The Sound and Fury over Payday Lending
by: Marc Kilmer

There has been a lot of discussion about the practice of payday lending recently. Many self-appointed ???consumer??? advocates deplore the fact that people choose to borrow money from these lenders and are upset that these institutions have proliferated over the past decade. However, the loans are popular with consumers and are often the best alternative many have for necessary cash. There is no reason to take away this option from consumers who choose it.

IRS Security Vulnerabilities
by: Leslie K. Paige

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on January 8, 2008 documenting the mediocre progress made by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) toward tightening its information security systems. The GAO said: "The IRS is at increased risk of unauthorized access to and disclosure, modification, and destruction of financial and taxpayer information, as well as inadvertent or deliberate disruption of system operations and services."

Alaska Begins to Grow Up
by: Leslie K. Paige

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) delivered her State of the State Address on January 15, 2008 and some of her comments deserve a wider audience.