A value-added tax (VAT) has been attacked by liberals as being regressive and by conservatives as a way to grow government. This article examines these criticisms of a VAT and concludes that both these criticisms are to heavily relied on by opponents of a VAT. [More]

Astroturf lobbying organizations – lobbying organizations that use money to appear as if they have popular support – challenge citizens and law makers to find accurate information about policy issues. However, limiting a right as integral to our democracy as speech should never be done hastily. Additionally, past similar regulation failed to accomplish its goals and spurred the creation of 527 groups that negatively affected electoral politics. By learning from past regulatory failure we can better regulate Astroturf lobbying organizations. Requiring frequent and detailed financial disclosures from groups that have large bank accounts but small membership rolls leaves political speech undisturbed while giving people and politicians access to the information necessary to weigh the quality of the information offered and arguments made by these organizations. [More]

I. Introduction

In case you have not read a newspaper, surfed the internet, or been outside your home recently, there is an obesity epidemic in the United States.[1] Search Google News for “’obesity epidemic’” and one will find about seven hundred stories in the last month.[2] Not to dwell on the prevalence of obesity, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2005-2006 “more than one-third of adults, or seventy-two million people [in the United States] were obese;” a number which had “doubled among adults from 1980 to 2004” and which has not decreased since.[3] [More]