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Politics

Missing Tax Dollars

By Chris Kromm
April 13, 2005 - As a complement to "Swine Still Doing Fine," today's Institute report from correspondant Sean Reilly about the rise of pork spending under our current Washington leadership, here are stats from today's issue of the Facing South newsletter:

West Virginia Secretly Adopts English as Official Language

By Gary Ashwill
April 12, 2005 - West Virginia state legislators were surprised to discover that Senate Majority Whip Billy Wayne Bailey, a Democrat, had quietly slipped a provision reading, "English shall be the official language of the State of West Virginia," into a mundane parks and recreation bill that passed during the latest session of the l

Clean Sweep Against Gay Marriage in the South

By Gary Ashwill
April 12, 2005 - Our friend Pam Spaulding has a rundown on "The State of Bigoted Marriage Amendments" newly added to state constitutions. The South is, to no one's surprise, solid on the issue. Five Southern states passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriage just last year: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi (plus, for good measure, border state Oklahoma). North Carolina has such an amendment under consideration.

War Profiteering Watch

By Chris Kromm
April 11, 2005 - Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) Committee on Government Reform - Minority Office has released new findings about how Halliburton is using your taxpayer dollars.

Demise of the DeLay Machine?

By Chris Kromm
April 8, 2005 - In today's Salon, Lou DuBose -- one of the best reporters on Texas politics around -- echoes my point Wednesday about how Tom DeLay has been able to stay in power despite years of scandal:  

Wal-Mart Goes After Estate Tax

By Chris Kromm
April 7, 2005 - Although much has been made of Wal-Mart's new PR offensive to fluff up its public image, relatively little attention has been given to Wal-Mart's new bid to be a political player.