| |
|
August 2009
As most states have watched their coffers dwindle over the last couple years, state revenue authorities have become increasingly creative in finding ways to drain more money from the citizens via fees and taxes.
The healthy way to generate more revenue is to grow the tax base by attracting more businesses or residents to the state.
And attracting more businesses involves having appropriate infrastructure, skilled workers and competitive educational systems, but most of all maintaining a minimal tax and regulatory burden. For some reason, this seems beyond the reach of many state governments these days. Instead, it’s easier to go on a “tax grab,” looking around for easy new sources of cash.
But some sources of new revenue have the downside of also leading to new costs. Read More...
|
|
|
Is the White House Monitoring Your Political Discussions?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says the administration is looking for names....
The White House has released a video telling Americans that if they get an email about health insurance reform that seems “fishy” to send it to the White House.
That means the administration would have the email addresses, IP addresses, recipients of the email, and the allegedly fishy comments, which could be used to monitor future conversations or take other actions.
And yet the mainstream media seem oblivious to this potential threat to civil liberties.
Texas Senator John Cornyn has sent the White House a letter saying that he is unaware of any president ever asking Americans to report their fellow citizens for simply exercising their right to engage in political discussion.
Read More...
 Fishy |
|
|
The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan coined the phrase “defining deviancy down” in a 1993 article for the academic journal The American Scholar. His point was that as deviant behavior expands the public begins to redefine and even accepting it by lowering the standard for acceptable behavior.
That’s pretty much were we are with the term “paid for.”
What most people mean when they say something is paid for is that they own it free and clear. Any money borrowed to buy the item has been paid back. No one who had just borrowed thousands of dollars against future earnings to buy a car or home would say it was “paid for.” Yet that is exactly how President Obama is redefining the term.
Last week he cited four things he had to have in the health care reform bill. One of those requirements was that it had to be “paid for.”
Read More...
|
|
|
From the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI)
Privacy advocates who enjoy focusing on issues like browser cookies, behavioral advertising, database privacy and deep packet inspection can just throw in the towel if anything approaching HR 3200, the current draft of the health care bill in the House of Representatives, becomes law.
Because HR 3200 contains the most egregious violations of Americans’ privacy imaginable. Indeed, one way to characterize HR 3200 is as “The End of Privacy.”
The bill creates a “Health Choices Commissioner” (henceforth sarcastically referred to as the Health Choices Commissar), and, of course, the Commissar needs to be able to pry into your finances. HR 3200 gives the Commissar the right to look at your tax return, so as to quickly determine your eligibility for services and for federal health care benefits.
Yes, it’s right there, on pages 195-196 Read More...
|
|
|
Should ACORN Help the Census Bureau Count Americans? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says not if accuracy is the goal...
The federal government is partnering with outside organizations to provide some manpower so the Census Bureau can do its 10-year count of Americans.
Much depends on an accurate count, so it’s extremely important the government use upright organizations with unblemished records.
So why’s it turning to the community-organizing group known as ACORN? The organization has already taken millions in taxpayer dollars, with more coming.
According to various news reports, ACORN:
- Is under investigation in at least 14 states;
- Admitted to more than 400,000 fraudulent vote registrations in 2008; and
- Is facing IRS tax liens for nearly $1 million.
Read More...
ACORN |
|
|
Last week U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood proposed a summit in September to “address the dangers of text messaging and other distractions behind the wheel.” But revealing his real intent, he went on to say, “If it were up to me, I would ban drivers from texting…”
Secretary LaHood’s intent in this case may very well be good–saving lives—but his proposed solution smacks of political opportunism rather than serious intent.
The problem, of course, is distracted driving, not text messaging per se. Technological mandates and technological discrimination are nothing new in public policy proposals, but the effect of such tech-specific policies is short-lived as whatever technology gets specifically addressed will be passé in a matter of years if not months.
Read More...
|
|
|
Should We Pay Doctors More When They Do More?Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says it’s a lot better than the alternative.
President Obama claims that one problem in the health care system is that doctors get paid more for doing more, and he wants to change that economic incentive.
Of course, all kinds of professionals can be paid more for doing more, including accountants, therapists and trial lawyers. But we’ve heard precious little from this administration about changing the economic incentives for trial lawyers.
The president seems to have in mind the old HMO model, where doctors were paid a flat monthly fee per patient. If the patient didn’t need much care the doctor profited; if the patient needed lots of care, the doctor bore those costs.
Read More...
Paying Doctors |
|
|
So Congress ponied up an extra $2 billion last week for the Cash for Clunkers program.
Our elected solons were stunned at how popular the program turned out to be. And they’re apparently eager to placate an increasingly restive public, angered by government overspending, by … spending even more.
There’s a lesson in the Cash for Clunkers program that Congress should learn—but probably won’t—with regard to its massive health care reform effort: When the government hands out free money for something the public wants, it will nearly always underestimate the demand for that money.
Yes, those who have stalked Washington for many years can cite some programs where people didn’t take advantage of free money, but that’s usually because the restrictions and bureaucracy made it difficult to navigate the program. The Cash for Clunkers program wasn’t just free money, it was easy money.
Read More...
|
|
|
Back in April, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, supported a law which was passed by parliament creating a policing group which would track those who were illegally downloading copyrighted material—in other words, those who were committing piracy, and empowered that group to eventually cut off the criminal’s access to the Internet if they continued their illegal ways.
Many criticized the law as creating a “big brother” peering over the shoulders of Internet users, and several actually claimed it was technically not workable. The Socialists even argued that the law violated the notion of separation of powers by creating an extra-judicial organization with powers to punish perpetrators.
Read More...
|
|
|
How Much Does It Cost to Put a Lawbreaker in Jail? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says some criminals are finding out...
Tight budgets have forced many states and local communities to look for creative new sources of revenue. And some have apparently discovered one: charging convicted criminals to stay in jail.
USA Today says that several city and county jail systems now charge criminals for their jail time—up to $60 a day.
Yes, collecting the money can be difficult, and a burden for the inmates’ families. One jail system says it’s collecting about a third of the fees. Others are even sending the bills out to collection agencies.
But it sends an important message about both the social and financial cost of crime.
Taxpayers in these communities are saying to would-be criminals: If you do the crime, you’ll do the time—and you’ll pay for it. Read More...
Jail Time |
|
|
|
|
Home
Author: Bartlett Cleland || Location: Lewisville, Texas, USA