By Rick Manning Donald Trump is leading in at least one poll for the Republican Party nomination for President. The Economist/YouGov poll shows 15 percent of Republican respondents identified Trump as their first choice with 12 percent having him as their second. The next best showing was by Jeb Bush who trailed by 4 points in […]

By Robert Romano Next week, the House of Representatives is taking up the appropriations bill for Financial Services and General Government. This is another opportunity for Congress to exercise its constitutional power of the purse through policy riders that can help limit the size and scope of […]

By Robert Romano The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has finalized its “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” rule that empowers the government to condition eligibility for community development block grants on redrawing zoning maps to achieve racial and income integration by building high density, low-income housing in middle-class neighborhoods. In 2012,  HUD dispersed about $3.8 billion of these grants  to almost  1,200 municipalities […]

By A.F. Branco Click here for a higher resolution version.

By Marita Noon When you read a headline such as one from CNBC touting “Solar power’s stunning growth,” realize that it’s thanks to you — even if you’ve never even thought of putting solar panels on your roof or live in an apartment where you […]

By Robert Romano This week, the House of Representatives is taking up the appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. This is an opportunity for Congress to exercise its constitutional power of the purse through policy riders that can help limit the […]

By A.F. Branco Click here for a higher resolution version.

By Nathan Mehrens After several years of debate, the Canadian Parliament last week passed legislation to require financial transparency from labor unions. This is a monumental achievement deserving of praise. It was not easy. I had the privilege to be present for some of the […]

By Rick Manning “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, […]

By Robert Romano Today, the charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States expires. It has been called the unnecessary bank, namely, because it only accounts for $27.5 billion of the nation’s $2.344 trillion of annual exports — just 1.17 percent of the total. While some companies do utilize it, such as Boeing and Caterpillar, almost all — […]