It got little attention on such a busy news day, but the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling last Wednesday for property rights.

The court unanimously ruled that the Eighth Amendment protection against excessive fines in cases of individuals charged or convicted of a crime applies not only to the federal government but also to the states’ seizure of property and other assets.

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, in which PLF filed a friend-of-the-court brief.

This case is about whether the Clean Water Act regulates pollution that reaches surface water by means of groundwater. If it does, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said, then every homeowner with a septic tank could be subject to harsh treatment from agency bureaucrats.

Does anyone recognize the Democrat Party anymore?

It is not the party of John F. Kennedy any longer.  In fact, it has become a platform for extremist voices to amplify their message of far-left ideology that was once considered taboo even to the most liberal activist within their party.

Coddled. Delicate. The “tea cup generation” that doesn’t know or appreciate where things come from, takes more than it gives back and must be handled with extra care.

As a millennial, born in 1997, those are my generation’s stereotypes.

Recently, a friend’s father said environmentalism was my generation’s new religion, that millennials wander aimlessly looking for a cause. That cause, I was told, is defending Mother Earth. 

To some degree, that’s true.

Seismic surveying has dominated both the headlines and opinion pages in the last few years. You might think this research technique is new, given all the recent fanfare, but the process has actually been occurring in American waters for almost a century. Seismic surveys are used for a number of reasons, including to help identify potential energy resources in the ocean, and the process is fairly simple and safe – contrary to what you may read in the media.

Since she began running for Congress, most Republicans have considered Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as nothing more than a joke. Her gaffes  when talking to the press have become legendary. The fact she was elected and installed as the youngest member of the House of Representatives as a “Democratic Socialist” should be noted. She may seem to be naive, but she is being warmly received by liberals as the savior of her party.

Just days into the new year, some members of the Florida congressional delegation unveiled a proposal to permanently ban oil drilling off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico to federal waters, dozens of miles offshore, far out of sight and away from any fishing or recreational activities. Supporters claim these steps, if approved, will help Floridians. We’re listening to our constituents, they say.

In the 2016 presidential election, the United States Supreme Court appointments were front and center when Americans made up their minds and cast their votes. They understood that nothing less than freedom, the cause of liberty and the fate of our nation was at stake.

Facts are stubborn things, and facts should absolutely be used in discussing the merits of seismic testing on the Atlantic coast. Unfortunately, there seems to be more misinformation and baseless claims rather than actual scientific analysis when it comes to the topic of seismic surveying in particular. Hopefully, fact-based arguments will prevail over the fear mongering tactics used by those who will blindly oppose any action towards domestic energy production.