Balance Sheet

From the June 2006 issue

Assets

Golden Age

A National Institute on Aging report finds that people are not only living longer but staying healthy longer. One indicator, the percentage of seniors with a disability that limits their activities, fell from 26 percent in 1982 to 20 percent in 1999.

Head Trip

The British Ministry of Defense still doesn’t admit any wrongdoing, but three former U.K. servicemen receive settlements in connection with the LSD they were given without their consent in the 1950s. Government researchers had asked for volunteers to help find a cure for the common cold.

Clinical Issue

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecelia Fire Thunder says if South Dakota succeeds in banning abortions, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation could open an abortion clinic. State law would not apply to her “sovereign nation,” she argues.

Vote Early, Often

Burlington, Vermont, elects a mayor using the instant run-off voting method. Voters listed their first through fifth choices on their ballots. The victor won by about 800 votes.

Tax Tide

Rising property taxes drive anti-tax ballot proposals, initiatives, and lawsuits in about half the states. The Census Bureau pegs the state and local property tax take at $339 billion last year, or some $2,750 per American household.

Good Business

A study published in the Journal of Small Business Management finds that management is getting more ethical, not less. The survey of 5,000 managers, dating back to 1985, shows respondents increasingly trying to do the right thing in 16 different scenarios.

Liabilities

Antitrusted