Government Spending

Government Spending

Rick Perry’s Texas: It’s Better to Create More Jobs Than More Medicaid Dependents

Key Points: Texas has a significantly higher rate of uninsured residents, and a somewhat less expensive Medicaid program, than the national average. These conditions have not resulted in poor outcomes: In both health-system outputs and causes of mortality, Texas generally performs as well as other states. Therefore, throwing more money ...
Business & Economics

Educated Legislators, Bad Economy

California has the most educated legislators, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education study. Those stellar academic credentials, unfortunately, have not lifted the state from its economic malaise. California’s unemployment rate, as of May, is nearly 12 percent, higher than every state in the bottom five of the study. ...
Commentary

Candid Romney Would Own Up To Mass. Fiasco

Massachusetts health reform is in the news — driven by reports of long waits for care and its architect’s presidential ambitions. Former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivered a widely panned speech the week before last on health care. The three-part speech attempted the impossible: It defended ...
Business & Economics

GOP takes low road on immigration

Republicans in the state Assembly, still high-fiving each other for stopping Jerry Brown’s one proposal that actually made sense (ending redevelopment agencies), congratulated themselves last week for their tough stand on illegal immigration, another foolish decision that flies in the face of the GOP’s free-market rhetoric. Several Assembly members stood ...
Business & Economics

The size (of our government) really does matter

To balance the state budget, more than $20 billion in the red, California legislators are fighting over spending cuts. Legislators also disagree whether California government is too big. Fortunately, there is a way to quantify the size of government, and all Californians will find it illuminating. Most discussions about the ...
Business & Economics

Arthur Laffer in San Francisco

On Thursday night last week, supply-side luminary Arthur Laffer spoke to the Pacific Research Institute’s annual dinner in San Francisco. Laffer is among the most consequential economists of the last half century. Though lampooned and denounced on the left, his Laffer Curve has had a greater impact on American and ...
Commentary

Obamacare’s Popularity Hits All-Time Low

The survey also confirms that “health care voters” were central to the Republicans’ overwhelming victory in the midterms. Such voters – defined by Kaiser as “those who named health care or health care reform as one of the top two factors in deciding their vote for Congress” – overwhelmingly supported ...
Business & Economics

Californians Deserve Value For Their Tax Dollars

Last week’s election, ushering in Jerry Brown as Governor-elect and changing passage of the state budget from two-thirds to a majority vote, will impact how legislators reconcile California’s budget deficit. Missing in the debate between higher taxes and less spending is whether current spending provides Californians value for their money. ...
Business & Economics

“California Government Oversized”

Interview: PRI Research Director Jason Clemens San Francisco- California government can do more with fewer taxpayer dollars, according to a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in San Francisco. No Bang for the Taxpayer’s Buck: Why California Must Reform Spending and ...
Business & Economics

California can’t mess with Texas

A study two years ago found that California substantially lagged behind Texas economically, based on the two states’ taxes, regulatory policies and government spending. That study, performed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, recently was updated. Not only does California continue to lag but, by comparison, it “has become even ...
Government Spending

Rick Perry’s Texas: It’s Better to Create More Jobs Than More Medicaid Dependents

Key Points: Texas has a significantly higher rate of uninsured residents, and a somewhat less expensive Medicaid program, than the national average. These conditions have not resulted in poor outcomes: In both health-system outputs and causes of mortality, Texas generally performs as well as other states. Therefore, throwing more money ...
Business & Economics

Educated Legislators, Bad Economy

California has the most educated legislators, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education study. Those stellar academic credentials, unfortunately, have not lifted the state from its economic malaise. California’s unemployment rate, as of May, is nearly 12 percent, higher than every state in the bottom five of the study. ...
Commentary

Candid Romney Would Own Up To Mass. Fiasco

Massachusetts health reform is in the news — driven by reports of long waits for care and its architect’s presidential ambitions. Former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivered a widely panned speech the week before last on health care. The three-part speech attempted the impossible: It defended ...
Business & Economics

GOP takes low road on immigration

Republicans in the state Assembly, still high-fiving each other for stopping Jerry Brown’s one proposal that actually made sense (ending redevelopment agencies), congratulated themselves last week for their tough stand on illegal immigration, another foolish decision that flies in the face of the GOP’s free-market rhetoric. Several Assembly members stood ...
Business & Economics

The size (of our government) really does matter

To balance the state budget, more than $20 billion in the red, California legislators are fighting over spending cuts. Legislators also disagree whether California government is too big. Fortunately, there is a way to quantify the size of government, and all Californians will find it illuminating. Most discussions about the ...
Business & Economics

Arthur Laffer in San Francisco

On Thursday night last week, supply-side luminary Arthur Laffer spoke to the Pacific Research Institute’s annual dinner in San Francisco. Laffer is among the most consequential economists of the last half century. Though lampooned and denounced on the left, his Laffer Curve has had a greater impact on American and ...
Commentary

Obamacare’s Popularity Hits All-Time Low

The survey also confirms that “health care voters” were central to the Republicans’ overwhelming victory in the midterms. Such voters – defined by Kaiser as “those who named health care or health care reform as one of the top two factors in deciding their vote for Congress” – overwhelmingly supported ...
Business & Economics

Californians Deserve Value For Their Tax Dollars

Last week’s election, ushering in Jerry Brown as Governor-elect and changing passage of the state budget from two-thirds to a majority vote, will impact how legislators reconcile California’s budget deficit. Missing in the debate between higher taxes and less spending is whether current spending provides Californians value for their money. ...
Business & Economics

“California Government Oversized”

Interview: PRI Research Director Jason Clemens San Francisco- California government can do more with fewer taxpayer dollars, according to a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in San Francisco. No Bang for the Taxpayer’s Buck: Why California Must Reform Spending and ...
Business & Economics

California can’t mess with Texas

A study two years ago found that California substantially lagged behind Texas economically, based on the two states’ taxes, regulatory policies and government spending. That study, performed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, recently was updated. Not only does California continue to lag but, by comparison, it “has become even ...
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