Anti-human environmentalists
Henry Payne was spot-on in his observation that increased societal wealth brings about changes that help a country minimize the loss of life that comes from natural disasters such as earthquakes. Yet too often we hear disdain for policies that bring about economic growth. Usually these are phrased in terms of “protecting the environment.” A few years ago, there was an earthquake in western China. It […]
North to Alaska . . . for filming
If offering sweetheart deals to film makers is a permanent thing, is it worth the bother? Last week I spoke with some people with the Anchorage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Did you know there are 9 different reality shows based in or focusing on Alaska? The person I spoke to suggested that a film credit the state enacted a few years ago was at least partly […]
Price controls for consumer banking?
Can some good news come out of Washington DC? Yes. Key regulators at the Fed and FDIC have been signalling for weeks that they do not support price controls contained in the Durbin Amendment to the financial overhaul known as “Dodd-Frank.” This according to an article at the Star-Tribune, among other places. Under the draft of regulations proposed by Fed staff, the U.S. government “would cap the fees […]
Large Government Breeds Rent-seeking
Do you prefer to use credit or debit cards rather than write checks? If so, you should know that the federal government is taking steps that could mean you’ll be paying an increased or new annual fee for that card. “Plastic” forms of payment are incredibly useful, but there are costs associated with them, including the expenses of issuing the cards and maintaining accounts. To […]
Save Money by Publishing Online
In Minnesota, Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa and Rep. Ann Lenczewski (DFL-Bloomington) want to free local governments from the requirement that they publish legal notices in newspapers. They say it could save government money in these tight times. Here’s the short description of HF162: “Political subdivisions authorized to publish proceedings, official notices, and summaries on their Web sites in lieu of newspaper publication.” Click here for the unofficial lengthy version, […]
Hypocrisy and special pleading vs. taking what is available to you
Is it hypocritical to denounce a tax credit that you personally take? I don’t think I agree with View editor Henry Payne, who says “it’s important for us film credit critics to differentiate between hypocrite profiteers like Michael Moore – who applies for Michigan film credits even as he denounces corporate tax breaks – and simply misguided supporters of tax breaks for corporate fat cats.” Moore […]
Replace the EITC with the NIT
Since the Earned Income Tax Credit has been discussed here in the last few weeks, I thought it worthwhile to bring up an article from City Journal (one of the finest publications around when it comes to public policy) on the negative income tax. In case you don’t recall, the negative income tax (NIT) was a proposal by the late Milton Friedman to do away with […]