When Obamacare was passed two years ago, one of its least controversial features was continuing support for programs that encourage doctors to use electronic medical records. As supporters saw it, electronic records make it easier for doctors to get reliable information on new patients; improving the quality of service and lowering costs by avoiding unnecessary […]

A longtime reader writes, largely in response to our essay “Obama’s War on the Young“: You’ve been doing yeoman work charting the pitfalls of government education policy and college policies that seduce ill-prepared kids into a lifetime of debt before they even get to start a family and buy a house. Your articles have been pretty […]

What would you do with $7.5 billion? There are probably as many answers as there are people, but we’re guessing nobody opted to waste it all on a policy that accomplishes exactly zilch. Unfortunately, it looks like the federal government has done just that. Reuters has the details: U.S. federal policies to promote electric vehicles […]

While some had their doubts when the U.S. abruptly dropped economic sanctions against Burma, the new approach is already paying off. The FT reports that Burma recently began talks with the U.S. involving possible military exchanges and training programs. Initial discussions between the US and Myanmar have focused on proposals for non-military training – such as at […]

About six weeks from election day, Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” remark has taken center stage in an election campaign heretofore bereft of a whole lot of pizazz (the antics of the long since departed Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann aside). As is by now well known, Romney’s remark divided the nation between the “takers” and […]

Over the past year or so, it’s become increasingly clear that something has changed in the world of outsourcing. Rising labor costs in China and Eastern Asia and the new abundance of energy resources in America are combining to push manufacturing projects back to the U.S. A new study from the Boston Consulting Group suggests that this onshoring […]

It isn’t nukes, it isn’t aircraft carriers, it isn’t submarines. China’s key weapon in its territorial disputes with its neighbors is its economy, and signs are emerging that China has unleashed a vast horde of ravening bureaucrats against Japan in the latest stage of the Asian Game of Thrones.Specifically, it has turned its customs agents […]

Iran’s developing nuclear capability is on the forefront of everyone’s mind, as is its capability to do damage around the Gulf and in Israel should a pre-emptive strike against its nuclear facilities occur. But NBC reports that Iran has been working on its cyberattack capabilities, and has been flexing its muscles for the past week […]

Speaking at gathering in southern China for ASEAN leaders, Chinese heir apparent Xi Jinping sought to reassure his southeastern neighbors that China is committed to the peaceful resolution of all territorial disputes. Reuters: “We are firm in safeguarding China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and are committed to resolving differences with neighbors concerning territorial land, […]

Another blow for the green power: A $1 billion-a-year tax break that has benefitted wind energy producers for years is likely to expire this winter. Bipartisan support has traditionally allowed the measure to be renewed without much struggle, but opponents are now digging in their heels.This comes at a particularly bad time for the wind […]