Safe Search Tools & Portals for Kids: The List Keeps Growing – The Technology Liberation Front Over at Ars, Ben Kuchera has a review of Ask.com’s redesign of its web portal for kids, AskKids.com. It’s a great new addition to the growing list of safe seach tools and web portals geared toward younger surfers… The Internal Revenue Code Would Fit on Approx. 80 Rolls of Toilet Paper – The Tax Foundation After reading TaxProf Blog’s post about rolls of toilet paper with the Form 1040 imprinted on them, we wondered … More

The Green Bait-and-Switch – Adam Smith Institute In the US many environmentalists are getting infected with the NIMBY-virus* as they realize the unpleasant consequences of renewable energy. New projects, such as the 240-mile transmission line through Indiana to accommodate wind farms (at a cost of $1bn), are unlikely… Does Government Need to Fund Energy R&D? – OpenMarket.org The Breakthrough Institute, whose willingness to think outside the box I greatly admire, issues a challenge of sorts to my friend Jim Manzi, who has been particpating in a debate with them over … More

How Transparent is Your Local Government Website? – Government Bytes Sunshine Review is working on the My Government Website Project for “people from all around the country to collaboratively determine the extent to which government-managed websites contain the information people need.” Minnesota’s Declaration of Energy Independence – Townhall I wish I could have posted about this earlier, but on Saturday, the Minnesota Republican Caucus unveiled their Declaration of Energy Independence at the Minnesota State Fair. Card Check: Making the U.S. More Like France, Ossified – ShopFloor Big-picture commentary by Bernie … More

Joe Biden’s So-So Record on Trade – Cato-at-Liberty During his long tenure in the Senate, Joe Biden of Delaware has compiled a mixed record on votes affecting our freedom to participate in the global economy. The record of the Democratic vice-presidential… Amtrak Ridership at “Record” Levels, More Subsidies Needed – Government Bytes News stories this week cited the fact that Amtrak ridership has risen significantly in recent months in response to high gas prices. In a free market, a record number of riders would mean record profits (or at least … More

Whose Business Is It Anyway? – Townhall.com “Stossel is a pig.” “Wait and see how he is going to react when he [gets] fired by ABC News without a reason, just because he is skinny like a monkey.”… Virtual water: The New Carbon Footprint – Adam Smith Institute This week The Guardian reported on the new environmental campaign to get us to recognise our ‘water footprint’ – in other words, we are now being asked to factor into everything we consume the amount of water it would have taken to … More

Dem Lawmaker Kicked Out of Capitol – The Club For Growth Democratic leaders in the California legislature kicked Assemblywoman Nicole Parra out of the Capitol building because she didn’t vote for their budget… Obama, McCain, and School Choice – The Locker Room In the latest Phi Delta Kappa poll, a plurality of respondents said that Barack Obama would do a better job promoting school choice than John McCain… Oliver Tickell’s Alarmist Predictions Won’t Solve Climate Change – Guardian.co.uk Much of the global warming debate is perhaps best described as a … More

Federal Regulations Helped Spawn Mortgage Crisis – OpenMarket.org Federal “affordable housing” and “diversity” mandates helped spawn the mortgage crisis. Additional evidence comes from a Washington Post story, which notes that “even late in the housing bubble… Sales Tax Holidays: Small Gains Are Outweighed By Serious Harms – The Tax Foundation I’ll be appearing on Fox Business Network at 2:00 PM to talk about sales tax holidays. These one- or two-day breaks from sales taxes for specific items are increasingly popular; 16 states had or are having one this year. The … More

Now Safely Asserted: Card Check Eliminates the Secret Ballot – Shopfloor.org The DFL Party in Minnesota, feigning outrage that someone would express disagreement with their candidates’ support of the Employee Free Choice Act, tried to punish and prevent the speech rather than… To Drill, or Not to Drill – the Weekly Standard Republican presidential candidate John McCain says that he’s taking another look at the possibility of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and as part of that assessment McCain says that he plans to … More

Republican Energy Protest Starts Picking up Steam – FRC Blog Returned to the House floor yesterday to watch the Republican “speech-in” demanding a vote from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on energy. The crowds was at least four times the crowd I saw last week… Using the Economic Weapon Against Russia – Capital Commerce: UsNews.com As parents know, every new gizmo a kid gets provides useful leverage over their behavior. A bit too much sass mouth? The iPod goes on sabbatical. Same works for nations as they connect more to the … More

Economic Consequences of Russia’s Invasion of Georgia – Shopfloor.org Looking at U.S. trade data, we’re a little suprised to see that even with its energy resources, Russia’s economy is still second tier. In 2007, Russia ranked 30th among countries in the value of U.S. exports shipped there, $7.3 billion, right behind the Philippines… A Conservative Blueprint for Health Care – The Next Right The liberals are setting us up for a tax increase, and they’re using health care to do it. They want to double federal taxes as a percent … More