In case you missed it…
Fiscal policy:
Sometimes, the case for cutting government spending makes itself pretty obvious. A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant cashed in more than $268,000 of unused leave — boosting his total pay to $500,835 when he retired in 2015. As Robert Fellner, NPRI’s director of transparency research, pointed out, if so much leave is going unused, why was it given in the first place? (Read more)
Healthcare policy:
Nothing about Obamacare is working. Healthcare is not more affordable, comprehensive or accessible than it was before passage of the “Affordable Care Act.” In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the implementation of Obamacare has led to roughly 9 million fewer people on private insurance plans than would otherwise be the case. (Read more)
Climate and environmental:
The attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands is targeting a free-market think tank for questioning the theory of global warming. AG General Claude Walker served the Competitive Enterprise Institute with a subpoena for more than a decade’s worth of communications, statements and even private donor information related to their work on “climate change” issues. Walker’s harassment of the think tank is just the latest development in his investigation against ExxonMobil for “misleading the public about global warming.” (Read more)
Tax policy:
Tax day might be April 15th, but do you know which day is Tax Freedom Day? Tax Freedom Day represents the point in the year when average citizens have finally earned enough money to pay their annual tax obligation. Here in Nevada, the average citizen would have to work from January 1st straight through to April 21st in order to earn enough money to pay for their entire year’s tax bill. (Read more)
Free markets:
Sweden might be one of the world’s richest nations, but it wasn’t socialism that created its prosperity. “Imitate the stuff that brought us wealth, not the stuff that brought us ruin,” says Swedish writer and Cato Institute scholar Johan Norberg. Decades of taxing, spending, and a large government severely damaged Sweden’s economy — but tax reform, de-regulation, school choice, and partial privatization of the pension system has brought back new life and success to the European nation. (Watch the video)
Sharon J. Rossie
NPRI President