News, Notes, and Opinions From the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI)http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/en-usFri, 12 Mar 2010 10:51:07 -0500 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:01:12 -0500
The Wall Street Journal’s John Fund recently explained that Democrats are considering an ambitious lame-duck session when Congress returns after the November elections.

If Democrats lose control of the House and maybe even the Senate, their congressional leaders could return in early December with plans to tax and spend like there’s no tomorrow -- which, for them, there wouldn’t be.

If a number of Democratic incumbents has been defeated, why not “go for the gold” -- your gold, that is -- and ram through their Christmas wish list? New taxes, new spending, maybe “card check” for the unions.
]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.27-christmas-surprise.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.27-christmas-surprise.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.27-christmas-surprise.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.27-christmas-surprise.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.27-christmas-surprise.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 6 Jul 2010 13:06:10 -0500
Politico quotes Howard Gleckman of the Urban Institute as saying, “The question is, can [Democrats] create the perception that they have done all these things to create jobs, or that they tried but the dastardly Republicans prevented them from creating jobs?”

Rather than blaming Republicans, Democrats ought to thank them. Had Republicans been able to stop the Democrats’ uber-spending spree even earlier, the economy might have come back quicker and unemployment might be trending down.
]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.26-when-flips-dont-flop.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.26-when-flips-dont-flop.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.26-when-flips-dont-flop.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.26-when-flips-dont-flop.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.26-when-flips-dont-flop.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:44:58 -0500
A mere 18 months later not even the European socialists want to go where the president wants to lead—ever more government spending. Indeed, most of Europe is headed in the opposite direction.

• The U.K. has announced new austerity measures, including 25 percent budget cuts and a two-year public-sector pay freeze. Even the queen’s allotment will be frozen next year.

• Germany has said it will cut its budget by nearly $100 billion over the next four years.

• And France wants to cut its budget deficit from 8 percent of GDP this year to 3 percent by 2013.

By contrast, Obama tried to convince countries at the G-20 meeting to, lemming like, follow us off the economic cliff. They declined en masse.]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.25-making-european-socialists-blush.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.25-making-european-socialists-blush.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.25-making-european-socialists-blush.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.25-making-european-socialists-blush.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.25-making-european-socialists-blush.htm?opendocument&comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:58:48 -0500
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey has introduced the “Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act,” otherwise known as the “Buy Union Votes and Boost My 2012 Reelection Chances” bill. In essence, the bill would transfer billions of dollars in unfunded pension liabilities from mostly union-managed multi-employer pension plans to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which is backed by taxpayers.

But even as unions push for taxpayers to fill the gap in their underfunded and mismanaged pension plans, they drop millions of dollars in union dues on political causes.
]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.23-a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-not-spent—on-politics.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.23-a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-not-spent—on-politics.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.23-a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-not-spent—on-politics.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.23-a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-not-spent—on-politics.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.23-a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-not-spent—on-politics.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 8 Jun 2010 15:21:00 -0500
Anyone who knows Washington knows there is a fundamental flaw in the budget process. If an agency or department doesn’t spend all of its budget, the excess funds go back to the federal government.

Moreover, that agency may see its future budget cut by a similar amount, as the money gets redirected in the next budget cycle to the squeakier wheels. So agencies, reacting to the established economic incentives, routinely find ways to spend their allotments, whether they really need the funds or not.

Back in the 1990s, stories emerged that one of the defense department agencies found it had some $900,000 left at the end of the year and wasted it all on magazine subscriptions. That problem was fixed; the Pentagon can now shift leftover dollars around to other agencies.
]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.22-obama-and-musgrave’s-iron-law-of-economics.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews, Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.22-obama-and-musgrave’s-iron-law-of-economics.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.22-obama-and-musgrave’s-iron-law-of-economics.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.22-obama-and-musgrave’s-iron-law-of-economics.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.22-obama-and-musgrave’s-iron-law-of-economics.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 1 Jun 2010 16:32:45 -0500
Reduce Medicaid eligibility. Historically, states have varied widely on Medicaid eligibility, with some setting the threshold significantly below the federal poverty level (FPL). ObamaCare sets a nationwide eligibility threshold at 133 percent, which increases the number of people in the government-run program by an additional estimated 15 million by 2019. Funding Medicaid eligibility only up to 100 percent of FPL would dramatically lower its cost.]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.21-debunk-and-defund.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews, Jr. http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.21-debunk-and-defund.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.21-debunk-and-defund.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.21-debunk-and-defund.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.21-debunk-and-defund.htm?opendocument&comments Thu, 27 May 2010 15:44:42 -0500
Obviously we are supporters of the First Amendment and are cheered when the public speaks up, telling government what they think. It’s all part of our right to petition the government, including regulatory agencies. However, we also think that government agencies need to especially consider data and substantive facts and information, rather than just policy pressure.

We’re concerned that these days the FCC seems to be in the thrall of one or two left-leaning groups and is following ideology rather than working from easily observable business and market reality.]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.21-prove-it.htmGovernmentBartlett Clelandhttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.21-prove-it.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.21-prove-it.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/techbytes-7.21-prove-it.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.21-prove-it.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 25 May 2010 10:23:44 -0500
In a word: fugetaboutit!

That’s because Social Security will withhold one dollar for every two you make above $14,160 this year. It’s called the Social Security earnings limit, and it exists to discourage older Americans from taking early retirement under Social Security.

The original earnings limit was created with the passage of Social Security in 1935 to fulfill social policy, not economic policy.]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.20-how-washington-hammers-early-retirees.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews, Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.20-how-washington-hammers-early-retirees.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.20-how-washington-hammers-early-retirees.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.20-how-washington-hammers-early-retirees.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.20-how-washington-hammers-early-retirees.htm?opendocument&comments Fri, 21 May 2010 10:25:34 -0500
Retransmission rules were adopted in 1992. They allowed US television stations to force video service providers, such as cable or satellite, to carry “local content” provided by the local television station (called “must carry”), or to negotiate with the video service provider for carriage of its broadcast programming.

But today, the rules need an update. Continuing the threat of “must carry” distorts price mechanisms and thus distorts negotiations—a short-sighted government construct rather than a true marketplace negotiation.
]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.20-when-markets-change-rules-should-too.htmGovernmentBartlett Clelandhttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.20-when-markets-change-rules-should-too.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.20-when-markets-change-rules-should-too.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/techbytes-7.20-when-markets-change-rules-should-too.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/techbytes-7.20-when-markets-change-rules-should-too.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 18 May 2010 16:21:19 -0500(http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut/) where, along with a greeting by House Republican Whip Eric Cantor explaining the need to get federal spending under control, the public can “vote” on several potential cuts in the federal budget. Votes can be rendered either on the website or from a cell phone.

This week’s choices include, among other options:

• $260 million for the presidential election fund. After singing the praises of government-financed elections, President Obama refused to take federal money because it would limit what he could raise. Eliminating this program would mean all presidential elections would be funded by private contributions.

• $600 million for taxpayer subsidized union activities.]]>http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.19-cut-to-the-revolution.htmGovernmentMerrill Matthews, Jr.http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.19-cut-to-the-revolution.htm?opendocument&commentshttp://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.19-cut-to-the-revolution.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dxcomments/taxbytes-7.19-cut-to-the-revolution.htm http://www.policybytes.org/blog/policybytes.nsf/dx/taxbytes-7.19-cut-to-the-revolution.htm?opendocument&comments