Taxes & Economy

Stimulus Didn’t Stimulate

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2009

Interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal by three economists on the effects of the federal “stimulus” to date.  The authors find, not suprisingly, that the stimulus has not…

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Education

What the Public Thinks of Public Schools

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 9, 2009

Paul Peterson has a good column in today’s Wall Street Journal about the public’s perception of public schools — they are (correctly in Peterson’s judgment) unerwhelmed by school’s performance,…

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Regulation

Economic Development Subsidies Fail

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 4, 2009

Today’s Wall Street Journal writes on the failure of taxpayer-funded “economic development” grants – i.e. corporate welfare – in the state of Michigan. The article relies heavily on…

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Health Care

Explaining the Town-Hall Protests

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 24, 2009

John Goodman – the health care policy guru, not the star of Arachnophobia – has an editorial in Friday’s Wall Street Journal on those protesting Obama’s version of health…

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Public Union Democracy

McGovern on Card Check

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 7, 2009

Former Senator and Presidential nominee George McGovern – and though I hate the cheap labels used by the media, they would probably call him an “ultra-liberal” – writes in…

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Some Perspectives on Obama’s 100 Days

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 29, 2009

Reason Magazine sums up the “change” of the Obama administration:  On the economy, and specifically on the economic crisis, Obama came to office promising a…

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Taxes & Economy

Will Mandated Smart Meters Save Money?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 29, 2009

Last year the legislature passed Act 128, which forces utilities to force their customers to conserve electricity. Among the provisions is a mandate to install smart meters in every…

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Education

Charter Schools Always Face a Financial Struggle

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 13, 2009

Kevin Ferris has a piece in the Wall Street Journal on the difficulty that charter schools face funding their facilities.  Ferris uses as his case study First Philadelphia Charter…

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Taxes & Economy

Federal stimulus is a trap for states

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 23, 2009

The Wall Street Journal today looks at governors considering rejecting the federal stimulus dollars, as it will increase the cost to states.  For example, the stimulus expands Medicaid subsidies,…

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