The Right Way to Expand Broadband
In his state of the state address, Governor Parson touted broadband expansion in Missouri and proposed spending significantly more money...
St. Louis City’s Earnings Tax Is Not the Lowest in the Country
The earnings tax was one topic of conversation during a recent forum for St. Louis mayoral candidates. During the forum,...
What Does the Research Say about Earning Industry-Recognized Credentials?
As we learn more about the effects of industry-recognized credentials (IRC) for high schoolers, the more impressive these credentials appear...
Despite What You’ve Heard, Teaching Is a Great Profession
There is a growing chorus of voices claiming that teaching is a terrible job. Over the past two years, teachers...
Do Kentucky Teachers Even Know Why They’re Protesting?
Kentucky public school teachers are right to be worried about their retirement benefits. According to the Kentucky Teacher Retirement System’s...
Reform Missouri’s Mandatory Minimums
In the 80’s and 90’s, politicians from both parties wanted to be tough on crime. A favored tool was stripping...
Tuition Caps on Higher Education Are Anti-Free Market
Public funding for higher education has been on the wane in Missouri. As Mike McShane pointed out in his 2017...
2018 Blueprint: Prevailing Wage
THE PROBLEM: Many government construction contracts dictate what potential contractors must pay workers to get the job. These restrictions are...
2018 Blueprint: Right to Work
THE PROBLEM: Until recently, many workers in Missouri could be forced to join unions. That was unfair not only to...
Kansas City, King of Corporate Welfare
Good Jobs First, a “national policy resource center for grassroots groups and public officials,” publishes what it calls its Subsidy...
It Could Be Worse. Not Much Worse, but It Could Be Worse.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released data on real GDP for all 50 states. Since Missouri’s growth in recent...
Even under Fuel Tax Increase, Missouri Taxes Would Still Be Below Average
Recently, the Missouri Senate approved a 5.9-cent fuel tax increase that, should it pass the House, would go before voters...
Post-Obamcare Medicaid Enrollment Far Outpacing State Projections
When Congress passed and the president signed the Affordable Care Act, supporters of the law were adamant that Obamcare would...
And the Beat Goes On . . .
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently released its annual report on personal income growth and prices at the state...
Some Good Economic News (Well, at Least About Cost of Living)
Economic data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) last April continued to show that income in Missouri just...
Low Alcohol Regulations Benefit Missouri Business
photo by Caitlin Hartsell Over the weekend, I visited a whiskey distillery, StilL 630, in downtown Saint Louis. The owner...
The Good and Not-So-Good News from Missouri’s Labor Market
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its report on state employment (see Table 5) allowing us to see how...
Uh Oh: Are The Exchanges Goosing State Medicaid Rolls?
With the failings of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a backdrop, the Missouri House Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation...
In Case There Were Any Doubts About The ‘Growth Corridor’ We’re In, Here’s Another Data Point
Today, Show-Me Institute Research Fellow Rik Hafer wrote in the St. Louis Beacon about a recent CNBC business survey and how...
A Very Special Update
Sometimes I feel like I am Jimmy Stewart in the movie “Rear Window.” I am stuck watching my neighbors do...
