Opinion
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Priority-Based Budgeting Offered as Fundamental Reform
Opinion -The American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) new State Budget Reform Toolkit advances a set of budget reform and procurement best practices, called priority-based budgeting, to guide state policymakers as they work to solve current budget -
Barbour Gets it Wrong on Obamacare Exchanges
Opinion -While all the current Republican governors have criticized President Barack Obama's health care policy, and nearly all have joined the Florida lawsuit that may strike down the law, it appears most of these same governors are planning to proceed with -
Government Compounds Causes of Housing Collapse
Opinion -Should we be surprised that trying to end the nation’s housing crisis by doing more of what caused it has failed? -
BLS Report: Labor Unions Lost Nearly 10% of Members in 2010
Opinion -The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has issued its annual report on union membership in the United States, and it’s not good news for the unions. -
Eight Reasons to Cut Federal Aid to the States
Opinion -Federal aid-to-state programs undermine constitutional federalism, and they don’t make any practical sense. The theory behind aid is that the federal government can efficiently solve local problems, but decades of experience have shown it cannot. -
Pennsylvania Looks to Public-Private Partnerships to Solve Road Woes
Opinion -Pennsylvania motorists tired of driving on pothole-strewn highways and sitting in traffic jams might see some relief coming their way. A bill written by State Rep. -
Florida Governor Strives to Cut Taxes, Spending
Opinion -Nothing is business as usual with Florida’s new Republican governor, Rick Scott. -
Average State and Local Sales Taxes Revealed, Ranked
Opinion -Retail sales taxes are correctly described in textbooks as "transparent" taxes—citizens are aware of how much they pay and when. -
New York Governor Proposes $3 Billion in Spending Cuts
Opinion -New York’s new Democrat governor, Andrew Cuomo, has proposed balancing the state’s budget with $9 billion of spending cuts from what had been projected, including nearly $3 billion from education, $3 billion from Medicaid, and $1. -
Fed’s Erratic Policies Weigh Heavily on Markets, Economy
Opinion -Monetary policy in the United States has been the target of a great deal of criticism. Two attempts at what has been called “quantitative easing” have produced confusion and uncertainty. -
Allstate Insurance Launches ‘Drive Wise’ Test in Illinois
Opinion -If your own safety and security aren’t reason enough to drive cautiously, Allstate Insurance is hoping money may entice drivers to slow down and drive less. -
Blind Monkeys Could Have Managed Money Better Than the Federal Reserve
Opinion -In 2013, we Americans will commemorate a century of wealth destruction in the United States—the Federal Reserve will be 100 years old. -
The Risks of a Municipal Debt Bubble
Opinion -When state and local governments want to spend more than they collect in revenues, they issue bonds. -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #10-4
Opinion -Kevin Underhill at loweringthebar.com recounted several “tales of love and the law” in celebration of this past Valentine’s Day. -
Market Consolidation, Missteps, Better Opportunities Factored in NYSE
Opinion -The merger of the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange with a German firm symbolizes the continuing globalization of finance, some bad decisions by NYSE management, and growing fragmentation of stock trading, say experts contacted by Finance, -
Municipal Bond Worries Grow as Prices Drop, Interest Rates Rise
Opinion -As states and municipalities look to get their financial houses in order, an increasing number could see downgrades of their bonds this year, according to a recent report from credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's.The $2. -
Bad Housing Numbers Muddied by Government Interference
Opinion -Housing market data are notoriously bad—no two houses are alike, and many buyers and sellers are driven by emotion. -
Report: Taxpayers Spend Nearly $260 Billion Just to File Taxes
Opinion -National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson recently joined the chorus of voices calling for a major revamp of the nation’s tax laws. -
Number of Aid Programs for States, Municipalities Triples in 25 Years
Opinion -The federal government has a large and growing presence in state and local policy activities. -
Report: DC’s Bag Tax Kills Jobs
Opinion -A new report finds the bag tax Washingtonians have been paying for more than a year now to be a job killer and economic loser. -
Entitlement Experts Urge Action to Defuse ‘Ticking Time Bomb’
Opinion -With a new Congress sworn in and President Obama having submitted his budget for the next fiscal year, the nation’s focus must turn to solving the entitlement crisis that dominates more than 80 percent of the federal budget—or face fiscal ruin.So say Rep. -
Cash-Back Cards Often Cause More Spending, Higher Debt
Opinion -Those cash-back credit cards that look like such a good deal tend to encourage users to acquire more debt, which results in no net benefit to them, according to researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. -
#260: Even the Pragmatists Favor Bold Steps
Opinion -What fascinating political times we live in. You’ve doubtlessly seen the incredible images from Wisconsin--and the disturbing scene of doctors handing out sick notices to protesting teachers. -
Economist, Author Judy Shelton on Monetary Policy in America
Opinion -Editor’s Note: Economist Judy Shelton, author of Money Meltdown and The Coming Soviet Crash, recently wrote A Guide to Sound Money as part of her work co-directing the Sound Money Project for the Atlas Economic Research Foundation (www.atlasnetwork.
