Research and Commentaries
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Kansas Can’t Afford A Cigarette Tax Hike
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Kansas Health Policy Authority’s recommendation to use a 75-cent cigarette tax increase to pay for health costs should be worrisome—not only to smokers, but also to non-smokers and fiscally responsible legislators as well. -
Community Reinvestment Act: The Risk of Unintended Consequences
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As policymakers consider ways to address the current mortgage crisis, it is important to evaluate new proposals with an eye toward their future effects on the economy. -
Defined Contribution vs. Defined Benefit Pensions
Publication -Research and Commentaries -According to the Pew Center on the States, state government employee pension plans nationwide have racked up nearly $360 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. -
Raising New Hampshire’s Cigarette Tax Is Bad Tax Policy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A 25 percent increase in New Hampshire's cigarette tax, scheduled to go into effect today, has been put on hold until audits can be completed to determine just how much revenue the tax has raised so far this year. -
Federal Deposit Insurance for the 21st Century
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A holdover from the 1930s-era New Deal programs, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) aims to limit the occurrence and mitigate the effects of bank closures. -
Utah Cigarette Tax Is More than Meets the Eye
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In an effort to vilify the legal act of smoking, anti-tobacco groups in Utah are pushing a $2 per pack cigarette tax, with the help of very provocative and misleading statistics on health care costs. Utah smokers in 2007 paid $73. -
Smoking Bans and Property Rights
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As President Calvin Coolidge once said, "Ultimately property rights and personal rights are the same thing. -
Modernizing Unemployment Insurance for a 21st Century Economy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -During a time of economic uncertainty, the prospect of unemployment is on the minds of many workers. Established by the Social Security Act of 1935, the nation's unemployment insurance system is one of the most costly federal programs. -
Research & Commentary: Health Care Retail Clinics
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Affordable, convenient health care has become more available to average Americans as a result of the proliferation of so-called "retail clinics. -
The Simplicity of Goverment Transparency
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Governor Bobby Jindal’s short tenure in office has received extensive coverage from local and national media. -
Massachusetts Bucking The Trend On State Employees — And Not In A Good Way
Publication -Research and Commentaries -With 29 states expected to face budget deficits next year, many governors are realizing their state payrolls have swelled well beyond their means. At least 10 states have begun freezing and/or cutting payrolls. Massachusetts Gov. -
Student Loan Update
Publication -Research and Commentaries -One of the great tragedies affecting higher education today is the overpricing of an education that carries less and less value. -
FCC vs. Internet Providers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -For three years, Congress has failed to pass legislation implementing the doctrine of net neutrality. Recently, the FCC's patience ran thin, and the commission decided to act as if the doctrine were law anyway. -
Future Deficits Inevitable Without Comprehensive Solution
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Washington's estimated $2.7 billion budget shortfall will force tough decisions to be made in the coming years, and without fiscal discipline these deficits will reoccur in larger form. -
Privatization of Fannie and Freddie
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in dire straits. -
Reoccurring Budget Deficits Need Comprehensive Fix
Publication -Research and Commentaries -California is facing a $17 billion deficit along with the third-highest unemployment rate in the country. This has caused some elected officials to say the state has a revenue problem ... but the facts say otherwise. Since Gov. -
National Flood Insurance
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The recent floods in the Midwest have devastated homes across seven states, evoking memories of the last devastating flood cycle of 1993. -
State & Local Broadband Initiative Failures
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Since the start of this century, municipalities across the country have proposed and implemented plans to provide their citizens with high-speed Internet access. As of 2007, 52 municipal broadband systems had cost taxpayers a combined $840 million. -
Research & Commentary: TABOR, The Taxpayers Bill of Rights
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Introduction by Steven Stanek Managing Editor Budget & Tax News The Heartland Institute The more government spends, the more it taxes. The more government taxes, the more it spends. -
Freight Rail Would Save Time and Fuel
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A study released July 1 by the Association of American Railroads, written by Heartland Institute Senior Fellow Wendell Cox, shows that expanding freight rail would dramatically reduce congestion, pollution, and fuel use in urban areas ... -
A New Approach on Property and Casualty Insurance for the 21st Century
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Insurance is one of the key institutions that drives an economy. Without insurance to protect individuals from fraud and reduce financial risk, many of the business transactions we take for granted today would be impossible. -
National Catastrophe Insurance Program
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Concerned about affordable homeowners' coverage in coastal areas, the national government currently is considering proposals to expand the its role in coastal insurance. -
Health Insurance Mandates
Publication -Research and Commentaries -One of the major causes of high-priced health insurance in the U.S. is the high number of mandatory minimum coverages required by some state governments. -
Research & Commentary: Student Loans
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The credit crisis has had a significant impact on all aspects of the economy. Banks have become increasingly risk-averse, raising their loan qualification standards to levels that many consumers are unable to achieve.
