- 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.
Using RICO to Silence Global Warming Critics
H. Sterling Burnett, Independent Journal Review
Global warming alarmists such as Al Gore have been claiming for years that the debate over the causes and consequences of climate change is over, but the public is still not buying it. And for good reason: The best evidence says there is no scientific consensus. Now the alarmists are bringing out their big guns: Attorney General Loretta Lynch testified that the Department of Justice has discussed pursuing civil action against companies, nonprofit organizations, associations, and scientists who question whether humans are causing catastrophic climate change. Can you believe this? READ MORE
H. Sterling Burnett, Climate Change Weekly
Not to be outdone by the U.S. Justice Department, 16 Democratic state attorneys general appeared at a news conference hosted by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to jointly threaten to investigate anyone who disagrees with alarmist dogma on the climate change issue. The AGs claim the investigations are to determine whether ExxonMobil knowingly hid or attempted to obfuscate data showing its products could cause climate change. In fact, the real goal is to harass and silence critics of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. READ MORE
Joseph L. Bast, Somewhat Reasonable
Friends and allies sometimes ask if we are aware that our profile on Wikipedia is full of accusations about our funding, tactics, and the positions we take on controversial issues. They wonder why we haven’t “corrected it.” The answer is: We tried … and tried, and tried some more. So have our friends and even some of our critics. But Wikipedia refuses to make the changes we request. It even deletes and reverses all the changes made by others who know the profile is unreliable. You can help! To see how, READ MORE
Common Core State Standards are ruining K–12 education in America, not because they were poorly written or implemented, but because this was their purpose all along. Dr. Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, spoke to an attentive and enthusiastic audience at The Heartland Institute earlier this week to get to the core of the matter. Wood explained the dangers of these standards and how they negatively affect our children’s ability to learn. If you missed the presentation, the event is archived on Heartland’s YouTube page. WATCH IT HERE
The production and use of natural gas has become a political football during the current presidential race. The left claims the popular method of natural gas extraction, fracking, is unsafe and threatens the environment. Charles Steele, chairman of the economics department at Hillsdale College, joins the Heartland Daily Podcast to help clear up the misconceptions. Steele explains how increasing production of natural gas benefits the economy as well as the environment. LISTEN TO MORE
If you love discussions about liberty, you will not want to miss the great series of events Heartland has lined up through the spring. OnApril 14, George Mason University’s Frank Buckley will discuss his new book The Way Back; and on April 20, a discussion will take place about the “vaping wars” – the government’s war on e-cigarettes. 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
Joy Pullmann, School Choice Weekly
The national debate over Common Core State Standards has helped expose the bias and inaccuracy of many existing tests of student academic achievement. Tests have changed over the years, lowering standards and introducing politically correct dogma and nonsense. New research published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management found charter schools increase students’ levels of college enrollment and later earnings, yet their students do not perform any better on standardized tests than do public school students. READ MORE
Colorado Should Reject Single-Payer Health Care
Matthew Glans, Heartland Research & Commentary
The next state to experiment with a single-payer health care system could be Colorado. Voters there will consider a ballot measure in November that would create “ColoradoCare,” a single-payer, government-run system. This comes after Vermont’s attempt at a similar plan derailed when the estimated costs far exceeded forecasts. The ColoradoCare plan is expected to cause economic havoc. For example, the plan could require increasing the state income tax to nearly 15 percent. READ MORE
Justin Haskins, Consumer Power Report
In 2009, the Executive Office of the President released a report outlining how increasing health insurance costs were going to devastate American families, leaving them unable to pay for coverage. The report was used to support passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Now six years into Obamacare, we see insurance costs growing at rates similar to those experienced before the passage of ACA. This, coupled with slowed wage growth, is really straining American families. READ MORE
Criticism of free trade by presidential contenders Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders has once again made the “trade deficit” a popular buzzword. But what does it mean? Cato Institute policy analyst Dan Ikenson joins the Heartland Daily Podcast to explain why international trade is not a scoreboard to measure a nation’s economic success. He discusses why we should look at a high trade deficit as a sign that American goods are still in high demand. LISTEN TO MORE
The Supreme Court’s Three Big Mistakes on Obamacare
Robert Natelson, Washington Times
After passage of the Affordable Care Act, many looked to the Supreme Court to strike down some of the law’s key provisions, including the individual mandate. Many look at the Court’s confirmation of this controversial aspect of the law as its only mistake. Fewer realize this was but one of several mistakes by the Supreme Court regarding Obamacare. Constitutional scholar and Heartland Policy Advisor Robert Natelson dissects the Court’s decision and finds three big mistakes. READ MORE
