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Lost to the federal siren song

Every now and then, I get an email from someone announcing their new campaign for congress. They’re always quite excited – letting me know how much they’re going to accomplish. Generally, I laugh this off as ignorant, or just grandstanding. But, when I get that same email from someone already elected on a state-level who…

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To the Governor’s Desk: Missouri legislature passes bill to withdraw from Common Core

Both chambers of the Missouri legislature gave final approval today to a bill to end the state’s involvement in the Common Core educational standards. The bill will now go to the Governor's desk for a signature

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Tennessee Governor signs bill to effectively nullify federal hemp ban

NASHVILLE, May 15, 2014 – Yesterday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill which some supporters consider the strongest pro-hemp legislation in the country. House Bill 2445 (HB2445), introduced by Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), would mandate that the state authorize the growing and production of industrial hemp within Tennessee, effectively nullifying the unconstitutional federal ban on…

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CA Senate committee passes bill to ban warrantless drone surveillance

SACRAMENTO., May 15, 2014 – A California bill to strictly limit drone use passed out of an important state senate committee this week, and is now slated to receive a vote from the full senate. The bill had previously passed through the state assembly by a 63-6 vote. AB1327 would ban law enforcement agencies in California from using…

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To the Governor’s Desk: Minnesota Legislature Bans Warrantless Cellphone Tracking

ST. PAUL, Min., – May 14, 2014. A bipartisan bill that bans Minnesota law enforcement from obtaining cellphone location tracking information without a warrant passed final hurdles in the state House and Senate today. The House vote was 130-0 and the Senate vote was 63-1. SF2466 was introduced by Sen. Brandon Petersen (R-Andover) and cosponsored…

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Wholesale Prices in U.S. Climb by Most in a Year; Food Prices Surge

"The 0.6 percent increase in the producer price index was the biggest since September 2012 and exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists, figures from the Labor Department showed today. Over the past 12 months, costs climbed 2.1 percent. Food prices surged by the most in three years. Wholesale food expenses increased 2.7 percent in April, the biggest jump since February 2011, led by an 8.4 percent surge in the costs of meats that was the biggest since 2003. A confluence of events ranging from drought in the West to porcine epidemic diarrhea is pushing up prices for beef, pork and other foods." Continue reading →

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Fed Warns Of Crackdown On Leveraged-Buyout Deals

"The Federal Reserve warned it may need to take additional action to rein in banks' funding of corporate takeovers after observing continued deterioration of lending standards this year. The statements were the latest warning that U.S. regulators want banks to end practices they see as risky in so-called leveraged lending markets. The Fed and the Office of the Comptroller told banks in March 2013 to avoid funding takeover deals that would leave companies with high levels of debt. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said that some bank-underwriting standards had loosened as a response to investor appetite for additional risk, a byproduct of low interest rates." Continue reading →

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