Government Spending
Blog
Is Crony Capitalism Alive and Well in California?
If there’s one thing that unites Californians, it’s a disdain for crony capitalism. What is crony capitalism, you ask? We see it all the time. Think local elected officials throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Amazon to try and lure their second global headquarters to their city. PRI’s senior ...
Commentary
Why Does the Left Want Universal Health Care? Britain’s Is on Its Deathbed
The U.K.’s government-run healthcare system, the National Health Service, turns 70 this month. There’s not much to celebrate. The NHS is collapsing. Patients routinely face treatment delays, overcrowded hospitals, and doctor shortages. Even its most ardent defenders admit that the NHS is in crisis. Yet American progressives want to import ...
Blog
Free Markets 101: The Landscape of American Opportunity
One of the most common themes in American politics is the emphasis on preserving or restoring our role as a land of opportunity. Across the political spectrum, there is a general sense that the intergenerational promise of upward mobility is becoming harder and harder to keep. For those on the ...
Blog
Would Public Employees Really Lose Income After Janus Ruling?
Public-sector employees who want to be freed of forced unionization are hoping that the Supreme Court will release them from their yoke when it issues its impending ruling in the case of a government worker who sued the union that claims to represent him. Others, though, fear a future in ...
Business & Economics
Federal Government Must Revamp Spending To Maximize Economic Growth
It’s not news that the federal government spends too much. This year, the federal government will spend about $30,000 per taxpayer. That doesn’t count the public debt — every taxpayers’ share is over $145,000 — or unfunded liabilities like Social Security and Medicare, which add another $600,000 to $1.6 million per taxpayer. ...
Blog
Gann Limit Blast from the Past Has Become Brown’s Budget Thorn in the Side
Ancient scrolls tell us there was once an era when Californians rose up against the heavy hand of taxation. In the now-distant year of 1978 voters approved Proposition 13 to limit the government’s reach in property taxes. The final tally was a 65-35 message from voters which clearly told politicians ...
Business & Economics
Averting Fiscal Crises Requires Grandiose Reforms, and More Effective Budget Management
The long-term consequences of irresponsible government spending – federal, state, and local – are quickly becoming near-term realities. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the worst of these consequences can still be avoided if politicians and governing bodies enact grandiose reforms, step up efforts to prevent budget ...
Blog
Today Could Be a Red-Letter Day for Worker Freedom
The two red-letter days on labor union calendars are May Day and Labor Day. After today, though, February 26 might appear as a black-letter day, marking the downfall of once-mighty organized labor. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in Janus vs. AFSCME. The plaintiff is Mark Janus, an ...
Blog
A Defense of Supply Side Economics
Supply Side Economics works. This isn’t a political statement, nor should it be a particularly controversial one either, unless you believe I am referring to the mythical “trickle down” straw man conjured up by some in the political establishment. By supply side economics, I am referring to the broad basket ...
Business & Economics
Fiscal Policy Needs Spending Reform, Not Budgetary Gimmicks: The case of the CREATES Act
Once again, budget negotiators in Washington D.C. are scrambling to put together a cogent spending plan for the federal government. And, once again, as part of this last-minute scramble, Congress is considering ad-hoc budget gimmicks to pay for spending instead of budgeting within the government’s affordability constraint. Or, as President ...
Is Crony Capitalism Alive and Well in California?
If there’s one thing that unites Californians, it’s a disdain for crony capitalism. What is crony capitalism, you ask? We see it all the time. Think local elected officials throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Amazon to try and lure their second global headquarters to their city. PRI’s senior ...
Why Does the Left Want Universal Health Care? Britain’s Is on Its Deathbed
The U.K.’s government-run healthcare system, the National Health Service, turns 70 this month. There’s not much to celebrate. The NHS is collapsing. Patients routinely face treatment delays, overcrowded hospitals, and doctor shortages. Even its most ardent defenders admit that the NHS is in crisis. Yet American progressives want to import ...
Free Markets 101: The Landscape of American Opportunity
One of the most common themes in American politics is the emphasis on preserving or restoring our role as a land of opportunity. Across the political spectrum, there is a general sense that the intergenerational promise of upward mobility is becoming harder and harder to keep. For those on the ...
Would Public Employees Really Lose Income After Janus Ruling?
Public-sector employees who want to be freed of forced unionization are hoping that the Supreme Court will release them from their yoke when it issues its impending ruling in the case of a government worker who sued the union that claims to represent him. Others, though, fear a future in ...
Federal Government Must Revamp Spending To Maximize Economic Growth
It’s not news that the federal government spends too much. This year, the federal government will spend about $30,000 per taxpayer. That doesn’t count the public debt — every taxpayers’ share is over $145,000 — or unfunded liabilities like Social Security and Medicare, which add another $600,000 to $1.6 million per taxpayer. ...
Gann Limit Blast from the Past Has Become Brown’s Budget Thorn in the Side
Ancient scrolls tell us there was once an era when Californians rose up against the heavy hand of taxation. In the now-distant year of 1978 voters approved Proposition 13 to limit the government’s reach in property taxes. The final tally was a 65-35 message from voters which clearly told politicians ...
Averting Fiscal Crises Requires Grandiose Reforms, and More Effective Budget Management
The long-term consequences of irresponsible government spending – federal, state, and local – are quickly becoming near-term realities. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the worst of these consequences can still be avoided if politicians and governing bodies enact grandiose reforms, step up efforts to prevent budget ...
Today Could Be a Red-Letter Day for Worker Freedom
The two red-letter days on labor union calendars are May Day and Labor Day. After today, though, February 26 might appear as a black-letter day, marking the downfall of once-mighty organized labor. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in Janus vs. AFSCME. The plaintiff is Mark Janus, an ...
A Defense of Supply Side Economics
Supply Side Economics works. This isn’t a political statement, nor should it be a particularly controversial one either, unless you believe I am referring to the mythical “trickle down” straw man conjured up by some in the political establishment. By supply side economics, I am referring to the broad basket ...
Fiscal Policy Needs Spending Reform, Not Budgetary Gimmicks: The case of the CREATES Act
Once again, budget negotiators in Washington D.C. are scrambling to put together a cogent spending plan for the federal government. And, once again, as part of this last-minute scramble, Congress is considering ad-hoc budget gimmicks to pay for spending instead of budgeting within the government’s affordability constraint. Or, as President ...
