FreedomTalks

In an unprecedented show of bipartisan support for property rights, the South Dakota Senate has unanimously approved a bill (HB 1080) that
Ensures that government agencies cannot condemn land for economic development. … Under HB1080, counties, municipalities and housing and redevelopment commissions cannot transfer property to private or nongovernmental entity primarily for “enhancement” of tax revenue. [...]

As the Canadian socialized medicine system breaks down, patients are turning to the free market for medical relief. See this link. Or read below the fold.

In a study promulgated by an advocate of muni-wifi, the author interviews representatives of 13 cities that have experimented with muni-wifi. He reaches a genuinely surprised conclusion:

As Indiana moves closer to modernizing its telecommunications laws, it’s important to realize that consumers will be the ultimate winners of reform. Consumers want competition. Special interests don’t.
A recent survey by Harris Interactive® conducted among U.S. adults explores consumer awareness and interest in and the potential impact of IPTV, an upcoming digital television service that [...]

Did you know this?
For $495, an outfit called TheCapitol.Net will teach you how to feed at the trough. The firm, which does training seminars on how Washington works, is offering a one-day course on how to get an earmark. If you sign up, the folks at TheCapitol.Net will even teach you how to counter “public [...]

Trenchant insight here. In part, extending the cuts for another few years (or, even better, making them permanent) will lead to stability and transparency in the market:
To plan for the future, businesses need certainty — they can’t plan if they are unsure whether this tax relief will be available down the road. When companies [...]

The Viriginia Legislature is considering repealing the estate tax this session. Predictably, the tax-and-spend lobby is playing class warfare with this important issue. Their latest salvo revolves around the claim that the repeal would hurt only the select few “super rich.” Case in point:
According to the state Department of Taxation, of the 1,866 estate [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) — Congress withdrew support for a U.S. cotton subsidy program Wednesday, ending export and import subsidies and normalizing world cotton prices.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would repeal a support program for cotton formally known as “Step 2″ as part of its Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act. Before the [...]

Sharp analysis here:
The administration’s new budget proposes spending $5.9 billion to promote math in America. This might not be a bad idea, if only because politicians seemingly cannot count. This year, the president wants to spend $2.77 trillion, including record amounts of money for both domestic programs and national defense/homeland security. The details are [...]

A nice little bit of muckracking from the Boston Globe on how government giveaways are the real cause of cronyism. The only way to end corruption is through earmark reform, not laws that chill political speech.
A Globe review of Senate records shows that the secretive earmark process has also become a boon for lobbyists, [...]