Publications
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Research & Commentary: Illinois’ Pension Problem and How to Fix it
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported some very alarming facts about Illinois’ public pension system, among them:* Nearly 4,000 state retirees are receiving more than $100,000 per year in pension payouts; and* 14,280 retirees are making more than they -
Research & Commentary: Top Ten Reasons Not to Raise Tobacco Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Smokers have become a favorite target of many legislators across the country. Some policymakers seem to think taxing smokers is a win-win way to curb smoking and raise revenue, without hurting the economy. -
Research & Commentary: Longmont, CO Puts Telecommunications Services on Ballot
Publication -Research and Commentaries -If Longmont, Colorado’s city council had its way, failing in the telecommunications industry a decade ago wouldn’t get in the way of failing again, but this time on a grander scale. -
Research & Commentary: Reforming Texas’s Unemployment Fund
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As the economy remains in the doldrums, the unemployment compensation fund in Texas has become insolvent. The state's unemployment rate stood at 8 percent as of June. -
Research & Commentary: Drilling for Oil in Santa Barbara
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Even with one of the worst state economies in the nation, the California Assembly rejected a proposal to allow new oil drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara. -
No. 123 Obama Health Plan: Rationing, Higher Taxes, and Lower Quality Care
Publication -Policy Studies -President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are rushing to enact legislation that would overhaul the way health care is financed and delivered in the United States. -
Research & Commentary: The Damaging Effects of Tourism Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Tourism taxes have become an increasingly trendy pick for elected officials hoping to raise additional revenue to cover increases in government spending. -
Research & Commentary: Texas Windstorm Insurance
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Texas is a model of fiscal stability compared to most other states--with one glaring exception. Texas is one hurricane away from bankrupting its state-run wind insurance pool. -
Research & Commentary: The Failures of Smart Growth
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Government planners have coined the term "smart growth" to justify a litany of intrusions into the economic planning of our communities. Billions of taxpayer dollars are spent every year in various "smart growth" projects around the country. -
Climate Change Reconsidered
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The American Clean Energy Security Act--better known as "Waxman-Markey"--has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate. -
Research & Commentary: Internet Access Taxes in Louisiana
Publication -Research and Commentaries -It is disheartening to see the Louisiana House nearly unanimously approve a tax on Internet access with the specious claim it is necessary to protect “the children. -
Research & Commentary: Internet Sales Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -State legislators are desperate for new tax revenue to plug massive deficits without cutting spending. -
No. 122 Safety First: A Legislator’s Brief on Biosimilars
Publication -Policy Studies -Congress is currently exploring legislation that would create a new drug approval process in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for what are called follow-on biologics, or “biosimilar” therapies. -
Research & Commentary: Beware Federal Meddling in the Internet
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday urged President Barack Obama’s pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, to “fix” what many in Congress see as a dysfunctional agency. -
Research & Commentary: Taxing the Rich Will Bankrupt Your State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Lawmakers in at least eight states are considering raising income tax rates on a small percentage of top income-earners in order to shore up their state budgets. But this is a risky way of raising revenue, especially during a recession. -
Research & Commentary: Extension of Unemployment Fund a Bad Idea
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Florida has taken a sharp turn in the wrong direction with the recent bailout and expansion of the state’s unemployment insurance program. -
Taxing The Rich Will Bankrupt Your State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Lawmakers in at least eight states are considering raising income tax rates on a small percentage of top income-earners in order to shore up their state budgets. But this is a risky way of raising revenue, especially during a recession. -
Climate Change Reconsidered
Publication -Books -This 880-page rebuttal of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), three years in the making, was released in June 2009 by The Heartland Institute. Coauthored and edited by S. Fred Singer, Ph.D. -
Research & Commentary: Optional Federal Charter: The Future of Insurance Regulation?
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 ushered in the current era of state regulation of the insurance industry. -
County of Santa Clara, et al., vs. The Superior Court of Santa Clara County
Publication -Policy Studies -On Monday, April 27, 2009, The Heartland Institute filed an Amicus brief in the California Supreme Court supporting the defendants in the case who argue California cities and counties ought to be barred from hiring contingent fee lawyers to prosecute -
“Sin Taxes” Are Flawed Tax Policy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -More than 20 states are considering “sin taxes”—such as excise taxes on tobacco, beer, and spirits—in order to shore up their budget deficits. But such taxes are badly flawed and likely to do far more harm than good to a state’s economy. -
Vouchers And South Carolina School Children
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In a marketplace, cash follows the consumer. Institutions that provide value to consumers flourish, and those that do not wither. But that’s not true in education, because of the government monopoly on the tax revenues that fund schooling. -
Research & Commentary: Windstorm Expansion of the National Flood Insurance Program
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In an effort to address the concerns of coastal residents and respond to political pressure to subsidize the risk posed by hurricanes, the national government is considering proposals to expand its role in coastal insurance. -
Research & Commentary: April Fool’s Day Tobacco Tax Hike—The Joke’s On States
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A 62-cent increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco products, intended to fund the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), goes into effect April 1.