Government Spending
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 ...
Business & Economics
Memo to Candidates – Dire Economy Calls for Deep Reforms
California’s unemployment rate is 12.4 percent – third-highest in the country – but that statistic fails to tell the whole story of our economic woes. If marginal workers and those forced to work part-time are added to the base unemployment rate – what the Bureau of Labor Statistics refers to ...
Business & Economics
Returning the state to prosperity requires action
As the November election approaches, Californians don’t need to be reminded of the dismal state of the Golden State. The state’s economic misery permeates Californians’ daily lives. Our headline unemployment is 12.4 percent, third-highest in the country, and increases to 21.9 percent, highest in the country, when marginally employed and ...
Business & Economics
A Bad Word in California
What does voter anger at pension payouts and government spending mean for candidates who rely on the support of public employees? Steven Greenhut is the director of the Pacific Research Institute’s Journalism Center and the author of “Plunder! How Public Employee Unions Are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives And Bankrupting ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
“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 ...
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 ...
Memo to Candidates – Dire Economy Calls for Deep Reforms
California’s unemployment rate is 12.4 percent – third-highest in the country – but that statistic fails to tell the whole story of our economic woes. If marginal workers and those forced to work part-time are added to the base unemployment rate – what the Bureau of Labor Statistics refers to ...
Returning the state to prosperity requires action
As the November election approaches, Californians don’t need to be reminded of the dismal state of the Golden State. The state’s economic misery permeates Californians’ daily lives. Our headline unemployment is 12.4 percent, third-highest in the country, and increases to 21.9 percent, highest in the country, when marginally employed and ...
A Bad Word in California
What does voter anger at pension payouts and government spending mean for candidates who rely on the support of public employees? Steven Greenhut is the director of the Pacific Research Institute’s Journalism Center and the author of “Plunder! How Public Employee Unions Are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives And Bankrupting ...
