Columbia Could Benefit From Privatizing City’s Water and Electric Utilities
Columbia, like many cities across the country, faces budget shortfalls for the current year and the expected future. City officials...
“If Missouri Will Issue a Dollar for a Tax Credit, It Should Get a Dollar Back”
Last week, I attended the first meeting of the Tax Credit Review Commission in Jefferson City. In his opening remarks,...
Wasting Green on Going Green
If you care about going green, you should care about internalizing the costs of pollution. If you care about sustainability,...
Legislators Should Listen to Economists, History
“If all the economists in the world were laid end to end,” George Bernard Shaw famously wrote, “they wouldn’t reach...
My Next Career Move: Professional Rent-Seeker
It may be time for a career change for me. Although I enjoy working at the Show-Me Institute very much,...
Jobs for Sale
Good news for Missouri. In a recent press release, Unisys announced that its forthcoming Application Modernization Center of Excellence is...
Did We Get What They Paid For? How Jefferson City Bureaucrats Erred on DALATC
[NOTE, 6/28/10: According to officials at the Department of Economic Development (DED), the DED did undertake a review of NorthSide...
Robbing Peter to Buy Paul an Energy-Efficient Washing Machine
On Friday, the Kansas City Star printed a editorial that praises Missouri’s appliance rebate program (link via Combest). It communicates...
A Different Strategy for Manufacturing in Missouri
The special legislative session starts Monday in Jefferson City. I am very excited that one of the bills being considered...
Squaring the Circle on Parents as Teachers
As our regular readers know, we blog a lot about the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program here. It tends to generate...
I Leap Head First Into Cosmetology School Licensing, and Come Out With a Fabulous Haircut
Yesterday, I was invited to attend an informal meeting in Jefferson City between members and staff of the state’s Board...
In Their Defense, Kids Do Love Explosions
From the Columbia Daily Tribune: A recent demonstration by the Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT team had students ducking for...
Mr. Payne Goes to Jefferson City
Last Wednesday, I traveled to Jefferson City in the hopes of testifying about payday lending before the House Committee on...
Thanks, But No, Thanks, NCAA
Today’s KC Star is reporting on a hearing in Jefferson City in which sporting event promoters are attempting to get...
The Census Bureau Should Stick to YouTube
The response to the Census Bureau’s YouTube clips has been mixed. Some videos attracted a lot of hits; others were...
Turn On, Tune In, Drop By
Sorry for the late notice, but two Show-Me Institute staffers will be making appearances later today — one on the...
“Tax Seaduction”
Missouri exempts yachts from sales taxes. And, like most selective sales tax exemptions, this policy has several negative consequences. Mike...
The Will of the People, Revisited
Today, I’m going to Jefferson City to testify on bills related to the initiative and referendum powers that the Missouri...
Because We Haven’t Banned Enough Products Yet
Some legislators in Jefferson City are trying to ban a drug called K2. The Post-Dispatch‘s Political Fix blog explains the...
Jefferson City Wants Tattoo Parlors to Be Like Chameleons
Jefferson City has grudgingly lifted its ban on tattoo parlors. They are now legal, but subject to several regulations: The...
