Government Spending
Wasting Green on Going Green
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] If you care about going green, you should care about internalizing the costs of pollution. If you care about sustainability, you should care about property rights. Why do I bring this up? According to an article over at the Post-Dispatch, Jefferson City has been … Continue reading
Jailhouse Barack
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] According to an article over at the Springfield News-Leader, the Missouri prison population has inexplicably reached an all-time high. On a related note, I’d like to take this opportunity to commend President Barack Obama for scaling back the police state milieu slightly with his … Continue reading
Missouri’s Ticking Pension Time Bomb
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] The front page article in today’s Post-Dispatch is about the underfunding of Missouri’s public employee pension programs. This is a serious issue that deserves more attention, and the Show-Me Institute is happy to oblige. Check out our full policy study on the matter, as … Continue reading
Despite Admirable Goal, Autism Bill Ill-Conceived
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] The Post-Dispatch has the latest about Gov. Jay Nixon’s struggle to ensure medical coverage for all Missouri children who have autism. I have selected a truly arcane method of judging his argument; in it, I’ll praise his intentions and convictions, while drawing critical attention … Continue reading
A Taxing Dilemma
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] Caitlin Hartsell’s recent blog entry discusses another recent news piece, this one in the Springfield News-Leader, about that lawyer who is suing small Missouri towns that he holds to be charging illegally high sales taxes. I already talked about this in terms of theory, … Continue reading
High-Speed Rail Would Take Taxpayers for a Ride
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] There’s an unfortunate discussion going on among Midwestern governors and the federal government about a possible high-speed rail line linking major Midwestern cities. The Show-Me Institute has covered the problems with light rail in the past, but surely some of the arguments carry over: … Continue reading
Handle Stimulus Funds With Care
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] The Columbia Missourian has an op-ed from the Show-Me Institute’s Joe Haslag and David Stokes. It addresses the question of what legislators should have done with the federal stimulus money coming to Missouri. Haslag and Stokes recommend using the funds as an opportunity to … Continue reading
The First Shall Be Last
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] According to this New York Times article, a number of states were competing for the honor of “first to spend federal stimulus money on infrastructure,” and, by some accounts, Missouri won. Even die-hard free-marketers will likely agree that once the federal government decides to … Continue reading
Governments Should Make Sense, Not Jobs
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] There is a lot of talk at present about job creation. During the Great Depression, the federal government engaged in job creation. Currently, our General Assembly is discussing a bill to promote job creation. Some are frustrated that this bill is not being fast-tracked. … Continue reading
Would You Like a Comfortable Retirement With That?
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] MSNBC has a nice article — with a real focus on St. Louis, no less — about the very generous retirement program offered to McDonald’s employees. It’s not exactly efficiency wages, but it certainly turns the spotlight on benefits packages and the issue of … Continue reading