Where Has All the Money for Our Schools Gone?

Where Has All the Money for Our Schools Gone?

As fall approaches, millions of moms and dads are scrambling to prepare for the first day of school, excited to support their children’s success. But are schools ready to receive our kids and foster that success? Increasingly, the answer is no. In at least 18 states,...
Ethanol: A Love Story

Ethanol: A Love Story

It’s a timeless story of teenage romance: pledging love, abandoning reason, rebelling against authority. No, this isn’t the plot of a John Hughes movie. Instead, I’m talking about Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s love affair with ethanol. While Vilsack is tasked...
No Taxpayer Dollars for the ‘Bank of Boeing’

No Taxpayer Dollars for the ‘Bank of Boeing’

Have you heard of the Export-Import Bank? It’s little-known yet high on the list of special-interest priorities these days. Created in 1934, this government agency loans money to foreign buyers of American products and gives U.S. exporters loan guarantees. It also...
A Fossil-Fueled Fantasy

A Fossil-Fueled Fantasy

Newfangled carbon-capture power plants supposedly burn coal without poisoning the planet. They don’t. Extracting coal from the ground and disposing of its toxic byproducts makes a dirty mess no matter how it’s burned. But this “clean coal” ruse is conjuring up...
Fueling Corporate Welfare

Fueling Corporate Welfare

Getting something for nothing is a pretty sweet deal — at least if you’re the one getting something. Not so much if you’re the one receiving nothing in exchange. Oil and gas companies are extracting gas from federal lands and paying nothing for much of it, according...