Tag Archive: budgets
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Government Accountability Office Releases Annual Waste Report
Andrew Bender | April 22, 2013 | Add a commentEvery year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases a report, first commissioned by Sen. Tom Coburn, detailing instances of waste and duplication by federal agencies. This year the waste totaled $95 billion. For some perspective, the first year of sequestration cuts totaled $85 billion. This report begs the question, why … »
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It’s Time to Release Taxpayer-Funded Private Interests
ALEC Blog Team | March 5, 2013 | Add a commentBy Tessa Cramer, Policy Intern It’s always easier to spend someone else’s money. Unfortunately, this happens all too often when taxpayers are footing the bill. Currently, government employees are being paid to step away from their job responsibilities and take care of non-governmental, union duties while on the clock. In … »
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Myth of the Day: Austerity in the Form of Spending Cuts Will Harm Growth and Employment
Will Freeland | March 1, 2013 | 1 CommentThe recent debates in state and federal government regarding overspending and massive deficits during a period when the economy is sluggish makes this fiscal policy myth particularly timely. Today’s myth directly addresses hand-wringing over budget cuts during a recession. Dr. Fruits and Dr. Pozdena, co-authors of Tax Myths Debunked, detail … »
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Sequestration: Putting Our States and Nation at Risk
By Karla Jones and Patrick Doup, No organization is more committed to limited government, lower taxes and balancing the federal budget than the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). We have long championed fiscal responsibility at all levels of government and promoted a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But … »
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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Long on Opinion, Short on Research
ALEC Blog Team | February 20, 2013 | Add a commentThe Left-wing Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is out with a new essay attacking the economic basis for low tax, free-market, limited government policy proposals like those laid out in Rich States, Poor States. In reality, CBPP’s paper is a case study in poor research methods, self-referentialism, and confirmation bias. The … »
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Preparing for an Uncertain Fiscal Future: What Other States Can Learn From Utah
ALEC Blog Team | February 12, 2013 | Add a commentBy: Bob Williams and Kati Siconolfi As sequestration approaches quickly, state legislators should discuss how to provide essential services while facing possible federal aid reductions. While a majority of the states depend on federal funds, and this trend is increasing, Utah provides a great example on preparing for an uncertain … »
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California Legislature Has Fate of State in its Hands | FlashReport.org
ALEC Blog Team | January 18, 2013 | Add a commentCalifornia Legislature Has Fate of State in its Hands | FlashReport.org By: Katy Grimes The California Legislature will be back in business on Monday Jan. 7. As the new and returning legislators prepare for legislating a very damaged California, I recommend they read “Rich States, Poor States,” published by the … »
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No Snake Oil, Life is About Incentives
ALEC Blog Team | December 10, 2012 | Add a commentBy Jonathan Small, CPA Many have heard the saying, “You reap what you sow.” This is an undeniable fact of life, reality. Essentially, this saying means that productive efforts eventually yield constructive results and destructive efforts eventually yield damaging results. Recently, two groups — the Iowa Policy Project and Good … »
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Test Scores Decline Despite Increased Education Spending
Fara Klein | November 26, 2012 | Add a commentEmployment in America’s K-12 public school system has increased rapidly since the 1950’s. Interestingly, this growth in the number of teachers and public school employees has significantly outpaced growth in the number of students attending public schools. In fact, between 1950 and 2009, growth in the number of public school … »
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Stopping State Bailouts, Before They Start
First it was Wall Street, then it was General Motors, and now some expect that individual states will also seek a financial bailout from the federal government. Today, the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released a report on The Pending State Pension Crisis. Evidence from the report reveals that fiscally reckless … »
