Archive for the ‘Fiscal Policy’ Category

Audio: The Failed Experiment of Pension Bonding

In 2008, the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 13, which authorized the selling of bonds (debt) for investment to fill the $10 billion pension gap in PERS/TRS. But Steve Malanga from the Manhattan Institute says pension bonding is an idea that has been attempted in other states with some terrible...
August 31st, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Recent News | Read More

The Cost of the Protected Class in California

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, writes in the WSJ about the pension obligation challenges of the State of California.
August 30th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy | Read More

Social Security ripe for bailout

(NCPA) As questions regarding Social Security issues are raised, methods of dealing with them that include raising the retirement age and payroll taxes are being floated. This year Social Security paid out more than it received, and predictions say it will only continue. Read the article <here>
August 11th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Recent News | Read More

Report: True transparency makes budget trimming easier

(Kansas Policy Institute) Identifying potential savings is critically dependent upon full transparency. Taxpayers and government officials need easy access to information that is uniformly tracked and reported. Local governments may understandably prefer to decide these matters for themselves but their...
August 2nd, 2010 | Fiscal Policy | Read More

Unfunded pension liabilities drastically underestimated

(NCAP) Recent reports state that due to over-estimated discount rates, the public employee retirement pension liabilities of many state and local governments have been under-estimated by 75-86 percent. Read the article <here>
July 30th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Policy | Read More

State faced with $67 million Medicaid gap

(AlaskaWatchdog.org) Scheduled to go in to effect at the end of 2010, proposed reductions to Federal Medicaid assistance would leave Alaska with millions in unbudgeted Medicaid costs. The Federal Medicaid Assistance Program (FMAP) has been contributing to Medicaid expenses at an “enhanced rate” of...
July 16th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Health Care, Recent News | Read More

State rolls millions in to General Fund

(AlaskaWatchdog.org) After several years of internal discussion and organization, the Legislative Finance Division has completed a project that adds more than $750 million into the General Fund in an effort to simplify State finances. Legislative Fiscal Analyst David Teal said the Budget Clarification...
July 16th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Policy, Transparency | Read More

How Expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts Affects Typical Families

The tax cuts implemented in the first term of President George W. Bush are set to expire this year, with little hope that they will be reauthorized by the current Congress.
July 9th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy | Read More

Government Contracts Should Be Easier to Access

By Jeremy Thompson July 7, 2010 It shouldn’t be this difficult. Earlier this year, the Alaska Policy Forum submitted public records requests to local governments and school districts looking for any sole-source contracts they may have, asking for the name of the vendor, date of the contract, and...
July 7th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Recent News, Transparency | Read More

Is home ownership still a virtue?

July 3rd, 2010 | Economics, Fiscal Policy | Read More

Welfare: Road to Ruin

(The Heritage Foundation) The federal government runs over 70 different means-tested anti-poverty programs that provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low-income persons. These means-tested programs—including food stamps, public housing, low-income energy assistance,...
June 29th, 2010 | Economics, Fiscal Policy | Read More
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