Special Report posted February 8, 2012 by William W. Beach, Patrick Tyrrell
The 2012 Index of Dependence on Government
Abstract: The great and calamitous fiscal trends of our time—dependence on government by an increasing portion of the American population, and soaring debt that threatens the financial integrity of the economy—worsened yet again in 2010 and 2011. The United States has long reached the point at which it must reverse the direction of both trends or face economic and social…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted October 14, 2010 by William W. Beach, Patrick Tyrrell
The 2010 Index of Dependence on Government
Abstract: The number of Americans who pay taxes continues to shrink—and the United States is close to the point at which half of the population will not pay taxes for government benefits they receive. In 2009, 64.3 million Americans depended on the government (read: their fellow citizens) for their daily housing, food, and health care. Starting in 2015, the Social…
Backgrounder posted December 18, 2009 by William W. Beach, Robert A. Book, Ph.D., Karen Campbell, Ph.D., Rea S. Hederman, Jr., David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., John L. Ligon, Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., Guinevere Nell, Kathryn Nix, Nina Owcharenko, Jason Richwine, Ph.D., James Sherk, Kisa Smith, Patrick Tyrrell, Paul L. Winfree
An Analysis of the Senate Democrats' Health Care Bill
Abstract: The Senate health care bill would overhaul the entire health care sector of the U.S. economy by erecting massive federal controls over private health insurance, dictating the content of insurance benefit packages and the use of medical treatments, procedures, and medical devices. It would alter the relationship between the federal government and the states,…
WebMemo posted May 21, 2009 by Patrick Tyrrell
The Results Are In: Stimulus Bill Neither Timely Nor Targeted
Before the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 (also known as the "stimulus bill"), President Obama and
his chief economic advisor, Larry Summers, stressed that the
government's response to the economic crisis needed to be "timely,
targeted, and temporary." As predicted by a Heritage Foundation
analyst,[1] the bill is neither timely nor…
WebMemo posted January 26, 2009 by Shanea Watkins, Ph.D., Patrick Tyrrell
The Stimulus Bill: $825 Billion in Forgone Family Spending
House Democrats have proposed $825 billion in stimulus spending
(the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) to be used to
create jobs, protect workers, expand infrastructure, and provide
aid to states. This money is being borrowed, meaning it will have
to be repaid by either taxing it from future generations or
borrowing even more funds.
Many people…
Backgrounder posted July 7, 2008 by James Sherk, Patrick Tyrrell
Davis-Bacon Flaws Hurt Nebraska's Workers
The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 requires contractors on all federal construction projects to pay their workers the prevailing wage in their locality. The law is intended to ensure that the government does not drive down construction workers' wages, but flaws in the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determination process cause the law to have the opposite effect in Nebraska.
…
Backgrounder posted July 7, 2008 by James Sherk, Patrick Tyrrell
Davis-Bacon Flaws Hurt Virginia's Workers
The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 requires contractors on all federal construction projects to pay their workers the prevailing wage in their locality. The law is intended to ensure that the government does not drive down construction workers' wages, but flaws in the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determination process have caused the law to have the opposite effect in…
Backgrounder posted July 7, 2008 by James Sherk, Patrick Tyrrell
Davis-Bacon Flaws Hurt South Dakota's Workers
The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 requires contractors on all federal construction projects to pay their workers the prevailing wage in their locality. The law is intended to ensure that the government does not drive down construction workers' wages, but flaws in the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determination process cause the law to have the opposite effect in South…
WebMemo posted June 26, 2008 by Rea S. Hederman, Jr., Patrick Tyrrell
European Levels of Taxation: Barack Obama's Tax Plan
Note: Representatives of the Obama campaign
have informed the authors that the campaign is not committed to the
full 12.4 hike in the payroll tax. An increase in the payroll
tax is merely one of many different tax increases that are being
considered for those making over $250,000. The Obama campaign
implies that the tax increase on those earning over $250,000 may
not be…
WebMemo posted January 29, 2008 by James Sherk, Patrick Tyrrell
The Stimulus: Extending Unemployment Insurance Is Unnecessary
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus's (D-MT) stimulus
proposal would extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to 39
weeks in an attempt to stimulate the economy.[1] Workers have no
economic need for a longer period of unemployment benefits.
Congress should not extend the duration of UI benefits for the
following reasons:
Unemployment is low, and the…
WebMemo posted January 18, 2008 by James Sherk, Patrick Tyrrell
Unemployment Insurance Does Not Stimulate the Economy
With the economy weakening, some analysts have argued for
increasing unemployment insurance (UI) benefits from 26 weeks to 39
weeks to stimulate economic growth. Few studies support the idea
that extending unemployment benefits significantly stimulates the
economy. In addition, extending UI benefits would do the
following:
Encourage unemployed workers to stay…