NEWS UPDATES
Consolidating Elections – HB2826
HB2826 would consolidate elections so that all elections occur in even number years on a regular election day. That's a good idea. Opponents of the bill, including Rep. Cecil Ash, argue that local governments should be allowed to have their elections whenever they...
HB2789 – Should the Legislature Set Policy or the Corporation Commission?
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Phoenix) is sponsoring a bill that would from here on out prohibit the Arizona Corporation Commission from establishing policy - in most cases energy policy - and instead leave the policy making duties to the legislature. Opponents of the bill...
Arizona and the Film Tax Credit Sequel
They are at it again. After multiple bad reports, and a program that ended (yes, a government program that actually ended), the film tax credit proponents are back. Only this time, instead of a silly five-year program, this time they want to make it 30 years. This...
Lean Forward
I watch MSNBC. I watch Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Matthews, the Ed Show - yes, I watched Olbermann when he was on MSNBC. Don't really know why, but I suppose it has more to do with a desire to see if the Left's best and brightest can strike a chord...
Coloradans Reject Tax Hike
In another sign that voters are becoming tougher critics on proposals to raise taxes, voters in Colorado overwhelmingly rejected an income and sales tax increase designed to direct additional money to public education. The proposal would have raised the state's flat...
Krugman at his best
Can't someone on the "This Week" roundtable bring this up? The Krugman Fallacy By Jonah Goldberg Posted on September 14, 2011 4:08 PM Stan, I’m afraid you’re heading down a blind alley. You cannot hold pre-NYT Economist Paul Krugman up to the current version....
Obama’s Policies Aren’t Working
Once in a while, seemingly when I need it most, I can't remember the list of President Obama's "big ticket" policy enactments. Thankfully, Michael Boskin listed them in a column in the Wall Street Journal on September 8, 2011: $825 billion stimulus package...
Jobs
State-sponsored gambling
The Arizona Republic ran a front page article highlighting the surge in lottery ticket sales. According to the article, in FY2011, the state sold $584 million worth of tickets - the most ever. In this downtrodden economy, one might surmise that the spike in sales is...
Despite Claim, Government Not Equipped to Pick Winners and Losers
Let's hope this isn't an indication of where things are headed in the next legislative session, or even moderately reflects Gov. Brewer's position. As reported in the Arizona Capitol Times: Arizona Commerce Authority CEO Don Cardon (no relation to Wil) offered...
This is Cute
Bill Gates' straight talk on solar subsidies was refreshing and spot on. Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal and from an interview in Wired magazine. [Chris] Anderson: When you look at the big picture [for the future of energy], where should we be focusing besides...
Do we demand a tax cut for every spending cut?
Narrowly targeted tax incentives like those for ethanol producers are really just spending items, the expenses of which could just as easily appear on the spending side of the federal budget ledger. This is why the elimination of these credits should not require an...