- 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.
Wikipedia: What the Liberals Want You to Think
Joseph L. Bast, Somewhat Reasonable
In recent years, left-wing activists have rewritten hundreds of thousands of Wikipedia entries, adding their anti-technology, anti-corporation, and anti-free enterprise dogma and propaganda to the profiles of many individuals and organizations. The Heartland Institute’s profile has been the target of a major misinformation effort, with objective descriptions of our work removed and lies and unfounded leftist accusations put in their place. Can you help us fix Wikipedia? READ MORE
Update: ‘Article V 2.0′: The Compact for a Balanced Budget
Nick Dranias, Heartland Policy Study
As the national debt approaches a staggering $20 trillion, it is getting harder to continue kicking the can down the road. Something has to be done. Nick Dranias, a constitutional law expert, asks the question, “What if the states could advance and ratify a powerful federal balanced budget amendment in just 12 months?” The Compact for a Balanced Budget could do just that. This is an update of aHeartland Policy Study Dranias wrote in July 2014. READ MORE
Learning Lessons on the Road to Serfdom
The Austrian Economics Center’s 2016 international “Free Market Road Show” added The Heartland Institute to its list of stops. Four speakers from Argentina, Austria, Germany, and Iceland came to Arlington Heights to provide an international perspective on the state of the American dream and freedom and prosperity. If you missed the presentation, the entire event is archived on Heartland’s YouTube page. WATCH IT HERE
Featured Podcast: Reason’s Shikha Dalmia: The Flint, Michigan Water Crisis
The Flint, Michigan water crisis is deeply unsettling to everyone affected. To help shed light on the situation and its causes, Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst with the Reason Foundation, joins Heartland Research Fellow H. Sterling Burnett on this edition of the Heartland Daily Podcast. She explains how the crisis was caused by the failure of government, not the market. LISTEN TO MORE
The Stars Come Out in Arlington Heights!
If you love discussions about liberty, you will not want to miss the great series of events Heartland has lined up through the spring. Upcoming events include several book talks, including Drilling Through the Core with the National Association of Scholars’ Peter Wood and The Way Back with George Mason University’s Frank Buckley. We hope to see you here in Arlington Heights – but if you are unable to attend in person, the events will be live-streamed and archived on Heartland’s YouTube page. SEE UPCOMING EVENTS HERE
Climate Regulations for Show, Not Positive Impact
H. Sterling Burnett, Climate Change Weekly
A stunning admission occurred recently before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Under questioning, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the Obama administration’s climate efforts will do nothing to protect public or environmental health. These regulations are nothing more than a symbolic attempt to get other countries’ leaders to join the Paris climate agreement. READ MORE
Book Review: A Fresh Look at the Great Depression
Jay Lehr, Ph.D., The Heartlander
Heartland Senior Fellow Jay Lehr, Ph.D. reviews The Midas Paradox, a book that delves deep into the causes of the Great Depression and its effects on the economy. Author Scott Sumner, director of the Mercatus Center, has spent more than two decades researching this period of American history. He explains how prior post-mortems have failed to fully examine the root causes of the economic collapse. READ MORE
The Rise of Socialized Medicine
Justin Haskins, Consumer Power Report
It is becoming more clear than ever that the United States is moving toward a European-style health care system. In August 2007, then-Sen. Barack Obama explained how a “transition step” would be needed to usher in single-payer health care. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is that transitional step. According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than half the nation will likely rely on government for health care within the next decade. READ MORE
Bonus Podcast: Dr. Hal Scherz: The Best-Kept Secret in the Health Care Industry
The continuing and growing intrusion into the health care market should concern everyone. But there are some bright spots worth noting. Dr. Hal Scherz, founder of Docs 4 Patient Care, joins Research Fellow Michael Hamilton to talk about one of the best-kept secrets in the health care industry: direct primary care. LISTEN TO MORE
Striking Back at Teacher Strikes
Timothy Benson, Crain’s Chicago Business
Yet another teachers strike took place in Chicago on April Fool’s Day. 22,000 union members walked off the job en masse, denying Chicago Public Schools’ 400,000 students a day of learning. Because of the frequency of these events, The Heartland Institute is designing a plan that will make such strikes less likely. A “strike voucher” would allow any student to temporarily attend any charter, secular, private, or parochial school using a $50 per day stipend. READ MORE
Upstart College Exam Challenges ACT, SAT
Joy Pullmann, School Choice Weekly
A new organization, Vector ARC, is beta-testing a college entrance exam that will compete with ACT and SAT. Vector ARC says its exam will stand independent of the Common Core standards. Richard Innes, education policy analyst for the Bluegrass Institute, said, “because both the ACT and SAT now claim Common Core alignment, the creation of an alternative test should be of special interest to parents of students in many school choice programs.” READ MORE
