For an alternate viewpoint, see “Point: Abolishing the Filibuster Is a Bad Idea.” The most extended government shutdown in U.S. history has revived a familiar argument: the Senate’s filibuster is to blame for congressional paralysis. It’s a compelling narrative with a convenient villain, but it misses the point. The filibuster isn’t the source of the […]
Posted inPolitics
HOLY COW! HISTORY: The Most Hated Man in Tennessee
Folks in Tennessee disagree about many things. Are you a Vandy fan, or do you root for the Volunteers? Do you vote for Democrats or Republicans? Appalachian Bluegrass or Memphis Blues? But they agree on one thing: Parson Brownlow is the most hated man in Volunteer State history. Nearly 150 years after his death, just […]
Posted inPolitics
After Years of Bad Policy, the FDA Might Finally Be Waking Up on Vaping
After years of threats against vaping companies, misguided bans, and confusing changes in regulatory guidance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may finally be changing its tune on vaping products and tobacco harm reduction (THR). If the FDA is serious, it will finally stop blocking the safer alternatives adults are trying to choose for themselves. […]
Posted inHealthcare
Publish Medicare Prices
The government shutdown fight has brought America’s outrageous healthcare costs back to the top of the news cycle. One of the fastest, most straightforward steps Washington can take to lower them meaningfully is publishing the Medicare rates it pays for patient care. This information can empower employer health plans to negotiate better prices with providers […]
Posted inHealthcare
A Hemp Ban Hurts Consumers and Farmers, and Creates an Illicit Market
Included in the broader funding package to reopen the federal government is a misguided provision criminalizing hemp, a nearly $30 billion industry that has been legal since 2018. A wholesale ban on hemp-derived products is the wrong move. It would harm farmers and small businesses, and push consumers toward unregulated channels and away from the safety and […]
Posted inHealthcare
We Can’t Have Lower Insurance Premiums and Drug Costs Without Reforming PBMs
If Americans want to pay less for prescription drugs, there is no way to do it without reforming the Pharmacy Benefit Manager industry. Congress should do so by the end of this year. The PBMs, once known for reducing drug costs, no longer exist. Literally, they are no longer independent companies. They sit inside the […]
Posted inHealthcare
Banning 7-OH Is Not Just Bad Policy — It’s Dead Wrong
The Trump administration wants to open another front in the “war on drugs” by cracking down on 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). This strategy is destined to backfire. It will push consumers to the black market, where adulterated products and violence are likely to take many of their lives. Kratom is an herbal drug. It has been used […]
Posted inPolitics
State and Local Governments Are Drowning in Debt
The national debt recently surpassed $38 trillion, but America’s debt crisis isn’t limited to the federal government. Less well known is that, nationwide, state and local governments now hold more than $6.1 trillion of their debt. States owe $2.7 trillion in debt, cities hold $1.4 trillion, school districts have $1.3 trillion, and counties owe $760 billion, according […]
Posted inEnergy
Out-of-State Activists Dominate Opposition to Louisiana CP2 LNG Plant
A letter sent by environmentalists, including the Sierra Club, to Energy Secretary Chris Wright demanding a halt to construction on a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility off the Louisiana coast was signed mostly by out-of-state residents. Of the 3,000 signatories calling on the Trump administration to end the conditional authorization of the Calcasieu Pass […]