The Washington Post reports that the estates or companies of deceased farmers received $1.1 billion in subsidies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the past seven years.  This discovery exposes yet another problem with a federal Depression-era program that has long outworn its welcome.

Mr. Justinian Lane of the blog "TortDeform," produced by the Drum Major Institute, resorts to name calling and sophism in his comments about my study Jackpot Justice.  Please read his original commentary here.  Then read my point-by-point rebuttal below.

California remains in the bottom third of Forbes.com's The Best States for Business rankings, which relies partially on PRI's U.S. Economic Freedom Index and U.S. Tort Liability Index.  Despite moving up from 36th to 34th place, the state's regulatory climate is still extremely hostile to business.

Californians make many promises they can’t keep.  The City of San Francisco, according to the Chronicle, faces $4.9 billion in unfunded liabilities for city employee health benefits. 

Recently, president of the Alabama Association for Justice Bob Prince criticized the Pacific Research Institute in some Alabama newspapers ("Just ending in ‘pants’ suit," Gadsden Times, June 27 and "The system works" Times Daily, June 27). In doing so, Bob Prince accidentally made some very revealing assertions about how he thinks the American legal system should work.