John Locke Updates: 2018

This is the 33rd and final research newsletter of 2018.  What a year it has been! Publishing a hardcore policy newsletter every week would not be possible without a team…

Nothing in the U.S. Constitution implies a hierarchy among rights. Nevertheless, the federal courts have insisted on relegating economic rights to second-class status. By means of this piece of judicial…

What was your first job? If you are a certain age, it may have been delivering newspapers in the neighborhood. Maybe, like U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan,…

Question: When is it acceptable for a Republican president to openly brag about liking taxes? Answer: When the taxes are directed toward American consumers and are called tariffs. Last week,…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released a spending report showing that the rate of health care spending growth slowed for the second straight year. Good news,…

Here Comes Incentives Clause Here comes incentives clause Jacked way up because That’s what “big boys” expect. It’s just a plum deal Plumb unnecessary “Playing Santa” cronyism dreck.

When are special interest subsidies not just special interest subsidies? When the special interests receiving the subsidies hire a consultant to do an economic impact study. And how often does…

Senate Bill 820, which skyrockets tax incentives for “big boys with deep pockets,” rampaged through the North Carolina General Assembly last week like a General Patton simile.

State budget writers have more challenges than normal as they prepare for the next biennium. First, there are economic headwinds from tariff and trade wars and a broader concern about…

A bill introduced this week in the North Carolina Senate would choose “economic development” policies over economic growth policies. It’s not a good choice if the aim is actually to…