The Heartland Institute

Friday's ed news: 1. The forthcoming Common Core science standards are unclear, drop important knowledge, and force failed teaching strategies. 2. Governors Jindal, McDonnell, and Bush get together today to discuss education reform. 3. The high number of teacher absences shortchange students. 4. Testing should be used as a ruler ...

Benjamin Domenech talks about how smokers are singled out for Obamacare rate hikes. ...

Only 36 percent of geoscientists and engineers believe that humans are creating a global warming crisis, according to a survey reported in the peer-reviewed Organization Studies . Nearly two-thirds of the 1,077 respondents believe that nature is the primary cause of recent global warming and/or that future global warming will ...

Five years after the housing collapse of 2008, the U.S. government’s role in the mortgage market could have taxpayers on the hook for another multibillion-dollar rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Federal Housing Finance Agency took over both government-sponsored enterprises in 2008 to ensure their solvency in the wake ...

The U.S. economy is suffering its deepest and most prolonged recession since the Great Depression. The fundamental causes of the recession and the slow recovery are two decades of poorly conceived housing credit policies and the adoption of failed Keynesian economic policies, say economists Eric Fruits and Randall Pozdena, who ...

A South Carolina lawmaker has introduced a school choice bill that would give parents a $4,000 tax deduction per year for each child they send to independent schools, a $1,000 tax deduction for those sent to public schools outside their district, and a $2,000 tax deduction for those that homeschool. After filing Senate Bill ...

The Wisconsin Legislature is edging closer to asking voters whether to amend the state constitution to ensure transportation-related revenue stays in the transportation fund. After years of raiding the transportation fund to pay for other programs, the legislature last session passed a joint resolution that would block future lawmakers ...

Delaware taxpayers may lose a $21.5 million “investment” as Fisker Automotive took taxpayer money to create green jobs but has yet to produce a single car in the state. In addition to the $21.5 million in grants and loans that appear unlikely to be repaid, state taxpayers have had to cover an additional $400,000 in electric ...

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Virginia teachers unions are squabbling over whether to endorse Gov. Bob McDonnell’s “ Educator Fairness Act ” that would streamline dismissals of “incompetent” teachers and lengthen probationary teaching from three to five years. The Virginia Education Association, the state’s largest public-sector labor union ...

Over-the-top contentions of both the IPCC and the authors of the U.S. Climate Report of 2009 with respect to drought are found to be without any confirmation whatsoever in pertinent real-world data for this part of the world... Read More Coral Resilience to Ocean Acidification and Global Warming (5 Feb 2013) For certain ...

The latest report from the Congressional Budget Office highlights a number of reasons why the CBO is concerned about the implementation of Obamacare. It boils down to this: Obamacare is going to be more expensive than the Obama administration thought, disrupt the marketplace more than they thought, and be tougher to implement ...

Unused groundwater resources present a bright future for our nation’s water needs. We have long believed a planet whose surface is covered by water should not be facing water shortages. However, 97 percent of the Earth’s water is too salty for humans and agriculture. Glaciers and ice caps put another significant portion out ...

Ten years ago the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) sued Ringling Bros.–Barnum & Bailey circus for alleged mistreatment of its elephants. Now the litigation is ending with the ASPCA agreeing to pay the circus $9.3 million for alleged litigation abuse. The settlement came after a judge ruled the ...

A move is afoot to make local governments in Illinois more responsible when borrowing money to finance projects. State Reps. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) and Jack Franks (D-Marengo) have introduced HB983, which would bar independent consultants from providing information on how “alternate revenue” bonds could be paid off ...

Although most young people voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012, his signature achievement is particularly crushing to their freedom, health needs, and pocket books, says Dr. Alieta Eck. She is the founder of Zarephath Health Center in New Jersey, a free health clinic for poor and uninsured people. Dr. Eck outlines a ...

The owners of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team say they are willing to spend $300 million of their own money to renovate their home ballpark, the nearly 100-year-old Wrigley Field. In 2012 the Ricketts family, who own the Cubs, appeared to be closing in on a taxpayer-funded stadium renovation plan with Chicago ...

The U.S. economy is suffering its deepest and most prolonged recession since the Great Depression. The fundamental causes of the recession and the slow recovery are the result of two decades of poorly conceived housing credit policies and the adoption of failed economic Keynesian economic policies, say economists Eric Fruits ...

Global warming alarmists are solidifying their image of fearing open discussion and debate. Self-proclaimed “Science Guy” Bill Nye backed out at the last minute from a nationally televised CNN segment in which he was supposed to debate Marc Morano. Prominent global warming alarmist Michael Mann continued his run of speaking only ...

Across the country, states are seeking new ways to become more economically competitive and better ways to grow. Unfortunately, economic prosperity can be elusive, as some policy prescriptions that are supposed to help miss the mark. All too often, myths about taxes and budgets are prevalent in public policy debates and misinformation ...

While headlines have reported a boom in US oil and gas production, that boom has been related exclusively to exploration and development on private and state lands and waters. Even that limited expansion has had profound effects. Opening up Federal resources — in addition to private and state resources — to exploration and ...