast writes, “Dr. Robert M. Carter, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, died suddenly of a heart attack earlier last week. He was the author of two books and coauthor of three volumes in the Climate Change Reconsidered series, produced by the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). Bob was the very embodiment of the ‘happy warrior’ in the global warming debate. He was a scholar’s scholar, with impeccable credentials (including a Ph.D. from Cambridge), careful attention to detail, and a deep understanding of and commitment to the scientific method.” READ MORE

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