As part of President Obama’s economic stimulus, the federal government has doled out $230 million for communities to combat obesity rather than create jobs or boost the economy. In many cases, the funds are being used to attack American-made products like Coke and Pepsi. Advertisements undermining soft drinks can be found in cities from coast to coast. New York’s “Pouring on the Pounds” campaign used grotesque pictures and misleading information that even the city’s chief nutritionist called into question. The city received $15.5 million in federal funding for its anti-obesity …
This morning we wrote about hurricanes, and then Washington, D.C., had an earthquake. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides information about what to do before, during, and after an earthquake. FEMA also provides an index with contact information on state agencies. As residents of the East Coast found out today, earthquakes can happen anywhere. Earthquakes result from shifts in tectonic plates that comprise the Earth’s surface. The edges of the plates impact one another, creating intense geologic activity, including earthquakes, violent fracturing of the earth’s crust. There are also …
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning that employers added 117,000 jobs in July, up from June’s dismal 18,000 but still below the number needed to keep pace with population growth. The unemployment rate also fell 0.1 percent to 9.1 percent. Get complete analysis from Heritage’s Rea Hederman and James Sherk, who produce a monthly jobs and employment report. All eyes will again be on Wall Street today. After the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 500 points yesterday, the world eagerly awaits reaction to today’s jobs report. …
Fortunately for New York City’s pregnancy care centers, a politically motivated ordinance slated to take effect in mid-July was declared “unconstitutionally vague” by a federal district judge. The ruling is a victory for volunteer organizations and freedom of speech. The court order will keep the city from fining pregnancy centers that were singled out by the ordinance and required, oddly enough, to highlight the services they do not offer, particularly abortion and emergency contraception. The ordinance also required the centers to emphasize to potential clients whether they have licensed medical …
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s surprising push for tort reform came to an end Sunday night. The latest New York budget plan eliminates the proposed $250,000 “cap on non-economic damages for medical malpractice awards” that would have saved the state an estimated $384 million. Cuomo, a Democrat, abandoned the plan even after he accepted the Medicaid Redesign Team’s proposal. The setback leaves New York’s blundering Medicaid program unreformed and according to Mississippi Governor Hailey Barbour, no meaningful changes can be made to until someone in the Governor’s Mansion follows through …
While it’s being reported that every state (except Florida) had snow on the ground this week, 46 states are digging out of another kind of mess — a combined deficit of at least $127 billion. Democratic and Republican state leaders alike are grappling with structural budget deficits, many of whom are proposing budget cuts to tackle the problem. But then there’s Illinois. President Barack Obama’s home state is beleaguered by a $15 billion budget deficit that is said to be the worst in the nation. And apparently the last thing …
Many baseball fans and sports writers woke up yesterday morning scratching their heads to Cliff Lee’s decision to turn down a deal worth $154 million over 7 years with the New York Yankees to join the Philadelphia Phillies for a mere $120 million over 5 years. As ESPN columnist Jayson Stark put it, “Does anyone out there remember anything like this — a player who’d been portrayed as being obsessed with getting every possible dollar out there, who then decided he didn’t really need, like, 30 million of those dollars …
Would you like a $14-billion taxpayer-funded tunnel in your town? How about a $500 million light rail train to nowhere? As state and local governments are under crushing budget constraints, mega-sized infrastructure boondoggles are cropping up all over the country. With the promise of “free money” from the federal government, these projects are proving too tempting for state governments to turn down. In the City of Detroit, a $500 million light rail train is being built to connect the downtown area with outlying suburbs. Critics say that the train is …
Washington think tanks and commentators continue to spin out impressive reams attempting to explain the necessity and virtues of adding a value-added tax (VAT) on top of all the taxes the federal government already collects. The fiscal policy problem is real enough—thanks to the Obama spending surge, federal budget deficits are unsustainable and a course correction is inevitable. What most VAT-istas refuse to acknowledge is that the problem is due to new spending, not a sudden collapse in the ability of the federal tax system to raise revenues. Even so, …
What would it take to lure basketball star LeBron James away from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a contract with the Miami Heat? Believe it or not, taxes might have something to do with it, and that’s an important message for all levels of government. In Florida, James’ new place of business, there is no income tax, and the superstar will see a big benefit in his bottom line for playing ball in a Heat jersey. James will make $1.014 million more in Miami than in Cleveland over the …
