Subsidies

The Productivity Commission (PC) of the Australian federal government has produced a number of reports in recent (and past) years on higher education.

Heartland’s Donald Kendal, and Jim Lakely are joined by Isaac Orr in episode #189 of the In The Tank Podcast. Today’s episode features work from the Center of the American Experiment, the Foundation for Economic Education, The Heartland Institute, and the Institute for Energy Research.

Before we look at the easy-to-see benefits and conclude that subsidies are good for economic development, we need to make sure we’re counting all the costs.

As the leaves start to fall and tailgaters fire up their grills, the eternal question of whether or not college athletes should be paid has returned to the forefront of barroom banter.

Subsidizing building in risky areas is poor policy, but I think that transparency makes direct subsidies a better option.

John Nothdurft and Donny Kendal present episode #132 of the In The Tank Podcast. Today’s podcast features work from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Pacific Research Institute, The Heartland Institute, and the Independence Institute.

Despite President Trump’s efforts to shore up its fortunes, the future of coal mining and electric power generation in the United States remains tenuous at best.

There are no free markets in electricity generation, and subsidies are contagious.

Sports team owners, and the elected officials who enable their graft, say using taxpayer money to pay for stadium construction is an investment in local economic growth.

There are lots and LOTS of reasons government shouldn’t choose which energy sources We the People use.

Obamacare’s official legislative name was, of course, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Washington, D.C. is very good at naming things. DC remains very terrible at doing things.

What does anyone gain from subsidizing wind power?

The late Supreme Court Chief Justice (amongst many other impressive gigs) John Marshall rightly noted “The power to tax – is the power to destroy.” The power to OverTax, of course – will destroy even more.