Business & Economics
Business & Economics
The $2 Trillion Hole
Promised pensions benefits for public-sector employees represent a massive overhang that threatens the financial future of many cities and states. LIKE A CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE, populist rage burns over bloated executive compensation and unrepentant avarice on Wall Street. Deserving as these targets may or may not be, most Americans have ignored ...
Jonathan R. Laing
March 15, 2010
Business & Economics
One big lie says the U.S. is riding a reckless wave of capitalism
Don’t tell The Times, but America has long had a mixed economy with substantial regulations The theory of the big (but good) lie goes back to a certain reading of Plato’s most famous dialogue, the Republic. There are more or less crude versions of it, but the gist of the ...
Tibor Machan
March 15, 2010
Business & Economics
Sunshine Week 2010: Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant
KansasWatchdog will mark Sunshine Week with daily articles on government transparency: The Sunny Awards for the best in open government A Kansas transparency report card, why Kansas isnt the Sunshine state How to: The basics and beyond of Kansas Open Meetings and Open Records law A look back at important ...
Jason Clemens
March 15, 2010
Business & Economics
Taxes pay government to lobby itself
The Sacramento Bee , March 13, 2010 California has the largest state economy, and the state Capitol jostles with players seeking a piece of the action. The biggest single lobbyist, however, is not Wal-Mart, Apple, Toyota, the entertainment industry or some fat-cat Jack Abramoff figure. The biggest lobbyist is government ...
Jason Clemens
March 13, 2010
Business & Economics
No roads to recovery in sight
With California teetering on insolvency, government union activists and liberal legislators are trying to whip the public into a “please tax us more” frenzy by scaring people about the consequences of spending cuts. At a union rally in Sacramento recently, one protester hoisted a “Raise Our Taxes” sign, which typifies ...
Steven Greenhut
March 12, 2010
Business & Economics
Pacific Research Institute Releases New Study on Government to Government Lobbying
The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, released a breakthrough study on taxpayer-funded lobbying, or government to government lobbying. Read PDF Study Pacific Research Institute Releases New Study on Government to Government Lobbying Connecticut has best lobbying transparency, New Hampshire has worst San Francisco, March ...
Jason Clemens
March 10, 2010
Business & Economics
No easy solutions for U.S., Japan to revive economies
Effective policy approaches should be similar for both the U.S. and Japan even though their economies differ in important respects, said Benjamin Zycher, a senior fellow of the Pacific Research Institute.
Benjamin Zycher
March 10, 2010
Business & Economics
California’s tax tactics undermine prosperity
California’s bond rating is the country’s lowest. The state faces near unprecedented unemployment and underemployment. State government and most counties face deficits for the foreseeable future. The solution to this predicament, some Sacramento politicians believe, is more taxes. The underlying assumption of such an approach is that taxes don’t have ...
Jason Clemens
March 10, 2010
Business & Economics
Who could blame us for cussing?
SACRAMENTO California’s union-dominated, Democratic-controlled Legislature is temperamentally incapable of fixing the state’s structural budget deficit, given that such a fix would require reduced government spending and the granting of fewer benefits to the state’s class of government workers. As Rome burned, legislators last week debated a meaningless “no-cussing” measure, which ...
Steven Greenhut
March 5, 2010
Business & Economics
The Road To Serfdom
Steven Greenhut appeared on Fox Business’ The John Stossel Show to discuss the road to serfdom and public employee pension programs.
Steven Greenhut
March 3, 2010
The $2 Trillion Hole
Promised pensions benefits for public-sector employees represent a massive overhang that threatens the financial future of many cities and states. LIKE A CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE, populist rage burns over bloated executive compensation and unrepentant avarice on Wall Street. Deserving as these targets may or may not be, most Americans have ignored ...
One big lie says the U.S. is riding a reckless wave of capitalism
Don’t tell The Times, but America has long had a mixed economy with substantial regulations The theory of the big (but good) lie goes back to a certain reading of Plato’s most famous dialogue, the Republic. There are more or less crude versions of it, but the gist of the ...
Sunshine Week 2010: Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant
KansasWatchdog will mark Sunshine Week with daily articles on government transparency: The Sunny Awards for the best in open government A Kansas transparency report card, why Kansas isnt the Sunshine state How to: The basics and beyond of Kansas Open Meetings and Open Records law A look back at important ...
Taxes pay government to lobby itself
The Sacramento Bee , March 13, 2010 California has the largest state economy, and the state Capitol jostles with players seeking a piece of the action. The biggest single lobbyist, however, is not Wal-Mart, Apple, Toyota, the entertainment industry or some fat-cat Jack Abramoff figure. The biggest lobbyist is government ...
No roads to recovery in sight
With California teetering on insolvency, government union activists and liberal legislators are trying to whip the public into a “please tax us more” frenzy by scaring people about the consequences of spending cuts. At a union rally in Sacramento recently, one protester hoisted a “Raise Our Taxes” sign, which typifies ...
Pacific Research Institute Releases New Study on Government to Government Lobbying
The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, released a breakthrough study on taxpayer-funded lobbying, or government to government lobbying. Read PDF Study Pacific Research Institute Releases New Study on Government to Government Lobbying Connecticut has best lobbying transparency, New Hampshire has worst San Francisco, March ...
No easy solutions for U.S., Japan to revive economies
Effective policy approaches should be similar for both the U.S. and Japan even though their economies differ in important respects, said Benjamin Zycher, a senior fellow of the Pacific Research Institute.
California’s tax tactics undermine prosperity
California’s bond rating is the country’s lowest. The state faces near unprecedented unemployment and underemployment. State government and most counties face deficits for the foreseeable future. The solution to this predicament, some Sacramento politicians believe, is more taxes. The underlying assumption of such an approach is that taxes don’t have ...
Who could blame us for cussing?
SACRAMENTO California’s union-dominated, Democratic-controlled Legislature is temperamentally incapable of fixing the state’s structural budget deficit, given that such a fix would require reduced government spending and the granting of fewer benefits to the state’s class of government workers. As Rome burned, legislators last week debated a meaningless “no-cussing” measure, which ...
The Road To Serfdom
Steven Greenhut appeared on Fox Business’ The John Stossel Show to discuss the road to serfdom and public employee pension programs.