As I have previously discussed, the Open Internet Order (OIO) recently passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an unconstitutional breach of the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause. That is not the only legal pitfall of the order, however. It also violates the Telecommunications Act, the very law which it is using to apply Title … Continue reading
The Federal Government’s role as a safety net for the vulnerable has been growing steadily since the passage of the New Deal in the wake of the Great Depression, when President Roosevelt introduced such novel concepts as Social Security. Follow-up legislation in the 1960s established Medicare, which continues to help senior citizens remain independent as … Continue reading
In his State of the Union address, President Obama announced his proposal for mandatory paid sick leave. He is proposing that businesses be required to provide seven days of paid sick leave per year to each employee. Currently, many people are forced to choose between going to work sick and forgoing a much needed paycheck. … Continue reading
The use of nuclear weapons is perhaps the most dangerous threat one state can make against another. Dropping a single bomb can kill millions of civilians, destroy cities and cause massive economic damage. When the U.S. dropped the Atom bomb on Nagasaki, it destroyed approximately 40 percent of the buildings in the city. In Hiroshima, … Continue reading
Now that the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) so-called Open Internet Order (OIO) has finally been released, we can begin to assess where we go from here. Besides the numerous reasons why the FCC’s decision is bad policy, it is also unconstitutional. The OIO is a violation of the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment. The … Continue reading
What is it? The 340B Drug Pricing Program requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to eligible health care organizations at substantially discounted prices ranging from 25 to 50 percent off a drug’s average wholesale price. Who’s eligible? In order to be eligible for 340B, a provider must either be a nonprofit with particular federal … Continue reading
“It hangs over us like a dark cloud,” noted National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins Tuesday, March 10 at a Senate Committee meeting on “Continuing America’s Leadership in Medical Innovation for Patients,” in reply to a question regarding the impact of sequestration on the NIH. The sequestration was a serious blow to the NIH, … Continue reading
As of this past week, our federal government has managed to clear the hurdle of fully funding the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, this is only one of the many vitally important budget issues on the horizon, including Medicare payments to doctors, funding for the Highway Trust Fund and our crumbling infrastructure, and the prospect … Continue reading
In modern America the airwaves are continuously flooded with waves that we cannot see. Radio waves carry signals for everything from smartphones to televisions using bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. The use of spectrum for communication has a long and thorny history going back to the first radio broadcasters. Like any form of communication, the … Continue reading
You may have noticed that you seem to be receiving fewer wedding invitations in recent years. Before you panic about whether or not you are a good dancer or eat too much cake, there may be another explanation for the lack of invitations. It simply turns out that fewer people are getting married today. According … Continue reading
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