Saturday, August 14th, 2010
Too often I've heard people refer to tax breaks or tax exemptions as "subsidies." Freeman Editor Sheldon Richman does a great job explaining the difference. Some excerpts: A subsidy is a cash grant from the government. ... government intervention enables people to obtain money they were not entitled to; the ...
Posted in PPC, economics | View Comments
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
My first article/post for the Huffington Post appeared today. It begins: "You oppose Medicaid and government-run schools? You're heartless and lack compassion." If you have ever made this accusation, even tacitly, I invite you to reconsider the government policies you support. Why does being compassionate mean supporting government-run ...
Posted in PPC, politics, published | View Comments
Monday, February 15th, 2010
The Daily Camera (Boulder) asked its Editorial Advisory Board members their views of different sales tax schemes for funding RTD's "FasTracks." My reply was published on Saturday, February 13:
Adaptable commuter transit routes, reducing traffic congestion with demand-sensitive road pricing, and minimizing both free-riders and forced funding. These goals should guide ...
Posted in PPC, public policy, published | View Comments
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Contact your Colorado state senator about opposing this bill. From Vincent Carroll in the Denver Post:
HB 1193 requires out-of-state online retailers to collect sales tax from Colorado customers if those businesses have a relationship with a local "affiliate." ...
Democratic lawmakers are sleepwalking toward approval of a bill that could have ...
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Saturday, September 13th, 2008
Ari Armstrong has written two good posts against the proposed Colorado Amendment 59 here and here. He writes:
Those wishing to forcibly transfer more money from those who earn it to those who want it constantly review the benefits (real or imagined) of higher tax spending. What they generally ignore are ...
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Sunday, July 6th, 2008
In his speech at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Barack Obama says he will "ask Americans to serve" and "ask for your service." But will he ever actually ask? Sure, he can ask for our vote, and there a point where all eligible voters can choose to vote for ...
Posted in politics, rant | View Comments
Sunday, May 25th, 2008
U.S. House Democrat Maxine Waters during a hearing concerning gas prices.
I suggest she read the Constitution she swore to uphold, think a bit about property rights, and watch this video by John Stossel. My favorite part is the graph showing that tax revenue from the tax on gasoline exceeds ...
Posted in economics, politics | View Comments
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
I originally had this at the end of my previous post, but it's worth its own post.
On a related issue, I continue to be amazed at how seldom, if at all, I hear people write or talk about taxes in terms of "what am I getting for this"? I start ...
Posted in economics | View Comments
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
I'm paraphrasing one of my favorite lines in Yaron Brook's recent commentary in Forbes about how politicians use tax exemptions to garner political favor and control our behavior. He does a fine job of connecting what we usually consider to be an economic issue with a moral issue. ...
Posted in ethics, politics | View Comments
