Government Spending
Business & Economics
‘Jobs’ bills: Why they fizzle
California’s unemployment rate is more than 12 percent, prompting state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s new plan to create some 140,000 jobs. The plan, unfortunately, has a problem. Steinberg’s plan consists of several measures, each expected to create a specific number of jobs. Yet when tallying up the number ...
Business & Economics
Greetings from California
I simply noted that California has very high tax rates, a bloated and expensive government bureaucracy, and one of the largest public sectors (as measured by government spending as a share of state economic output) in the country. This excellent report from the Pacific Research Institute has plenty of details.
Business & Economics
Obama Takes Deficits To New Frontier
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that “families across the country are tightening their belts and making tough decisions,” so the “federal government should do the same.” The following week, the president presented his new budget, which contains $1.267 trillion in new deficit spending. So ...
Business & Economics
Cut taxes to boost employment
Californias unemployment rate, according to the most recent figures, is 12.4 percent, fifth highest in the nation behind only such economic basket cases as Michigan and South Carolina. Californias second-largest city, San Diego, is known as Americas Finest City but hasnt been immune to unemployment problems. San Diegos unemployment rate ...
Business & Economics
Opinion: The Crisis That Went to Waste
(Jan. 26) “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” That’s what White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in November 2008 to justify the incoming administration’s bold policy proposals including, especially, health care reform. In one sense, Emanuel was right. Generally speaking, in times of ...
Business & Economics
What’s keeping state in sorry shape
SACRAMENTO Technically speaking, it’s not hard to figure out how to solve California’s permanent fiscal crisis if you just ignore the political mountains that would have to be moved to implement the fixes. A few good starting points: imposing a strict spending limit on legislators, reducing pension benefits ...
Business & Economics
Now You Should Be Really Fiscally Afraid in California
If you really want to be scared, you need to listen to the types of people who are now sounding the alarm bells. Im a libertarian, and its not a surprise to hear me warn about the ill effects of government spending. But listen to what former California Assembly Speaker ...
Business & Economics
Policies Should Promote Wealth Creation
What causes poverty? That’s what North Carolina’s “Poverty Reduction and Economic Recovery Commission” — which met again last week — claims to be investigating. Specifically, the law that created the commission declares “an understanding of the causes and effects of poverty are critical in the reduction of poverty and economic ...
Commentary
A Choice Between the President and the Future
Despite the truly historic events listed above, U.S. deficits from President Washington through the election of President Obama averaged only 1 percent of GDP. Since President Obamas election, they have averaged 10 percent of GDP and they are on the rise. President Obama and the Democratic Congress racked up ...
Business & Economics
Deflation delusion
Commentary: We’re in the midst of moderate stagflation NASHVILLE, Tenn. (MarketWatch) — The federal government recently reported that consumer prices had risen in November for the fourth straight month, thanks largely to big jumps in the price of gasoline and oil. Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve and many commentators have dismissed ...
‘Jobs’ bills: Why they fizzle
California’s unemployment rate is more than 12 percent, prompting state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s new plan to create some 140,000 jobs. The plan, unfortunately, has a problem. Steinberg’s plan consists of several measures, each expected to create a specific number of jobs. Yet when tallying up the number ...
Greetings from California
I simply noted that California has very high tax rates, a bloated and expensive government bureaucracy, and one of the largest public sectors (as measured by government spending as a share of state economic output) in the country. This excellent report from the Pacific Research Institute has plenty of details.
Obama Takes Deficits To New Frontier
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that “families across the country are tightening their belts and making tough decisions,” so the “federal government should do the same.” The following week, the president presented his new budget, which contains $1.267 trillion in new deficit spending. So ...
Cut taxes to boost employment
Californias unemployment rate, according to the most recent figures, is 12.4 percent, fifth highest in the nation behind only such economic basket cases as Michigan and South Carolina. Californias second-largest city, San Diego, is known as Americas Finest City but hasnt been immune to unemployment problems. San Diegos unemployment rate ...
Opinion: The Crisis That Went to Waste
(Jan. 26) “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” That’s what White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in November 2008 to justify the incoming administration’s bold policy proposals including, especially, health care reform. In one sense, Emanuel was right. Generally speaking, in times of ...
What’s keeping state in sorry shape
SACRAMENTO Technically speaking, it’s not hard to figure out how to solve California’s permanent fiscal crisis if you just ignore the political mountains that would have to be moved to implement the fixes. A few good starting points: imposing a strict spending limit on legislators, reducing pension benefits ...
Now You Should Be Really Fiscally Afraid in California
If you really want to be scared, you need to listen to the types of people who are now sounding the alarm bells. Im a libertarian, and its not a surprise to hear me warn about the ill effects of government spending. But listen to what former California Assembly Speaker ...
Policies Should Promote Wealth Creation
What causes poverty? That’s what North Carolina’s “Poverty Reduction and Economic Recovery Commission” — which met again last week — claims to be investigating. Specifically, the law that created the commission declares “an understanding of the causes and effects of poverty are critical in the reduction of poverty and economic ...
A Choice Between the President and the Future
Despite the truly historic events listed above, U.S. deficits from President Washington through the election of President Obama averaged only 1 percent of GDP. Since President Obamas election, they have averaged 10 percent of GDP and they are on the rise. President Obama and the Democratic Congress racked up ...
Deflation delusion
Commentary: We’re in the midst of moderate stagflation NASHVILLE, Tenn. (MarketWatch) — The federal government recently reported that consumer prices had risen in November for the fourth straight month, thanks largely to big jumps in the price of gasoline and oil. Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve and many commentators have dismissed ...
