Commentary
Business & Economics
The Golden State’s Golden Tax Opportunity
Next month, California legislators may have the opportunity for a long-term solution to the Golden State’s notorious boom-bust cycle, currently in its “bust” stage. A state commission launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may recommend a flat tax on income, which would stabilize revenue and help launch a recovery. If so, ...
Commentary
Something Fishy
The Obama administration has made a terrible mistake. On Tuesday, August 4, the White House posted a blog entry enjoining Americans to spy on one another, and to report any “disinformation” which might undermine the administration’s health-care reform: “There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there. ...
Commentary
Health Care Reform: A Better Plan
WASHINGTON — In 1986, Ronald Reagan and Bill Bradley created a legislative miracle. They fashioned a tax reform that stripped loopholes, political favors, payoffs, patronage and other corruptions out of the tax system. With the resulting savings, they lowered tax rates across the board. Those reductions, combined with the elimination ...
Business & Economics
Santa Is a Hoosier
For Barack Claus, if it’s Wednesday, this must be Indiana. The state’s recreational-vehicle industry is hurting badly — the local unemployment rate is around 17 percent — and his empathy knows no bounds, particularly since the land of the Hoosiers is a swing state. But what sort of gifts should ...
Business & Economics
How California Can Avoid a Sequel of the Budget Crisis
At long last Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed the budget, but Californians may want to hold off on any celebration. The blockbuster $84.6 billion deal is packed with accounting tricks that virtually guarantee a sequel of the crisis. A long-term solution could be at hand, but only if legislators come ...
Commentary
How Stupid Can They Possibly Be?
So who is it this time? Well, it’s those savvy businessmen, wheeling and dealing inside the Beltway, as if the machinations that they arrange with the politicos are actually enforceable. Consider a New York Times report today, beginning with the following: Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday ...
Commentary
Obama’s Health Plan Will Succeed
Many critics are busy complaining that President Obama’s healthcare reform plans are doomed to failure. It would be nice if they would just quit their whining and get back to caring for their polo ponies or something, because it’s clear that the plan will be successful. Think about it — ...
Commentary
Obama vs. Pelosi on Health Care
Jay Cost points out that one of the big problems with the government take-over is inconsistent messaging. And it starts at the top, as the clip shows. Linda Douglass runs a tape where the president insists: “Here’s a guarantee that I’ve made: If you have insurance that you like, then ...
Commentary
Prescribing Higher Health-Care Costs
And plans are underway that could result in restricted access to more expensive drug treatments among patients on government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. If a “public option” is included in any new health-care legislation, the new participants will not have access to cutting-edge drugs if federal bureaucrats determine ...
Commentary
Blue Dog Medicaid Deal Will Devour Us
Boy, are they wrong. The Medicaid amendment that they passed will cause states to accelerate their already out-of-control spending on Medicaid. Medicaid is a program for low-income households that is jointly financed by the federal and state governments. It has always contained a flawed incentive that causes states to overspend: ...
The Golden State’s Golden Tax Opportunity
Next month, California legislators may have the opportunity for a long-term solution to the Golden State’s notorious boom-bust cycle, currently in its “bust” stage. A state commission launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may recommend a flat tax on income, which would stabilize revenue and help launch a recovery. If so, ...
Something Fishy
The Obama administration has made a terrible mistake. On Tuesday, August 4, the White House posted a blog entry enjoining Americans to spy on one another, and to report any “disinformation” which might undermine the administration’s health-care reform: “There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there. ...
Health Care Reform: A Better Plan
WASHINGTON — In 1986, Ronald Reagan and Bill Bradley created a legislative miracle. They fashioned a tax reform that stripped loopholes, political favors, payoffs, patronage and other corruptions out of the tax system. With the resulting savings, they lowered tax rates across the board. Those reductions, combined with the elimination ...
Santa Is a Hoosier
For Barack Claus, if it’s Wednesday, this must be Indiana. The state’s recreational-vehicle industry is hurting badly — the local unemployment rate is around 17 percent — and his empathy knows no bounds, particularly since the land of the Hoosiers is a swing state. But what sort of gifts should ...
How California Can Avoid a Sequel of the Budget Crisis
At long last Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed the budget, but Californians may want to hold off on any celebration. The blockbuster $84.6 billion deal is packed with accounting tricks that virtually guarantee a sequel of the crisis. A long-term solution could be at hand, but only if legislators come ...
How Stupid Can They Possibly Be?
So who is it this time? Well, it’s those savvy businessmen, wheeling and dealing inside the Beltway, as if the machinations that they arrange with the politicos are actually enforceable. Consider a New York Times report today, beginning with the following: Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday ...
Obama’s Health Plan Will Succeed
Many critics are busy complaining that President Obama’s healthcare reform plans are doomed to failure. It would be nice if they would just quit their whining and get back to caring for their polo ponies or something, because it’s clear that the plan will be successful. Think about it — ...
Obama vs. Pelosi on Health Care
Jay Cost points out that one of the big problems with the government take-over is inconsistent messaging. And it starts at the top, as the clip shows. Linda Douglass runs a tape where the president insists: “Here’s a guarantee that I’ve made: If you have insurance that you like, then ...
Prescribing Higher Health-Care Costs
And plans are underway that could result in restricted access to more expensive drug treatments among patients on government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. If a “public option” is included in any new health-care legislation, the new participants will not have access to cutting-edge drugs if federal bureaucrats determine ...
Blue Dog Medicaid Deal Will Devour Us
Boy, are they wrong. The Medicaid amendment that they passed will cause states to accelerate their already out-of-control spending on Medicaid. Medicaid is a program for low-income households that is jointly financed by the federal and state governments. It has always contained a flawed incentive that causes states to overspend: ...
