In The News

As if the fiscal cliff, debt ceiling, higher taxes and a potential recession weren’t enough to scare employers, the Obama administration has just handed them one more headache: an IRS warning that any efforts to avoid the ObamaCare mandate to provide coverage or pay a penalty will not go unpunished.

A monthlong investigation by Rio Rancho police working with investigators from the Recording Industry Association of America culminated in the arrest and seizures of thousands of pirated CDs. One study by the Institute for Policy Innovation showed that music theft translates into more than 70,000 lost music community jobs and more than $2 billion in lost wages to American workers.

Switching to a pre-funded system similar to the Alternate Plan, even if it is only for new workers entering the system, means a day will come when we won't be adding even more unfunded liabilities or robbing from those who have paid in their entire working lives.

Over the past few years, Americans have cut back on their lifestyles by far more than 1%, writes Tom Giovanetti, as quoted in Forbes. It will be hard to demagogue successfully against a 1% reduction in government spending.

The lack of spending cuts in legislation that averted the fiscal cliff will place enormous pressure on entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and even the president’s new heath insurance plan when negotiations begin in coming weeks to reduce the deficit, analysts said Wednesday.

President Obama’s claim that higher taxes are necessary for more revenue is a sham. He has refused to use two easy ways to get more money–big money.

Boehner never initiated a spending-cut PR campaign, so Republicans are hoping they will be able to get some cuts in the next round of fiscal negotiations. But it won’t happen until they learn how to make excessive government spending the issue.

During fiscal cliff talks, transparency advocacy groups including the Institute for Policy Innovation called on President Obama and congressional leaders to post bills online for 72 hours before a vote; release in real-time details on any lobbyist meetings; and disclose any "side deals" for future legislative consideration.

A Rio Rancho man faces charges of music piracy after investigators found more than 20,000 bootleg CDs in his possession. A study by the Institute for Policy Innovation indicated that music theft means more than 70,000 jobs lost in the music community and more than $2 billion in lost wages to American workers.

Trade restrictions are almost always a bad idea. In the case of natural-gas exports, they would be particularly foolish and economically disastrous.