Business & Economics
Business & Economics
The impacts of raising San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15
On Nov. 4 San Francisco voters are being asked to approve Proposition J, a measure which increases the minimum wage in San Francisco to $15 per hour by 2018 from the current city rate of $10.74. San Franciscans should think carefully before approving this measure. When a business hires an ...
Business & Economics
Competitive standards strengthens Oregon’s forests
A new study commissioned by Governor John Kitzhaber underscores the need for competitive, rather than restrictive, markets for wood and timber products harvested in Oregon. Existing building policies for sustainable wood products stifle, rather than foster competition. Specifically, the market for certified timber has been disrupted by unnecessary policies that ...
Business & Economics
The Empire State’s ugly war on energy
New Yorkers are paying far too much for the essentials of modern life. For evidence, look no further than the gas pump: State taxes add about 50 cents to each gallon of gas and diesel, the second-highest gas tax in the country. And New Yorks electricity prices are the fourth-highest ...
Business & Economics
Countering the Democratic Midterm Push
With an unpopular president in office and many congressional seats up for grabs, the Democratic high command is fundraising with a vengeance, hoping to swamp the 2014 midterms with dollars and attack ads to retain control of the Senate. So what should Republicans do? Here are some suggestions. Remember ...
Business & Economics
50 State Index Of Energy Regulation
The 50 State Index of Energy Regulation measures the regulatory climate for energy consumption, production, and distribution and which states are more economically efficient. Alabama, Alaska, South Dakota, and Texas tied for the best (#1), while California (#49) and New York (#50) are at the bottom. The Energy Index was ...
Business & Economics
California’s High-Tax, Big-Government Comedown
Anyone who has ever watched Animal Planet should be familiar with migrations. Geese do it, wildebeests and whales do it, turtles do it and, yes, people do it too. To migrate is a natural phenomenon. What’s interesting about most migrations is their purposes are generally positive: sex, food, sun and ...
Business & Economics
Address Patent Flaws or Face the Economic Consequences
The U.S. became the worlds largest economy, in part, because its policies supported innovation and entrepreneurship. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, U.S. entrepreneurs invented many of the innovations that drove the 20th century global economy, with patents playing an indispensable role in this innovation process which may explain ...
Business & Economics
The Fallacies of Government-Run Broadband
There is no doubt that an effective broadband infrastructure is essential for the 21st century U.S. economy. This is why the misinterpretations of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report are so problematic. The policy recommendations that are being derived from these incorrect interpretations, if followed, would significantly inhibit the ...
Business & Economics
Businesses Threatened By Raft Of New ObamaCare Taxes
As 2014 dawns, ObamaCare’s most disruptive changes to the health care system are just now getting under way. For American businesses, that means a raft of new taxes that will pose devastating consequences for their employees and the broader economy. Paramount among them is a new tax on health insurers ...
Business & Economics
Going Broke One City at a Time: Municipal Bankruptcies in America
Municipalities have rarely defaulted on their debt. As a consequence, municipal debt is regarded as having an extremely low risk for investors. There are disconcerting trends developing that may change this historical view. The combination of the weak U.S. economy, high municipal debt levels, and large under-funded pension liabilities coupled ...
The impacts of raising San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15
On Nov. 4 San Francisco voters are being asked to approve Proposition J, a measure which increases the minimum wage in San Francisco to $15 per hour by 2018 from the current city rate of $10.74. San Franciscans should think carefully before approving this measure. When a business hires an ...
Competitive standards strengthens Oregon’s forests
A new study commissioned by Governor John Kitzhaber underscores the need for competitive, rather than restrictive, markets for wood and timber products harvested in Oregon. Existing building policies for sustainable wood products stifle, rather than foster competition. Specifically, the market for certified timber has been disrupted by unnecessary policies that ...
The Empire State’s ugly war on energy
New Yorkers are paying far too much for the essentials of modern life. For evidence, look no further than the gas pump: State taxes add about 50 cents to each gallon of gas and diesel, the second-highest gas tax in the country. And New Yorks electricity prices are the fourth-highest ...
Countering the Democratic Midterm Push
With an unpopular president in office and many congressional seats up for grabs, the Democratic high command is fundraising with a vengeance, hoping to swamp the 2014 midterms with dollars and attack ads to retain control of the Senate. So what should Republicans do? Here are some suggestions. Remember ...
50 State Index Of Energy Regulation
The 50 State Index of Energy Regulation measures the regulatory climate for energy consumption, production, and distribution and which states are more economically efficient. Alabama, Alaska, South Dakota, and Texas tied for the best (#1), while California (#49) and New York (#50) are at the bottom. The Energy Index was ...
California’s High-Tax, Big-Government Comedown
Anyone who has ever watched Animal Planet should be familiar with migrations. Geese do it, wildebeests and whales do it, turtles do it and, yes, people do it too. To migrate is a natural phenomenon. What’s interesting about most migrations is their purposes are generally positive: sex, food, sun and ...
Address Patent Flaws or Face the Economic Consequences
The U.S. became the worlds largest economy, in part, because its policies supported innovation and entrepreneurship. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, U.S. entrepreneurs invented many of the innovations that drove the 20th century global economy, with patents playing an indispensable role in this innovation process which may explain ...
The Fallacies of Government-Run Broadband
There is no doubt that an effective broadband infrastructure is essential for the 21st century U.S. economy. This is why the misinterpretations of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report are so problematic. The policy recommendations that are being derived from these incorrect interpretations, if followed, would significantly inhibit the ...
Businesses Threatened By Raft Of New ObamaCare Taxes
As 2014 dawns, ObamaCare’s most disruptive changes to the health care system are just now getting under way. For American businesses, that means a raft of new taxes that will pose devastating consequences for their employees and the broader economy. Paramount among them is a new tax on health insurers ...
Going Broke One City at a Time: Municipal Bankruptcies in America
Municipalities have rarely defaulted on their debt. As a consequence, municipal debt is regarded as having an extremely low risk for investors. There are disconcerting trends developing that may change this historical view. The combination of the weak U.S. economy, high municipal debt levels, and large under-funded pension liabilities coupled ...
