WebMemo posted September 4, 2009 by D. Mark Wilson
House Health Care Bill Will Hurt Small Businesses: A Reply to My Critics
On August 28, Igor Volsky, a health care researcher and blogger
at the Center for American Progress, posted a story claiming The
Heritage Foundation released a biased report on the effects of the
employer play-or-pay mandates contained in the health care bills
currently working their way through Congress.[1] Sadly, it is Volsky
who is misleading…
Backgrounder posted December 4, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson
What Congress Should Do to Ease the Impact of the Recession on Unemployed Workers
As Congress works to design an economic stimulus
plan, a key concern is providing relief to unemployed workers and
helping them re-enter the work force as quickly as possible.
Although there is clearly agreement among Members of Congress and
President George W. Bush that something should be done, there is
significant disagreement over what course should be…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted October 17, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson
Removing Social Security's Tax Cap on Wages Would Do More Harm Than Good
The Social Security system continues to face an
immense financial crisis.2 In 16 years, it
will begin taking in less money than it needs to pay the benefits
it has promised to participants.3 In order to
maintain the benefit payments from the Old-Age and Survivors
Insurance (OASI) program, in 2017, Congress will either have to
raise taxes or begin to borrow substantial…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted August 30, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson
A Look at Who Pays the Payroll Tax
The interim report of President Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security clearly identifies the enormous financial problems facing Social Security.2 Without significant changes in the way the program is financed, substantial tax increases, benefit reductions, cuts in other government programs, or increases in publicly held debt will have to occur. According to the…
Executive Summary posted July 12, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson
Executive Summary: Modernizing the Fair Labor Standards Act for the 21st Century
The time has come to modernize the 63-year-old
Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) to meet the realities of the 21st
century workplace. The focus of reform must go beyond conventional
deliberations about raising the minimum wage. Policymakers should
concentrate on removing outdated and counterproductive statutory
and regulatory barriers to innovative workplace…
Backgrounder posted July 12, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson
Modernizing the Fair Labor Standards Act for the 21st Century
As the 107th Congress begins its debate over the minimum wage and
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), policymakers should look
beyond increasing the minimum wage in addressing the needs of
today's workforce. The FLSA needs to be updated to give workers
greater flexibility in ordering their lives, both on and off the
job, and to permit employers to reward workers…
WebMemo posted June 28, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson
Who is Paid the Minimum Wage and Who Would be Affected by a $1.50 per Hour Increase
Who Works the Minimum Wage?
The 1.6 million paid-hourly workers who earn minimum wages can
be broken down into two broad groups.1
Over half (53 percent) are teenagers
or young adults under the age of 23. More than half (54 percent) of
these young workers live in families with incomes two or more times
the official poverty level for their family size and 18…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted April 27, 2001 by D. Mark Wilson, William W. Beach
The Economic Impact of President Bush's Tax Relief Plan
A Note to the Reader
This Report is a revised version of Center for Data Analysis Report CDA01?01 published on February 22, 2001. The final results of the authors? analysis of the Bush tax plan presented in this Report reflect revisions to the static revenue estimates used in the preliminary Report, a correction to the corporate tax relief estimate, and modifications in…
Backgrounder posted July 19, 2000 by D. Mark Wilson, Angela Antonelli
Overtaxed at the Pump: What's Behind the High Gas Prices
Rising gasoline prices have become a key issue
across America this election year. Nationwide, prices for all
grades of gasoline jumped 41.7 percent just since June of last
year, reaching a record high average of $1.71 per gallon by the
middle of June 2000.2 In some regions,
particularly in the Midwest, motorists struggled with even greater
price hikes as the price…
Backgrounder posted June 9, 2000 by D. Mark Wilson
OSHA's Ergonomics Rule: A Costly Unfunded Mandate For The States
On May 23, 2000, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) published a notice in the Federal Register
informing the public that despite eight years of analyzing the
economic impact of its proposed Ergonomics Program rule, it had
failed to include the costs of the program for state and local
governments.1 Consequently, the broadest
and most costly…
Executive Memorandum posted March 21, 2000 by Angela Antonelli, D. Mark Wilson
Why Congress Should Cut the Gas Tax
Gas
prices have been soaring. According to the Energy Information
Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy, gas prices--which
have increased by as much as 50 percent in the past year--are
likely to continue to rise into the summer, if not beyond. This
price increase is hitting many Americans hard, and they are
pleading with Congress and the President for…
Testimony posted March 2, 2000 by D. Mark Wilson
Public Comment: OSHA's Proposed "Ergonomics" Standard
Dear Sir or Madam:
Pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's
(OSHA) November 23, 1999, Federal Register Notice, 64 Fed. Reg.
65768, as amended by subsequent notices on December 30, 1999, and
February 1, 2000, I am respectfully submitting the following
comments on OSHA's Proposed Ergonomics Program Rule (Proposed Rule
or Rule) in…