The Heartlander: May-June 2009 (Executive Summary)

Mission Accomplished!

The primary goal of the second International Conference on Climate Change was to generate international media attention. We achieved that goal ... and then some.

President’s Council Retreat Planned

The 2009 President’s Council Retreat--a series of entertainment, educational, and networking activities--will take place in Chicago on Sunday, June 14 through Tuesday, June 16.

Environment Update

• The March and April issues of Environment & Climate News covered the Everglades, global warming, forestry, ethanol, Asian carp, renewable energy, endangered species, and more.

• We’re distributing 150,000 copies each of The Skeptic’s Handbook and Is the U.S. Surface Temperature Record Reliable?

• Heartland spokespersons appeared in The Drudge Report and an Associated Press wire story and newspapers from Florida to California.

• Science Director Jay Lehr, Ph.D. and Senior Fellow James M. Taylor spoke to audiences in six states. Lehr’s newest book--The Fluoride Wars--was published by Wiley.

Budget and Tax

• The March and April issues of Budget & Tax News address tobacco taxes, the stimulus bill, state budget deficits, cap-and-trade, stadium subsidies, public employee pay, and more.

• Research Fellow Steve Stanek addressed the Young America’s Foundation Midwest Conference, and Publisher Dan Miller appeared on Chicago Tonight. We helped orchestrate taxpayer Tea Parties to protest reckless government spending.

• Heartland spokespersons appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and newspapers from Massachusetts to Oregon.

• The government relations department posted victories on cigarette taxes, sports stadium subsidies, and tax-and-expenditure limitation.

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

• Heartland spokespersons were published in newspapers in Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico.

• The government relations department reached out to elected officials on health and auto insurance, credit scoring, worker’s compensation insurance, and higher education subsidies.

• Legislative Specialist Matthew Glans attended events hosted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Health Care

• The March issue of Health Care News reports on emergency rooms, Medicaid and SCHIP, a looming shortage of physicians, and more.

• Heartland spokespersons were published in Investor’s Business Daily and newspapers in Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, and Washington, DC.

Infotech and Telecom

• The March and April issues of IT & Telecom News report on Internet sales taxes, broadband, Sarbanes-Oxley, the Fairness Doctrine, health information technology, video games, and more.

• “Ten Principles of Telecom Policy” was polybagged with the March issue of IT&T News and distributed at a Technology and Telecom Reform Forum we held in Columbus, Ohio.

• Legislative Specialist John Nothdurft may have helped Georgia legislators pass a bill that will eliminate the state’s Universal Access Fund.

Education

• The March and April issues of School Reform News address charter schools, student achievement, Florida’s voucher program, school choice options in Arizona, tax credits, and more.

• Heartland spokespersons were published in newspapers from New Hampshire to Alaska.

Legal Affairs

• Heartland Senior Fellow Maureen Martin partnered with Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute’s Second Amendment Project to submit an amicus brief in a lawsuit seeking to strike down gun ban ordinances in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois.

• Martin was published by the Cleveland Plain Dealer (circ. 334,195) on the legal doctrine of public nuisance, and appeared on radio to discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.