Archive for the ‘Fiscal Policy’ Category

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 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

Indiana Legislators push for Transparency Website

STATEHOUSE (June 24, 2010) – Senate Republican leaders today proposed the Daniels administration unilaterally move forward without a legislative mandate on a new “transparency website” showing budgets and spending by Indiana state government. The key GOP senators said the site should later be expanded...
June 28th, 2010 | Accountability, Fiscal Policy, Policy | Read More

Rates adjusted to address unfunded PERS/TRS gap

Kirsten Adams Friday, June 18 After two full days of presentations, discussions and review, the Alaska Retirement Management Board approved pension contribution rates today for fiscal year 2012 in an effort to reduce the multi-billion dollar unfunded liability. The rates are based on 2009 valuations...
June 27th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Recent News | Read More

New education stimulus to complete the first’s task

(Heritage Foundation) Congress will soon consider a $23 billion spending measure for public education. This money comes on the heels of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—the so-called stimulus bill—which contained $80 billion in K-12 education funding. Further, President Obama’s...
June 24th, 2010 | Accountability, Education, Fiscal Policy | Read More

Millionaire Police Officers?

(Forbes.com) It is said that government workers now make, on average, 30% more than private sector workers. Put that fantasy aside. It far underestimates the real figures. By my calculations, government workers make more than twice as much.  Government workers are America’s fastest-growing millionaires. Doubt...
June 14th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy, Recent News | Read More

Medicaid: facing a tough road

(The Heritage Foundation) In passing Obamacare, Congress has put the states in quite a pickle. To sharply expand health coverage, Obamacare flung wide the gates of Medicaid eligibility. It envisions a massive expansion of the federal-state health program that, historically, delivers low-quality care...
June 11th, 2010 | Economics, Fiscal Policy, Health Care, Policy | Read More

Union bail-out has Republican supporters

(Michigan Capitol Confidential) Michigan Congressman Thad McCotter, R-Livonia, is one of just nine Republicans nationwide to co-sponsor legislation that seeks to bail out union pension funds and put taxpayers “on the hook for $165 billion in unfunded union pension liabilities,” according...
June 9th, 2010 | Economics, Fiscal Policy, Policy | Read More

Stimulate Economic Education

By Dave Cuddy Every generation in America…until this one…has endeavored to deliver a better quality of life, and an improved nation to our children. For the first time in our country’s history, we have failed in this challenge. The economic meltdown is unlike anything in most of our memories....
May 29th, 2010 | Fiscal Policy | Read More
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