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SoundBytes podcasts
What Will the President Say in His State of the Union? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says he has some explaining to do.
Washington is all atwitter over President Obama’s upcoming State of the Union address. And understandably so, because the president has some serious explaining to do, like:
- How he plans to get control of the $1.4 trillion federal deficit, more than three times the deficit Obama was so critical of under George Bush.
- And how he intends to pay for all the Democrats’ new federal spending. Yes, he could raise taxes, but he already has several new taxes in his health care bill.
- And maybe the president can explain why his much-boasted stimulus bill has had little impact on creating new jobs.
Read More...
 Fate of the Union |
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Can Congress Force You to Buy Health Insurance? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says only by ignoring the Constitution.
The health care reform legislation in Congress requires every American to have health insurance or pay a significant fine. But where does the U.S. Constitution give Congress that power?
Cyber News Service posed the question, and Democrats seemed to fumble for an answer.
Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska is quoted as saying, “probably the same place that states have the authority to require, mandate if you will, compulsory auto liability insurance.” Claire McCaskill and some other Democrats agree.
Of course, state constitutions are completely independent documents and have no bearing on powers granted by the U.S. Constitution.
That document sets strict limits on federal power. Read More...
Limited Powers |
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Are You Looking for a Good-Paying Job? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says you might try the government, it’s hiring and it pays very well.
USA Today reports that the number of federal employees making more than $100,000 a year is exploding. One in five now rakes in six-figure salaries.
In just 18 months:
- Defense Department workers making more than $150,000 grew from nearly 2,000 employees to more than 10,000.
- And the Transportation Department went from one person making $170,000 or more to 1,700 employees.
A government spokesperson says these are highly qualified people, and make less than the private sector. But federal employees also get much better benefits, all at taxpayers’ expense.
President Obama said he wanted to create a lot of high-paying jobs. Problem is, they’re all government jobs. Read More...
Government Jobs |
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Is It Time for Some Congressional New Year’s Resolutions? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says yes, before Congress bankrupts the country.
It’s time once again to encourage Congress to make some New Year’s resolutions.
First, with the national debt limit being pushed up to about $14 trillion and no end in sight, members of Congress must resolve to get federal spending under control.
The second resolution should be a commitment to more bipartisanship. This is the most partisan and polarized administration in recent history, barely able to get one or two Republicans to vote for a bill.
Third, Congress needs to be more transparent. Democrats are ramming through major legislation without letting Republicans or the public even see the bill, much less read it, until they’re ready to pass it.
Folks, this is no way to run a country. Read More...
Resolutions |
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What is the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says Washington may have forgotten.
The U.S. Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, which is part of the Bill of Rights, says that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or the people.
So ask yourself, where does the Constitution give the federal government the power to:
- Mandate people have health insurance or pay a fine;
- Own and operate a major car company;
- Tell bank executives they have to take government money or else?
It doesn’t, and yet the federal government has done or wants to do all of that and more.
The Tenth Amendment expressly limits the power of the federal government. If Congress continues to ignore those limitations, then the public needs to impose its own limits—on the terms of those elected to Congress. Read More...
10th Amendment |
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Is the Stimulus Money Creating Jobs? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says yes, but for most Americans it’s a long commute.
One goal of President Obama’s stimulus bill was to create environmentally friendly “green jobs.”
And it’s done just that. The Washington Times reports that 11 U.S. wind farms have bought nearly 1,000 electricity-producing wind turbines, creating about 4,500 jobs, uh, oversees.
See, nearly 700 of those turbines were bought from China.
Now a new American-Chinese joint venture just announced it plans to buy nearly 250 Chinese-made turbines. That venture wants 30 percent of its $1.5 billion in funding from the stimulus money.
So if you’ve been looking for work for a while, you need to know that taxpayer-financed stimulus money is creating jobs.
And you might even be able to get one of them. Read More...
China Jobs |
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Are Pets a Threat to the Environment? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says there’s an even bigger threat.
Two professors from Victoria University in New Zealand have discovered a new threat to the planet: your pets.
They claim that a dog’s carbon “pawprint” is twice that of an SUV driven 6,000 miles a year. Cat’s are less damaging, about like owning a Volkswagen.
The primary reason, say the husband and wife professors, is it takes a lot of resources to create meat for dog and cat food.
Keeping such pets is unsustainable in the long term, so the authors called their book Time to Eat the Dog?
They recommend people switch to other pets, such as chickens and pigs, which can be eaten.
But while the book’s provocative, the premise is nonsense. We’d be better off keeping our pets and letting them eat the authors. Read More...
Dogs |
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Is the President’s Stimulus a Success? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it depends on what one mean’s by success.
President Obama says his $787 billion stimulus package is a huge success.
Even though the economy’s lost more than 2 million jobs, the administration boasts that federal contractors who received $16 billion in stimulus money have created or saved 30,000 jobs.
As the ProPublica website points out, that’s spending more than $500,000 per job.
Hey, where do I sign up?
The administration also claims that for every direct job, an indirect job has been created or saved. So maybe 60,000 jobs.
Democrats now say the first stimulus was such a success they may want to do another. But if the first one had really created jobs, we wouldn’t need a second. Read More...
Stimulus |
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Why Is No One Running the Medicare Program? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says the president may be avoiding some difficult questions.
Health care is important to President Obama, so you’d think after nine months in office he would have appointed someone to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
That’s the federal agency that manages the Medicare program for seniors and Medicaid for the poor. Together they cover about 85 million Americans.
But maybe it isn’t so strange. The appointment needs Senate approval, allowing senators to discuss Medicare’s $90 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Or why Medicare fraud is an estimated $60 billion or more a year.
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CMS |
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Has Smokey the Bear Moved to Washington? The Institute for Policy innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says only you can prevent wasteful government spending.
The country’s forests are a national treasure. That’s why Congress appropriated millions of dollars in the stimulus bill for forest fire management, including $2.8 million for that much-loved national forest known as … Washington, D.C.
Now, Washington has its problems, but forest fires aren’t one of them
Steve Moore of The Wall Street Journal reports that when Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming discovered the funding, he introduced an amendment to reassign it to the U.S. Forest Service. The motion passed unanimously.
Ironically, Wyoming, which has lots of forests, got no forest fire management money.
Smokey the Bear used to say, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” And, I might add, only you can prevent Congre Read More...
Smokey |
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Do You Own a Green Car Yet? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says taxpayers may soon, like it or not.
The U.S. Department of Energy has just granted a $500 million loan to a start-up California car company that has never mass-produced a car.
Fisker Automotive’s first car, which rolls out next year, is a beautiful hybrid sports car. But it sells for $90,000, and is being made in Finland.
Fisker swears that the half-billion dollar taxpayer loan will only be used to produce a more affordable U.S.-made hybrid car—for $40,000. And that the loan will be repaid, with interest.
Of course, that’s only if the company can actually sell those cars.
American taxpayers already own Chrysler and GM. And now we’re investing a half-billion dollars in a start-up.
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Green Car |
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Is American Citizenship for Sale? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says for some wealthy mothers it is.
The Tucson Medical Center in Arizona has found a creative way to make money—and new American citizens.
The Arizona Daily Star says the Center sells “birth packages” to wealthy Mexican women, some of whom fly up on personal jets and stay at resorts while they wait to have their baby.
And the prices aren’t bad: $2,300 for a vaginal birth and $4,600 for a C section. Patients have to pay cash.
Try getting that price at most hospitals if you’re an uninsured American.
Of course, when those children are born in the U.S. they automatically become U.S. citizens.
So why stand in a line to become a U.S. citizen? If you’re pregnant and have enough money, you can just fly right over that line. Read More...
Citizenship |
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Should Government Support the Arts? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says not when it asks artists to support the government...
The Washington Times reports that the National Endowment for the Arts recently held a conference call with artists and arts organizations.
An NEA spokesman encouraged the artists to use their artistic skills to promote President Obama’s health care reform and other efforts. Which they did with public statements—within 48 hours.
Not coincidentally, these same artists had already received $2 million in taxpayers’ money.
When asked the NEA denied it orchestrated the call. When shown a copy of the call announcement and statements made on the call, the NEA clamed up, according to the Times.
There was a time when artists saw themselves as part of the counterculture, challenging the powers that be.
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Artists |
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Is the Earth Actually Cooling?The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says that’s the new hot topic...
What if you’d spent years trying to convince the public that the world’s getting warmer, threatening life and society as we know it, only to have the earth start getting cooler?
Well, that’s exactly what’s happening.
In 1998 the world began a cooling phase, just as it’s done many times in the past. Now many scientists, and especially Russian scientists, are wondering if we’re on the verge of a mini-Ice Age.
The reason, it appears, is tied to solar activity and the earth’s rotation, not carbon dioxide emissions.
The downside of this trend is that a cooler earth would actually be much harder on plants and people than a warmer earth.
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Global Warming |
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Did the Summer of 2009 Transform American Politics? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says real change may be coming—next year.
Most Americans pay little attention to politics or public policy; not so last summer.
The public turned out en masse to hear their congressmen talk about the state of the economy, ballooning federal spending and debt, and health care reform.
And they wanted to be heard.
You’d think politicians would welcome this new-found interest in public affairs. But some congressmen shunned the public, even called them names.
Democratic leaders have called these interested voters “un-American” and “evil mongers,” though many were independents, seniors or even Democrats. And President Obama’s Organizing for America called them “Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists.”
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Town Halls |
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Should the Census Count Illegal Aliens? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says citizens are what really count.
The U.S. Constitution requires the government to conduct an “actual enumeration” of the population every 10 years. A lot depends on that count, including how many congressmen each state will have.
For nearly 200 years the Census tried to determine whether a person was a U.S. citizen. But no more, say a constitutional law professor and a demographic expert in The Wall Street Journal.
A question to determine citizenship status is no longer on the Census.
The authors say that means millions of noncitizens, including illegal aliens, will be counted, making states with large immigrant populations look bigger than they really are. That means they get more congressmen and more power.
And that could make the Census as inaccurate as those Washington budgets. Read More...
Census |
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Can Health Insurers Compete with a Government Plan? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says when the government’s accounting is so dishonest, who knows.
The real problem with a government-run health insurance option is the government would hide the costs, making it look more affordable than it actually is. We know, because that’s what Medicare does.
Medicare’s official administrative costs only count what it takes to process claims checks. Rent, salaries, management, even the numerous fraud investigations all appear in other parts of the federal budget.
Now some Democrats want to create a health insurance co-op with $6 billion of taxpayer seed money. If you were a private insurance company, you’d have to borrow the money and pay interest or sell stock.
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Public Option |
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How Do You Get Good Health Care in Great Britain? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says become a dog.
A British physician writes in The Wall Street Journal that his dog has a better health care system than most Brits.
In the privately funded animal system dogs can:
- Pick their doctor, and change veterinarians if the service is bad.
- Have no waiting line.
- Get treated immediately.
- And the Brits even have a safety net system for dogs with no money.
The British public isn’t so lucky. The government, which runs the health care system, wants to ensure that everyone is treated equally, which means everyone is treated equally bad.
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Dog's Health |
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Is the White House Monitoring Your Political Discussions?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says the administration is looking for names....
The White House has released a video telling Americans that if they get an email about health insurance reform that seems “fishy” to send it to the White House.
That means the administration would have the email addresses, IP addresses, recipients of the email, and the allegedly fishy comments, which could be used to monitor future conversations or take other actions.
And yet the mainstream media seem oblivious to this potential threat to civil liberties.
Texas Senator John Cornyn has sent the White House a letter saying that he is unaware of any president ever asking Americans to report their fellow citizens for simply exercising their right to engage in political discussion.
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Fishy |
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Should ACORN Help the Census Bureau Count Americans? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says not if accuracy is the goal...
The federal government is partnering with outside organizations to provide some manpower so the Census Bureau can do its 10-year count of Americans.
Much depends on an accurate count, so it’s extremely important the government use upright organizations with unblemished records.
So why’s it turning to the community-organizing group known as ACORN? The organization has already taken millions in taxpayer dollars, with more coming.
According to various news reports, ACORN:
- Is under investigation in at least 14 states;
- Admitted to more than 400,000 fraudulent vote registrations in 2008; and
- Is facing IRS tax liens for nearly $1 million.
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ACORN |
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Should We Pay Doctors More When They Do More?Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says it’s a lot better than the alternative.
President Obama claims that one problem in the health care system is that doctors get paid more for doing more, and he wants to change that economic incentive.
Of course, all kinds of professionals can be paid more for doing more, including accountants, therapists and trial lawyers. But we’ve heard precious little from this administration about changing the economic incentives for trial lawyers.
The president seems to have in mind the old HMO model, where doctors were paid a flat monthly fee per patient. If the patient didn’t need much care the doctor profited; if the patient needed lots of care, the doctor bore those costs.
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Paying Doctors |
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How Much Does It Cost to Put a Lawbreaker in Jail? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says some criminals are finding out...
Tight budgets have forced many states and local communities to look for creative new sources of revenue. And some have apparently discovered one: charging convicted criminals to stay in jail.
USA Today says that several city and county jail systems now charge criminals for their jail time—up to $60 a day.
Yes, collecting the money can be difficult, and a burden for the inmates’ families. One jail system says it’s collecting about a third of the fees. Others are even sending the bills out to collection agencies.
But it sends an important message about both the social and financial cost of crime.
Taxpayers in these communities are saying to would-be criminals: If you do the crime, you’ll do the time—and you’ll pay for it. Read More...
Jail Time |
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Is There an Easy Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gases? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it’s time for scientists to ask, where’s the beef?
The UN says that cows are responsible for 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. That’s more than trains, planes and cars, combined.
See, a cow’s digestive system produces a lot of methane gas, which causes them to burp. And that methane goes into the atmosphere.
So scientists are working to change cow diets to reduce those gases—and, hopefully, global warming.
If they do, maybe we won’t need those little electric cars the government wants GM to make—but which consumers may not want to buy.
And we certainly won’t need the Democrats’ new “cap and trade” tax that will raise energy costs for every American household.
Read More...
Burping Bessie |
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What Is a Monument to Me? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it’s a member of Congress who’s forgotten who he serves....
When members of Congress put pork-barrel funding requests in the federal budget, it’s called an “earmark.”
But when that earmark is to build or support some building or project named after that member, it can be referred to as a “Monument to Me.”
Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat who controls the appropriations process in the House, has stopped the Monuments to Me—before Republicans ban them out right.
It looks a little too self-indulgent, he thinks, for congressmen to spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars putting their names on buildings and parks and airports. That honor should be reserved for members who have died or left office.
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Monuments |
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When Is Congress Like the Film Industry? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says when it releases lousy products and hopes the public won’t notice.
When members of Congress are running for re-election, they want to pass popular legislation shortly before the election so they can campaign on it.
That’s what happened in August of 1996. Both Republicans and Democrats passed a health care reform bill known as HIPAA right before the presidential conventions.
But when congressmen think new legislation will anger voters, they try to pass it as far away from the next election as possible.
That’s why President Obama wants to pass this year both health care reform and the cap and trade energy bill that creates huge new taxes with little effect on global warming.
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Bad Legislation |
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Think It’s Expensive to Imprison Terrorists? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Information says not imprisoning them costs even more...
President Obama has finally found a way to empty the Guantanamo Bay detention camp of terrorists: paying other countries to take them.
Critics attacked President Bush for sending terrorists to Guantanamo, known as Gitmo. But no country offered to take them voluntarily. And members of Congress don’t want terrorists shipped to their states.
So the U.S. government will give the tiny Pacific island of Palau $200 million to take 17 of the least-dangerous terrorists off our hands. That’s about $11 million per terrorist.
The Wall Street Journal says at that rate we could spend $615 billion emptying Gitmo—if anyone will take the others.
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Terrorists |
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What’s the Best Way to Clean a House? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says by letting the sunshine in.
Great Britain is reeling since London’s Daily Telegraph started digging into members’ of Parliament reimbursed expenses. While most of them were legal, many were also outrageous.
- About $3,400 was spent to drain a castle moat.
- Members expensed horse manure, changing light bulbs, tennis court repairs and massage chairs.
- And, one member even expensed an $8 charitable donation.
The scandal has led to several resignations. And the Speaker of the House of Commons has been forced out—the first to do that in 300 years.
In a preemptive strike, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has ordered all House members’ expenses be posted online for public viewing. That’s a good start.
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Clean House |
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Are You Ready for a VAT Tax? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says Congress is looking for more money.
The Washington Post reports that support is growing for a Value Added Tax, or VAT tax, to pay for Congress’s massive spending projects, like health care reform.
A VAT tax is similar to a sales tax, only the tax is charged at each level of production. So a car manufacturer would pay a tax on all of the raw materials and parts it buys to make cars. And then pass those multiple layers of taxes on to consumers in the form of higher car prices.
Politicians love a VAT tax because voters can’t tell how much they’re being taxed, or when the tax is increased. They only see much higher prices.
That let’s politicians criticize those “greedy” businesses for charging too much, while it’s the government that’s raking in the extra bucks. Read More...
VAT Tax |
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Can We Rely on Data Saying the Earth Is Getting Warmer? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says a new study raises serious questions.
The U.S. government tracks ground temperatures with more than 1,200 small, climate-monitoring stations placed all around the country. Data from those stations are one reason why some scientists think the earth is warming.
But in a new study from the Chicago-based Heartland Institute, a meteorologist recruited 650 volunteers who took pictures of hundreds of those stations.
The team discovered that 90 percent of them failed to meet government-placement standards. Many were:
• Sitting by air conditioner exhaust fans; or
• Surrounded by hot asphalt roads or parking lots; or
• Next to buildings or on rooftops.
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Hot Air |
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How Does Government Handle an Economic Downturn? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says by scaring people into paying higher taxes.
When private sector companies hit economic hard times, they try to make cuts in ways that least affect the customer.
Not so when governments face a downturn. They start with the most visible and unpopular cuts.
Consider California. The state is facing a budget crunch, so Governor Schwarzenegger proposes:
- Cutting $3.6 billion from the public education system;
- Cutting 10 percent of the state firefighting budget; and
- Releasing 40,000 low-risk prison inmates.
California has a huge budget, yet the only place to cut is putting criminals on the streets? Such proposals maximize the shock value so the public will accept higher taxes.
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Economic Downturn |
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Can the Government Help You Get Thinner? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says not if it’s getting fatter.
The Obama administration wants to spend billions of dollars pushing us to be healthy.
But the town of Sommerville, Massachusetts, has found an easy and inexpensive way to encourage healthier lifestyles. It changed some of the foods in the public schools, replacing French fries, candy and sodas with fresh fruit, skim milk and other healthy foods.
The city also built some bike and walking paths.
When the program started seven years ago, 44 percent of the elementary school children were either overweight or at risk of becoming so. Within just one year the city noticed significant weight changes among the children. Now other cities are adopting the model.
We don’t need the government monitoring our calories. Read More...
Fat Government |
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Is Your Social Security Check Safe? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says yes, but for how long?
When some of us raised concerns about Social Security’s financial soundness, liberals always accused us of being fear mongers.
Well, the fear is here. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama’s budget says this year Social Security will pay out $8 billion more than it’s taking in.
It wasn’t supposed to hit this point for 10 years, but the economic downturn has hurt government revenues.
Defenders claim there’s still a Social Security trust fund to draw from. True, but the government has borrowed all of that money and spent it.
So Social Security is broke in fact, if not on paper. Monthly checks will no doubt still be paid, but it’s borrowed money—and borrowed time. Read More...
Social Security |
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Do You Smell a Foul Odor? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says that smell may be pork-barrel spending.
In these hard economic times, at least the government is being careful with your tax dollars, right?
Well, Citizens Against Government Waste has released its 19th annual “Pig Book,” which identifies all of the pork-barrel spending projects in the federal budget, some 10,000 of them.
- Like spending $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management research in Iowa.
- And $4.5 million for wood utilization research.
While there’s about 1,500 fewer pork-barrel projects in this year’s budget, spending on them is up by 14 percent.
Yes, there are projects the federal government can and should fund.
But before we spend your tax dollars studying swine odor in Iowa, how about we figure out how to stop the stink from Washington Read More...
Pork Barrel |
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Can the Government Compare Medical Treatments? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says the government is better at comparing price than quality...
Congress recently created a 15-member committee whose job is to compare various types of medical treatments to determine which is the most effective.
It’s known as comparative effectiveness research.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with scientists comparing therapies and drugs to see which works best. The government has been doing that for years through the National Institutes of Health and other agencies.
The concern is that this new committee won’t just ask what works best, but also which procedures and treatments cost the least.
And when government budgets are tight, there will be a lot of pressure for the committee to choose the least-expensive therapies.
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CER |
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Does Congress Deserve a Bonus? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says not if the criterion is successfully managing an organization.
Remember how angry Congress and the country got when we learned that insurer AIG used $165 million of taxpayer money to pay bonuses?
The backlash was from a sense that the company had been horribly managed, and the rest of us would have to pay for it. Bad management doesn’t deserve a bonus.
Well, it seems that members of Congress have also handed out millions of dollars in bonuses—to their staffs. Up to $14,000 a person.
Now, many Hill staff are hard workers and may deserve a bonus.
But if bankrupting an organization and leaving taxpayers with billions of dollars in debt is the hallmark of poor management, that should be condemned, not rewarded, And that sounds almost like a perfect description of … Congress. Read More...
Bonus |
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Should Governors Refuse Part of the Stimulus Money? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says four governors are … and it’s costing them.
The governors of Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi claim that part of the money from the stimulus package will force them to spend more in unemployment benefits in the future—after the bailout money’s long gone.
So they’re taking a principled stand and turning down part of the funds.
Steve Moore of The Wall Street Journal reports that their refusal has Democrats hopping mad. The Democratic National Committee is running ads in South Carolina criticizing Governor Mark Sanford for not taking “free” money.
Of course, the money isn’t free. Our children and grandchildren will be handed the bill.
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Governors Bail Outs |
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Are You Living a Healthy Lifestyle? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says that some politicians think you will—if you have insurance...
Senators Edward Kennedy and Max Baucus published an article in The Wall Street Journal recently stating that once everyone has insurance, health care costs will go down. That’s because people will get the preventive care and timely treatments they need.
But 85 percent of the population already has health coverage, and yet a recent survey of large employers by Watson Wyatt found that: - Two-thirds of their insured employees have poor health habits; and
- Forty-two percent under utilize preventive care.
In other words, people with good health coverage often engage in unhealthy or risky behavior, or avoid getting the preventive care they need.
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Preventive Care |
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Why Is the Stock Market Going Down? The Institute for Policy Innovation says the market knows something the president doesn’t...
There are reasons why the stock market’s been tanking this year. It’s pricing in President Obama’s policies. For example, he wants to:
- Raise the income tax rate on higher-income workers from 35 to 39.6 percent;
- Lower their ability to write off charitable contributions;
- And raise the capital gains tax from 15 to 20 percent. That’s the tax people pay on investments like the stock market.
Higher-income people will have less to invest in the market, and will get to keep less when they do.
Those lower returns mean demand for stocks will fall—and so does their price.
While not everyone invests in the stock market, we all have an interest in it doing well. Read More...
Stock Market |
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Should We Fear Another Great Depression? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says the real threat comes from government policies...
Economic times are tough, but are things as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s?
President Obama used the fear of another Great Depression to rally support for his economic stimulus package.
But economist Bradley Schiller, writing in the Wall Street Journal, disagrees.
- While unemployment is at 7.6 percent now, it peaked at 25 percent in 1932.
- The economy may decline about 2 percent this year, but from 1930 to ‘32 it declined between 8 and13 percent each year.
- Finally, auto production declined 25 percent last year, but 90 percent in 1932.
It was government policies that turned the 1929 recession into a decade-long depression. The real fear is that government policies will do it again. Read More...
Great Depression |
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Can’t Figure Out Your Taxes? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says you’re apparently not alone...
Rep. Charlie Rangel, who heads Congress’ tax-writing committee, was recently exposed for not paying $11,000 in taxes on rental income from his Caribbean resort home.
The new Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, just paid the payroll taxes on past income that he had ignored for years.
And the former leader of Senate Democrats, Tom Daschle, recently forked over $140,000 in taxes and interest for using a donated car he never claimed as income.
All of these men claim it’s just an innocent oversight or mistake. But even if that’s true, doesn’t it mean it’s time to simplify our tax system? If the people who sit over the rest of us can’t get their taxes right, how can we expect average Americans to? Read More...
Paying Taxes |
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Are CEOs Wasting Their Bailout Money? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says some are, but they’re amateurs when compared to Congress...
Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri has introduced legislation that would limit CEO pay to $400,000 if that company is getting federal bailout money.
Referring to some of the huge bonuses being paid by bailed-out CEOs, the senator said, “I don’t get it. These people are idiots.”
But CEOs aren’t the only ones wasting taxpayer money. The economic stimulus package is filled with expenditures that do nothing for the economy, like:
$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and
$2.5 billion for the National Science Foundation.
Maybe Senator McCaskill should instead introduce legislation that limits congressional pay every time Congress wastes taxpayers’ money. Read More...
Bailout Money |
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Can Democrats Make the Health Care System More Efficient? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says they’ve never done it in Medicare, after 40 years...
Democrats say they want to make health care more affordable by reducing inefficiencies in the health care system.
But Medicare, the 40-year-old federal health insurance program for seniors, is riddled with fraud and inefficiency. And Congress has never fixed those problems.
The government estimates there is $60 billion of fraud in Medicare—every year.
- A recent government report found that Medicare paid as much as $92 million since 2000 for equipment supposedly prescribed by dead doctors.
- And a Justice Department strike force recently prosecuted 120 people for trying to bilk Medicare out of $400 million.
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Medicare Fraud |
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How Can We Get Consumers Spending Again? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says former President Bush avoided this problem
The economy is struggling as consumers, even those with jobs and money, are cutting back on spending.
And now the question around Washington is, “How can we get consumers spending again?”
We were faced with a similar situation nearly eight years ago, right after the 9/11 terrorist attack. In an effort to keep consumers from hunkering down and holding onto their money, President Bush encouraged the public to go shopping.
Well, liberal commentators have ridiculed him repeatedly for that comment. They opined that in a war patriotic consumers should stop spending and keep their cash—which is exactly what they’re doing now.
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Consumer Spending |
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Have You Gotten Your Farm Subsidy Yet? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says just get in line … behind the Saudis.
The great thing about farm subsidies is they help so many people, like millionaires in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
The Associated Press reports that a recent government study found that between 2003 and 2006, some 2,700 millionaires got farm-subsidy money, and some of them were Saudis.
Even though they don’t do a lot of farming in the sands of Saudi Arabia, U.S. taxpayers are apparently helping them out.
Back in the U.S., people are eligible for a farm subsidy if their average adjusted gross income doesn’t exceed $2.5 million.
So if you have been unsuccessful in getting a bailout from the federal government, you might try for a farm subsidy. If it’s good enough for a desert sheik, it’s good enough for us. Read More...
Farm Subsidy |
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Why Is Congress so Upset with Bernie Madoff? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says Congress has its own scam going...
Congress is upset with Wall Street investor Bernard Madoff for scamming thousands of trusting investors out of perhaps $50 billion.
But Congress has been doing the same thing for 70 years. It’s called Social Security.
Ponzi schemes like Madoff’s take money from current investors and hand it out to others. There are no real assets because the money is never invested.
That’s pretty much how Social Security works. The government takes current workers’ 12.4 percent payroll tax and immediately hands it over to current retirees. But Madoff’s $50 billion scam is chump change compared to the $2.2 trillion Social Security is supposed to have, but doesn’t.
Of course, most of those who trusted Madoff will lose their money. Read More...
Madoff |
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Do You Need Some Vitamin C for that Cold? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says then we better not do what India’s doing.
The Times of India reports that the country is facing a growing shortage of vitamin C. The reason? The Indian government imposed price controls on the vitamin in an effort to make it more affordable.
But pharmaceutical companies making vitamin C tablets have seen the cost of the raw ingredients soar by 300 percent or more. That means it’s costing the companies more to make the tablets than they can charge for them. So they’ve quit making them.
While that vitamin C shortage may not affect the U.S., the economic policy behind it could.
Democrats in Congress think price controls will lower the cost of prescription drugs here. But the only thing price controls lower … is your chance of getting a product you need. Read More...
Vitamin C |
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Want Your 401(k) to Lose Even More Money? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it could … if Congress takes control of it.
Tough economic times can lead to some really dumb proposals.
Take, for example, Democratic Congressman George Miller, who thinks that 401(k) accounts are an “inadequate vehicle” that “has not been terribly successful.”
He’s referring, of course, to the recent stock market decline that has dramatically reduced most accounts’ values.
Miller appears to think that handing your retirement funds to the federal government, as we do our Social Security contributions, would be safer.
One economist even testified before Miller that once the government gets your money, it should invest it globally in risky assets to get high returns, while guaranteeing you 3 percent.
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Do Plants Have Dignity? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says Switzerland thinks so, but the plants aren’t talking...
Genetically modifying plants to create healthier and more pest- and disease-resistant strains has dramatically improved the food supply. And it’s helped fight hunger in poor countries.
But Switzerland has a new law saying that before scientists can perform genetic-modification research on plants, they must consider whether such research might destroy a plant’s dignity.
A government ethics committee even produced a paper finding that:
- There can be no absolute ownership of plants.
- Arbitrarily harming a plant is morally impermissible.
- And that genetic modification is allowable, but research should not destroy a plant’s ability to reproduce.
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Dignity |
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Should politicians make health care decisions? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says it’s already happening . . . in Australia.
Dr. Bernhard Moeller moved from Germany to Australia two years ago to help the Australian government. He’s practicing in rural communities where few doctors want to go.
According to the Associated Press, everything was going well until Dr. Moeller applied for residency and the immigration department said . . . no.
See, Dr. Moeller has a 13-year-old son with Down syndrome. Although the boy’s well-adjusted, in school and likes to play sports, the government says his health care costs would pose a burden to taxpayers.
Australia, like Great Britain, has a government-run health care system—much like some politicians want for the U.S.
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Downs |
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Is global warming melting the Arctic glaciers? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews wonders where the hot air’s coming from.
Two new environmental studies are likely to upset Al Gore, most of Hollywood and all of the Greenies.
Climate Research News recently featured studies from two scholarly journals. They claim that global warming is not the reason that glaciers in Greenland and the West Antarctic have been losing ice.
Rather, it’s changes in wind circulation patterns. The studies suggest a shift in the wind patterns has brought warmer air to some polar regions.
And now the Anchorage Daily News in Alaska says that last winter was one of the worst on record, which helped the Arctic glaciers start growing again.
So if hot air’s what’s causing the glaciers to melt, maybe we should all ask Al Gore to . . . well, just quit talking. Read More...
Winds |
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Barack Obama wants to raise taxes on higher-income workers because he thinks they’re getting off too easy.
But according to the Tax Policy Center, in 2008:
- The bottom 40 percent of workers—that’s four out of every 10 workers—will pay only 3 percent of all federal taxes.
- The next 40 percent—that’s the middle class—will pay a little more than 25 percent.
- And those in the top 20 percent of earners will pay nearly 70 percent of all federal taxes.
Thus the top 20 percent of income earners will pay about 22 times in federal taxes what the bottom 40 percent pays.
Folks, the only ones getting off easy here are the politicians making these silly claims. Read More...
Tax Brackets |
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Can Cell Phones Save Lives? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says new research is proving their benefits...
A new study from the World Bank concludes that, at least for lower-income populations, cell phones can be a healthy option.
The study compared cell phone usage to tobacco consumption and found that the more low-income people used their cells the less they smoked—by 20 percent.
In households where at least one person smoked, purchasing a cell phone led to a one-third reduction in smoking per adult. That amounts to a pack a day.
The reason? Lower-income families have limited money to spend. When talking on a cell phone is a status symbol, they spend more on phones and less on tobacco.
You’ve heard the old saying “talk’s cheap.” Apparently when it comes to cell phones, it can also be good for you. Read More...
Cell Phones |
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Are You Better Off? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says everyone should be asking that question....
Republicans controlled Congress and the presidency from 2001 to 2007. So they should get the credit—or the blame—for whatever happened in those years.
But in January 2007, the Democrats took control of Congress. In those last two years:
- The Dow has fallen more than 2,000 points.
- Wall Street has collapsed and banks are closing.
- Consumer confidence surveys have been cut in half.
- Gasoline prices have risen from about $2.20 a gallon to over $4.00.
- And the economy has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs.
As political commentator Rich Galen points out, the question every American should be asking is: Are you better off than you were TWO years ago? Read More...
Better Off |
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Are U.S. High Schools Doing Their Jobs? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says not according to American colleges.
Millions of high school graduates want to go on to college. But an Associated Press story says many of them aren’t ready for college-level work.
Colleges currently spend $2.5 to $3 billion a year teaching recent high school graduates how to read and write at the college level, known as remedial education.
A new study entitled “Diploma to Nowhere” says that 43 percent of community college students need remediation, and nearly 30 percent of students at four-year colleges.
At Long Beach City College in California, 95 percent of new students need remedial coursework.
These aren’t high school dropouts, they’re graduates—some with B averages.
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Education |
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Who’s the Big Spender: Obama or McCain? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says just look at their Senate records...
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation recently looked at the spending records of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.
During the first session of the 110th Congress:
• John McCain sponsored or cosponsored 22 bills, which would have increased federal spending by $8 billion annually.
• Barack Obama, by contrast, sponsored or cosponsored 114 bills, increasing federal spending $75 billion annually. And vice presidential candidate Joe Biden wasn’t far behind.
That’s a little more than $9 of government spending for Obama for every $1 for McCain.
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Can Increased Prevention Save Health Care Money? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it will more likely cost money—and freedom...
Both Barack Obama and John McCain say they will reduce health care costs by focusing on prevention.
That means encouraging vaccinations, mammograms, prostate screening and other tests. And that’s good.
But while catching and treating diseases early is cheaper than waiting until they become a medical crisis, many actuaries say we can spend a lot more testing people than we’ll ever save catching diseases early.
Prevention also means helping people exercise, lose weight and stop smoking.
Of course, getting people to live healthier lifestyles would save money, but do you really want the government scrutinizing and even dictating your eating, drinking and exercising habits?
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Prevention |
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Will Barack Obama Cut Most Americans’ Taxes? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says he’s really just expanding welfare...
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says that under his tax plan, 95 percent of Americans will get a tax cut.
But is it really a tax cut?
Currently, workers in the bottom 40 percent of income pay little or no income taxes. So how does a worker pay less tax than zero? Obama’s answer is a “refundable” tax credit.
For example, if the government gives workers, say, a $1,000 refundable tax credit, those who owe no income taxes will actually get a check for $1,000. Those who owe, say, $600 in taxes won’t pay any tax and will get a check for the $400 difference.
In other words, Obama would take money from some taxpayers and hand it out to others. Folks, that’s not a tax cut; that’s welfare. Read More...
Tax Cuts |
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Is This a Do-Nothing Congress? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says yes, and that may be the good news....
The Wall Street Journal says this Democratic-led Congress has passed 294 bills, fewer than any Congress in the last 20 years.
But it’s also passed the largest number of resolutions—1,932.
Resolutions are usually expressions of support for something and don’t do much harm—or good. Taxpayers for Common Sense has identified its top 10 list. They include:
- Designating July as National Watermelon Month;
- Recognizing the 70th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission;
- And naming June 30 National Corvette Day.
Democrats want to postpone passing real laws because they think a new President Obama will sign whatever they pass.
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Are You Pumped Up? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says more drilling means lower taxes.....
The country’s facing a whopping $400 billion budget deficit next year.
That’s prompting Democrats to say we need to raise taxes.
But there’s a better way: in the words of Newt Gingrich, “Drill here, drill now.”
The country makes money from oil production. The Wall Street Journal estimates that drilling for oil offshore and in Alaska could yield about $2 trillion for the government over 30 years.
And U.S. oil companies pay taxes on the money they make. Exxon paid $65 billion in taxes over the past five years—more than it made in profits.
Drilling here reduces the money we give to other oil-producing countries and keeps those royalties, taxes and jobs in the U.S.
In short, we don’t need to pump more taxes, just more oil. Read More...
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Is the Spirit of the Boston Tea Party Alive and Well? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says something’s brewing in the Bay State.......
Massachusetts is often referred to as “Taxachusetts” because the state’s taxes are so high.
Now the Committee for Small Government wants to change that image by pushing legislation called the Small Government Act, which Bay Staters will vote on in November.
The legislation repeals the state income, wage and capital gains taxes. That’s a $12.5 billion state revenue cut—with no other revenue to replace it.
That reduction would force state legislators to seriously rethink their financial priorities. But it would also leave that money in the hands of families, where it will surely be better spent.
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Why do some companies move offshore?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says Congress should learn a lesson from them.
Senator Hillary Clinton is mad—that is, angry.
She claims a growing number of companies are flocking to places like the Caymen Islands to avoid paying U.S. taxes. And she wants to punish them by denying them any government contracts.
But she never addresses why some companies move offshore. The U.S. has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. And some Democrats want to raise them even higher.
Clinton says she wants to reward “responsible companies” that stay inland.
Of course, Exxon does just that, yet many Democrats want to punish it and other oil companies with a huge “windfall profits tax.”
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Tax Breaks |
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Should Politicians Decide Which Restaurants You Can Choose From?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation say Los Angeles may lose some fast-food freedom.
A Los Angeles city councilwoman thinks Angelenos are too fat. So she’s pushing legislation that bans new fast food restaurants like McDonalds and KFC.
While Los Angeles does have an obesity rate some 4 percentage points higher than the national average, lower-income areas tend to have higher obesity levels.
Of course, there’s already some 400 fast-food restaurants in the targeted area. So the bill doesn’t eliminate access to fast food.
And McDonalds serves fresh salads and yogurt—if people want to buy them. While more expensive restaurants often serve hamburgers and fried chicken. So why target fast food?
The real question is whether the government should decide your restaurant options or what you eat.
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The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says no, it’s time to increase economic growth.
Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform says that Congress hasn’t passed a federal tax increase in 15 years.
The last one was in 1993 under President Bill Clinton, and it was a whopper. Under President Bush, there has actually been a tax cut every year.
But that doesn’t mean federal revenues have gone down. Federal revenue in 1990 was about $1 trillion; in 2007 it was $2.5 trillion.
There’s an important lesson here: a tax increase doesn’t mean a revenue increase. And a tax cut doesn’t necessarily mean a revenue cut.
Federal revenues depend on economic growth. When the economy is growing, both family and government revenues rise.
That means we need politicians who will grow the economy, not our taxes.
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The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says, apparently, and that may be good news
While the rest of the world agonizes over growing levels of greenhouse gases such carbon dioxide, researchers at the Theunen Institute in Germany are saying, chill!
They point out that far from being a pollutant, carbon dioxide is absolutely essential to life on earth. Plants must have it to survive.
Indeed, the institute suggests that increased CO2 levels could lead to a 10 percent increase in crops such as barley, beets and wheat.
Investor’s Business Daily says that researchers from NASA and the University of Montana claim that the earth’s vegetation has already increased by 6.2 percent over the past 20 years.
That means more food for animals and people, not extinction. Instead of all the doom and gloom, you might call it “doom and bloom.”
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CO2 |
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Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation wonders who’s writing prescriptions from beyond the grave
Congressional investigators recently announced that the Medicare program, which provides health coverage for 44 million seniors, paid $92 million since 2000 for wheel chairs and other home medical equipment.
What’s strange, though, is that the prescriptions for that equipment came from doctors . . . who are dead. And about half of them have been dead for more than five years.
Somebody’s making some money out there, but it’s not those doctors.
People who want a government-run health care system say the government is more efficient than private sector health insurers. It pays medical bills faster and spends less in administrative costs to do it.
Health insurers do spend more money scrutinizing medical claims, but at least all the doctors those insurers pay are alive.
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How Big Is Your Waistline?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says it makes a difference . . . if you live in Japan.
When the government pays for health care, it has a vested interest in making sure its citizens are healthy—whether they like it or not.
That’s why the Japanese government recently passed legislation requiring everyone between the ages of 40 and 74—56 million people—to have their waistlines measured regularly.
The maximum waistline for men is 33.5 inches. That’s the maximum. For women it’s 35.4 inches.
Those whose waistlines are larger will have three months to shape up, or undergo what’s being called “reeducation.”
Those who persist in ignoring the will of the government will face fines and other penalties.
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When Are Senators Hypocrites?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says when they condemn employers and then do the same thing.
Some Democratic politicians accuse employers of being greedy for outsourcing jobs to local contracting companies in order to cut costs. Yet Democrats who control the U.S. Senate are doing the same thing to the Senate dining rooms.
The dining rooms, which are staffed by government employees, have been losing money—and customers—for years. Taxpayers make up those losses.
The House of Representatives privatized its dining rooms in the ‘80s. Now the House dining rooms are full, and the private catering company running them has given back to the government more than a million dollars in the last five years.
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Are American CEOs Overpaid?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says take a look at American athletes.
Steven Malanga of the Manhattan Institute recently asked how fairly is income distributed in major league sports.
Turns out, not so fair.
For the total U.S. population, the top 20 percent of households makes 51 percent of total family income.
But Malanga says that in football, the top 20 percent of players makes 63 percent of the money—not including all the advertising contracts.
Politicians are increasingly complaining that a small number of Americans make too much money. But they’re talking about CEOs, not athletes.
Apparently, when athletes are well paid, people think it’s because they’re good. When CEOs are well paid, it’s because they’re greedy.
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What’s That Ticking Sound You Hear?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says that’s a financial time bomb—that’s about to go off.
By the end of this one-minute commentary, the federal government will owe an additional $4,800 because our politicians refuse to address the big entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
USA Today reports that last year the government’s financial obligations grew by $2.5 trillion. That’s $4,800 a minute—every minute.
And that’s on top of the $57 trillion the government already needs, but doesn’t have, to pay our lifetime benefits when we retire.
And the problem will only get worse as the baby boomers start retiring in just three years.
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Has Ethanol Led to a Boom or a Bust?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it depends on whether you’re an environmentalist or one of the poor.
What if you bet everything on ethanol’s ability to save the environment and ended up breaking the bank— the food bank, that is.
The environmentalists have pushed for years to decrease burning fossil fuels like gasoline by substituting corn-based ethanol.
They won, and the rest of us lost—especially the poor.
The problem is that it takes about 1,700 gallons of water to make one gallon of ethanol. And corn-based ethanol produces nearly twice the greenhouse gases as gasoline.
And the ethanol boom has led to a corn boom. The increased demand for corn has driven up the price, making it unaffordable for millions of poor people, leading to riots around the world.
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Ethanol |
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Want to Save an Endangered Species?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says then let people eat it.
The author of a new book makes an unusual claim: If you want to save an endangered species, whether plant or animal, people have to eat it.
That’s right; you “save” the endangered plant or animal by harvesting or killing it for food.
Author and ethnobiologist Gary Paul Nabhon’s point is that when people like to eat something, they take extra steps to ensure the product’s available.
We call it the “tragedy of the commons,” after the way people ignored public areas like parks. Economists say it all boils down to private property rights.
When people can own property, including plants and animals, they will strive to ensure its continued existence because they have a personal interest in doing so.
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Endangered Species |
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Will We Never Be Rid of Jimmy Carter’s Disastrous Policies?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says bad ideas never seem to die.
The oil companies are making record profits, and both Democratic presidential candidates say they want to take some of those profits away.
Their solution: reviving one of Jimmy Carter’s worst policies—the 1980 windfall profits tax on oil companies.
At the time, the Washington Post correctly said that the windfall profits tax was simply a tax on oil production, not oil companies.
The tax raised the price of American-produced oil, making foreign oil cheaper by comparison. So the U.S. produced less and bought more oil from overseas, which means the new tax never created the revenue politicians had predicted.
Republicans like to vie for the mantle of the Ronald Reagan candidate. Read More...
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Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says wait until you see what government employees are doing.
While millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet, some federal employees have found a solution: charge it to the taxpayers.
A new government report says that over a 15-month investigation, nearly $6 billion in credit card charges didn’t follow proper procedures. It’s easy to see why. According to the report:
- Postal workers charged more than $14,000 for Internet dating services.
- Four Pentagon employees charged $77,000 in clothing to high-end stores.
- And one State Department worker charged $360 for women’s lingerie, but claimed it was for jungle training in Ecuador.
While most federal employees are honest, some apparently can’t control themselves when they have access to other peoples’ money. Read More...
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Is It Time for a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says only if we want a strong economy.
The key to an individual’s economic success is being able to sell what you have to others, whether it’s products or your time. And being able to buy what you need at the best available price.
That’s also the key to a country’s economic success.
So why do so many Democrats oppose what’s known as free trade agreements with other countries, especially Colombia?
Colombians pay tariffs, or taxes, on about 8 percent of what they sell to the U.S.
Americans, by contrast, pay tariffs of up to 37 percent on nearly all of the products we sell to Colombia.
Those tariffs make U.S. products more expensive and harder to sell. A free trade agreement would end that disparity.
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Should We Be Giving More to the Poor?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says liberals should.
Liberals claim the country needs to give more to the poor.
But Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks says that when it comes to charity, conservatives give more.
According to Brooks, liberal families make on average about 6 percent more than conservatives. But conservative families donate about 30 percent more to charity.
Take liberal presidential candidate Barack Obama. His income tax returns show that in 2001 he and his wife made $275,000. And gave away a whopping . . . $1,500.
Bill and Hillary Clinton made $100 million between 2000 and 2007 and gave away $10 million — to the Clinton Foundation, which they controlled.
So don’t be fooled by liberal calls for more charity. The money they really want to give away is yours.
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Would You Like to Pay for Health Insurance with that Hotdog, M’am?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says in San Francisco you may not have a choice.
San Francisco is the first city in the country to pass a universal health insurance program to cover the uninsured. Employers with 20 or more employees have to provide coverage.
And who’s going to pay for it? Why, consumers, of course.
The Los Angeles Times reports that some restaurants are raising their prices.
A popular Mexican food restaurant has added a 3.5 percent surcharge to every food bill. Along with a note on the menu saying it’s to cover the health insurance program.
Another restaurant is adding 4 percent to the bill. And one has a flat fee or one or two dollars per person. It’s enough to give you heartburn.
Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but Read More...
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Will Barack Obama Change Washington?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says he only wants to change the way he takes your tax dollars.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama says he wants to change the way they do business in Washington. So he has released a list of his budget earmarks and has challenged his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton to do the same.
Earmarks are spending requests congressmen put in the federal budget, usually bringing millions of dollars in pork barrel spending back to their home state.
Obama wants $740 million of your tax dollars for Illinois. That includes $1 million for the hospital where his wife worked, until she went on leave.
I suppose we should be thankful that Senator Obama wants to be more open about taking your money for his own pet projects.
I mean, when someone robs your house, it’s always nice to get a thank you note.
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Should Students Be Paid to Pass Tests?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says they already are, and it’s working.
Talk about pay for performance.
New York City is experimenting with a radical new idea in education reform: capitalism. According to the New York Times, a number of schools are paying principals, teachers and even students if they perform well.
Students can get nearly $50 for doing well on a standardized test. And the city has handed out more than $500,000 to 5,200 students.
The nay-sayers complain kids should be willing to learn, not for money, but for education’s sake. The realists say that high-mindedness can’t compete against streets, gangs and illegal drugs.
The fact is the program prepares kids for the job market, where people are financially rewarded for dedication and hard work. Imagine that, inner-city kids making an A in capitalism. Read More...
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Why Do Americans Move to Other States?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says maybe it’s because of lower taxes.
United Van Lines produces an annual study showing which states are losing and gaining Americans.
The Wall Street Journal says a careful look at that study suggests many people are fleeing high-tax for low-tax states.
Michigan was the biggest loser, with two people leaving for every one who moved in. Michigan also has high taxes and one of the worst state economies in the country.
Other losers were New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
But the eight states without an income tax were net population gainers. And all except Florida are in the top 12 destination states.
If states really want to attract families, they don’t need flashy ad campaigns. They just need to recognize what most Americans want: lower taxes.
Read More...
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Tired of Politicians Talking About the Poor?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says they may not be telling the whole story.
Politicians like to talk about differences in income, while economists often ask about differences in spending.
The average household in the top 20 percent of income makes about $150,000 and spends nearly $70,000 on goods and services. The bottom 20 percent makes just $10,000, but spends more than $18,000.
That’s right, according to economists Michael Cox and Richard Alm of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, the average low-income family spends nearly twice what it makes.
How can that be? Well, some have income they don’t report. Others may be seniors with other resources available to them.
And that distinction could affect the country’s response. Read More...
Low Income |
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Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says it sure didn’t reduce the role of money in campaigns.
Conventional wisdom says that money corrupts political campaigns. And so the three major presidential candidates have supported campaign finance reform to reduce money’s influence, at least until now.
They need cash to get their message out, and so their views have, well, mellowed.
- Barack Obama had pledged that as the Democratic nominee he would use government-provided money in the general election. But he’s raising so much cash he’s waffling on that commitment.
- Hillary Clinton’s wealthy friends want to start an organization so they can spend millions promoting her.
- And cash-starved John McCain used his donor list as collateral for a campaign loan.
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Are You Happy?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says if not, maybe it has to do with your political party.
National Public Radio’s Eric Weiner cites a 2006 Pew Research Poll saying that 45 percent of Republicans describe themselves as “very happy,” as opposed to only 30 percent of Democrats.
It’s not hard to see why.
- Most Republicans support tax cuts; most Democrats support tax increases.
- Most Republicans think the U.S. health care system, with a few changes, works pretty well; most Democrats think it’s broken, threatening our health and well-being.
- And most Republicans think they can build a better future for themselves and their families; while most Democrats think the future looks bleak without major government intervention.
One group embraces the politics of optimism; the other, the politics of pessimism. Read More...
Happy? |
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Is Capitalism Failing the Poor?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says Bill Gates thinks so, but he’s wrong.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has a message for the world: Capitalism isn’t working, at least for the poorest countries.
Gates wants big business to focus on meeting the needs and solving the problems of the world’s poorest.
But capitalism hasn’t failed the poor; their governments have. There are plenty of entrepreneurs among the poor who would create jobs and wealth if government corruption, cronyism and regulations would get out of the way.
Take India and China. They were economic basket cases until their governments implemented economic reform and the rule of law. Now instead of basket cases, they’re becoming breadbaskets.
Bill Gates is wrong. Read More...
Capitalism |
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Do You Want to Be in Pictures?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says in Great Britain, you don’t have a choice.
Smile—you’re on government camera! At least if you’re in Great Britain.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Great Britain has 4.2 million closed-circuit cameras monitoring the public. I just returned from there and the cameras are everywhere. The average person is caught on camera up to 300 times a day. Moreover:
- The country has set up a snitch line for people to report others who are breaking a new, no-smoking ban in public places.
- And Great Britain’s DNA database includes anyone ever arrested for anything, a total of 3.9 million samples—the largest number per person in the world.
But it’s funny. Even though government officials were monitoring me all the time, somehow I didn’t feel safer. Read More...
Do You Want to Be in Pictures? |
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Are You Willing to Pay More for a Television?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says you will if the Sierra Club gets its way.
The environmental group the Sierra Club has an idea.
It’s pushing legislation to impose a 1 percent sales tax on televisions and video games. The estimated $4 million in revenue would be used to—surprise!—fund things really important to the Sierra Club. Like hiking and classes about the outdoors.
Sierra claims it wants to stem the growing incidence of childhood obesity and diabetes. But worthy goals don’t justify bad legislation.
It’s part of a growing movement to have the government monitor our health. Others want to ban all smoking or soft drinks. Or force you to exercise or get a physical.
Read More...
Sierra Club |
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Was FDR a Great American President?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says one Russian president thinks so.
Liberals love to remember and idolize President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of America’s greatest presidents.
But Jonah Goldberg, writing for USA Today, points out that there is another huge FDR fan: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president is increasingly criticized for consolidating his power in Russia, undermining democracy and ignoring civil liberties.
Yet he praises FDR’s efforts to control the economy and sidestep certain Constitutional limits on power, especially in the New Deal. And he’s not alone, Italian Fascist Benito Mussolini once declared of FDR, “America has a dictator.”
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FDR |
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Were You Able to Find Some Good Christmas Sales?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says Europeans aren’t so lucky.
Have you been enjoying those post-holiday sales? So have the Europeans, thanks to the government.
In the U.S., retail stores determine when they have a sale. But the Wall Street Journal points out that in Europe the government makes that decision.
For example, many U.S. merchants start marking down items shortly before Christmas to encourage last-minute spending. Until recently, European governments wouldn’t allow that.
Although the situation is improving, Europe is far from being consumer-friendly. In France, the government regulates retail prices. And some governments determine when a retail store can and can’t be open.
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Retail Sales |
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Is the Earth Getting Warmer?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says apparently not in the winter.
Americans living in the Midwest who have seen several waves of ice and snow this winter could be forgiven for wondering whether global warming is real.
And they might be right. University of Oklahoma geophysicist David Deming points out that in 2007:
- Snow fell in Buenos Aries for the first time since 1918;
- Johannesburg, South Africa, had its first significant snowfall in 26 years;
- Closer to home, an April freeze killed 95 percent of South Carolina’s peach crop;
- Denver, Charlotte, North Carolina, Meacham, Oregon, and St. Cloud, Minnesota, all set record lows;
- And the Canadian government is warning of the coldest winter in 15 years.
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Warming |
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Is the Middle Class Shrinking?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says apparently, but that’s good news.
Some of the presidential candidates are bemoaning the decline of the American middle class. The common assumption behind the concern is that middle-classers are falling into the lower-income brackets.
But according to economist Stephen Rose in the Washington Post, the percentage of households making more than $100,000 has actually doubled over the past 30 years, from 12 to 24 percent.
By contrast, there was no change in the percentage of households making less than $30,000 a year.
Thus, he says that all of the “decline” in the middle class was due to people moving up the income ladder. That’s a success story, not a failure.
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Middle Classers |
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Where Does Farm Subsidy Money Go?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says to lots of rich non-farmers, of course.
Former basketball star Scottie Pippen, Late Show host David Letterman and CNN founder Ted Turner are all rich and famous—and on the public dole. Thanks to what’s called the Farm Bill.
And they aren’t alone, some of the richest people in the country get taxpayer money because they own farmland—land they may not even farm.
The farm subsidies can be in the thousands—David Letterman recently donated his $8,000 subsidy to charity—but they can be in the millions.
The Environmental Working Group has a map that shows 562 New Yorkers in Manhattan receiving some of your tax dollars. Read More...
Farm Subsidies |
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Does Congress Need Some New Year’s Resolutions?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says here’s a short list for starters.
It’s the New Year once again, and time for those New Year’s resolutions. This year, we hope Congress will make a few of its own, such as:
Controlling government spending. You’ve probably heard about the budget deficit. Some congressmen think that means a tax increase, but a spending cut would be a better solution.
Or, Making the budget process more transparent. Members of Congress claim they want transparency, but then do everything they can to hide their spending and earmarks.
And finally, Act like statesmen, not like henchmen. Read More...
Does Congress Need Some New Year’s Resolutions? |
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How Much Good Can Come Out of Tax Reform?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says a lot, just look back 2,000 years.
The New Testament tells us why Mary and Joseph journeyed to his hometown of Bethlehem.
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. . . And all went to be taxed, everyone to his own city.”
A better translation of the word “taxed” is registered.
The Roman tax system at Jesus’ birth was a mess, and Caesar Augustus wanted to reform it with a simpler, more-equitable and less-centralized system.
But so many people returned to Bethlehem to register for the new tax system that the inn was full.
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How Much Good Can Come Out of Tax Reform? |
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The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says not if the federal government has its way.
The federal government has decided that the Salvation Army, one of the most diverse employers in the country, is discriminating.
John Fund of the Wall Street Journal reports that one of the Salvation Army thrift stores, based in Massachusetts, is requiring that its employees speak English on the job. The store posted the requirement and gave employees a year to learn English.
But when the store let go two Hispanic employees for continuing to speak Spanish, the federal government sued, saying that an English-only policy wasn’t relevant to job performance or safety.
Several members of Congress are echoing that message.
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English Only? |
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Should Government Force People to Buy Health Insurance?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says only if you also want them to pay fines.
As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney passed legislation in 2006 requiring everyone in the state to have health insurance or pay a fine.
And those fines will be expensive: $219 per person for the first year being uninsured, and at least $150 per person a month thereafter. Actual insurance coverage will likely cost about twice that amount.
Those fines didn’t seem so bad when they were still in the future, but now they’re here. And some of the other Republican presidential candidates are pointing out that Romney-imposed financial pain.
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Massachusetts Health Care |
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How Poor Are the Poor?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says probably not as poor as you think.
Some of the presidential candidates are claiming that we have to do more for the poor. But Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation points out that being poor just ain’t what it used to be.
According to Rector, by the year 2001:
- 96 percent of poor Americans had at least one color television;
- 73 percent had a microwave oven;
- Three-quarters owned a car, with 30 percent owning two or more;
- 78 percent had a VCR or DVD player;
- And 62 percent had cable or satellite TV reception.
This isn’t intended to minimize the struggles that many poor families face. But it does suggest that the poor aren’t necessarily going to bed hungry. Read More...
Rich Poor |
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Should States Tax Illegal Drugs?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says the courts may not let them.
The state of Tennessee wanted to—How shall I say it?—“crack down” on crack, the illegal cocaine mixture.
So in 2005 the legislature passed what’s known as the “crack tax.” The law requires those dealing in illegal drugs and moonshine to anonymously pay a tax by buying a stamp for their illegal drugs.
No one expected criminals to actually buy the stamp; it was just a way to add to their punishment when drug traffickers were caught with non-stamped illegal drugs.
But the state’s taken in about $4 million in taxes over two years.
Now a federal appeals court has ruled the crack tax is unconstitutional, saying it’s “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.”
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Should States Tax Illegal Drugs? |
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Ever Want Some Beachfront Property in Florida?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says you may get to pay for it.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist hopes to make American taxpayers pay the cost of rebuilding Florida after a hurricane.
But wait, you ask, isn’t that why homeowners buy insurance?
In most states, yes. But Governor Crist has decided to give socialism a chance by making the state the dominant hurricane insurer. Unfortunately, the state hasn’t put enough money aside to pay the claims should a big hurricane hit.
If an insurer did that the company would be indicted.
But Crist now figures why force Florida taxpayers to set the money aside if he can talk Congress into footing the bill, so he’s pushing legislation.
Read More...
Ever Want Some Beachfront Property in Florida? |
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Is It Time to Import Foreign-Made Prescription Drugs?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says they will be at least as safe as all those lead-painted toys.
Some politicians want to remove current consumer safety protections so that Americans can buy prescription drugs from other countries.
For example, several states set up programs to help their citizens buy imported drugs, but almost no one participated.
Now Congress wants to do the same.
You’d think with all the recent scares—from imported food poisoning people and children’s toys covered with lead-based paint—that Congress would think twice about exposing Americans to foreign-made prescription drugs. But you’d be wrong.
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Is It Time to Import Foreign-Made Prescription Drugs? |
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Do You Need a License to Do That?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation wonders if the government is overprotecting us.
States require lots of occupations—including doctors, lawyers and real estate agents—to have a license to operate within the state.
Now a study from the Reason Foundation finds that licensing requirements vary significantly by state. California has the most, requiring licenses for 177 occupations, and Missouri with 41 has the least. The average is 92.
But the Reason study also highlights some of the most ridiculous license requirements.
- Fortune tellers have to have a license in Maryland;
- Elevator operators in Massachusetts;
- Manure applicators in Iowa; and
- Rainmakers in Arizona.
Read More...
Do You Need a License to Do That? |
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Should the Government Give Newborns a Savings Account?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says the government must tax you first.
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has suggested giving every newborn child a $5,000 savings account that will grow over time.
Since there’re about 4 million U.S. babies born annually, taxpayers would have to cough up about $20 billion in the first year alone. Plus interest for 18 more years.
If that money were deposited in a personal savings account, the government’s financial obligation would end after funding every account.
But don’t bet on that. Senator Clinton opposes personal accounts for Social Security. Read More...
Savings Accounts for Newborns? |
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Is It Time to Tax the Internet?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says it is if the states have their way.
State tax revenues continue to grow, but not as fast as state spending — 8.6 percent in 2007, according to The Wall Street Journal.
That means the states want to raise your taxes, and the Internet is their favorite candidate. For example:
- Governors want to tax anything you buy on the Internet.
- Others want to tax Internet access by adding a fee to your DSL bill.
- And some have even proposed taxing the emails you send.
Several years ago Congress passed a tax moratorium prohibiting states from imposing new taxes on Internet sales and access. But congressional knees are weakening.
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Is It Time to Tax the Internet? |
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Do Pirates Make Money or Lose It?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says, it depends on whether you’re making films or stealing them.
While Pirates of the Caribbean has been a huge moneymaker for the film industry, film piracy is a huge money loser for the whole economy.
A new study from the Institute for Policy Innovation tries to calculate the impact of film piracy on jobs, income and government revenue. According to the study:
- Film piracy cost the U.S. economy about 140,000 new jobs, with two-thirds of those jobs outside of the film industry.
- That means it cost workers $5.5 billion in lost earnings.
- And film piracy cost the government nearly $840 million in lost revenue.
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Do Pirates Make Money or Lose It? |
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Is Russia Still Moving Towards Deomocracy
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says no, and it’s destroying the youth.
The hope that Russia would shift from a communist dictatorship to a democracy is quickly fading.
Just look at the growing Russian youth movement called “Nashi,” which in Russian means “ours.”
Last summer, 10,000 Russian youth attended a camp to swim and hike. Oh, and to have sex and denounce political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Though alcohol is banned, unmarried sex to procreate is encouraged, in rooms called the Love Oasis.
Meanwhile, the organization promotes an almost cultic support for Putin and his policies, including harassing foreigners and any Russians who question the Putin regime.
More a Read More...
Is Russia Still Moving Towards Democracy? |
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Has the Country Done Enough for the Katrina Victims?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says yes, if the money actually got to them.
The second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina has come and gone with the country doing a lot of collective hand wringing. Did the government do enough for the New Orleans victims?
The Bush administration says the country has spent $127 billion trying to fix the broken city and the broken lives. Plenty of people say that’s not enough.
But Larry Kudlow, host of Kudlow and Company, says if you divide that number by the 300,000 people living in New Orleans, it comes out to about $425,000 per person. It would have been easier, and cheaper, just to write each of the victims a check.
Read More...
Has the Country Done Enough for the Katrina Victims? |
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Is NASA Misleading the Public About Global Warming?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says tracking global warming ain’t rocket science.
NASA scientist James Hansen has gotten lots of attention for his claim that most of the 10 hottest years have occurred since 1990.
However, a blogger recently discovered an error in those calculations, which has put the heat on NASA. The space agency now claims that:
- The hottest year on record was 1934, not 1998;
- The third hottest year was 1921, not 2006; and
- Three of the five hottest years on record occurred before 1940.
Thus while global warming might still be a problem, the warming trend apparently started before the real expansion of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions.
Read More...
Is NASA Misleading the Public About Global Warming? |
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Who Likes a Progressive Income Tax?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says not the formerly communist countries.
Karl Marx’s vision of a socialist society included a progressive income tax, where higher income people pay not just more tax, but higher rates on their income.
Ironically, while the U.S. and Western Europe tend to embrace capitalism, they adopted Marx’s progressive income tax. Yet nine of the East European and formerly communist countries have abandoned it for a flat tax, where only one tax rate is applied to all income.
And now Bulgaria and the Czech Republic are considering joining the flat taxers with a single 10 percent rate.
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Who Likes A Progressive Income Tax? |
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Where Have All the Wealthy French Gone?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says to countries with lower taxes.
New French President Nicolas Sarkozy has a message for rich French citizens who have fled the country: We want you back.
According to a Bloomberg News story, the French don’t like or trust the rich. One well-known French author once wrote, “Behind every great fortune lies a crime.”
In order to punish the rich for, well, being successful, the French government imposed a “fortune tax” in 1981. That led to some half a million of the wealthiest French citizens moving to countries like Belgium, Switzerland and the U.S.
Now Sarkozy has proposed eliminating most inheritance taxes and modifying the fortune tax to lure the rich back to revive the struggling French economy. Read More...
Where Have All the Wealthy French Gone? |
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Do We Need a Tax Increase to Fix the Bridges?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovations says not until we fix congressional spending.
The tragic collapse of a Minneapolis bridge has some members of Congress suggesting a tax increase to fund a massive evaluation and repair of America’s infrastructure.
But according to Citizens Against Government Waste, Congress has filled the current transportation bill with $123 million for 285 unnecessary projects in the Senate version alone.
That includes:
- $700,000 for blight removal along Route 1 in Maryland.
- $200,000 for wi-fi service in Albany, New York.
- $200,000 for the Post Office Museum in Las Vegas.
Maybe Las Vegas tourists are demanding more cultural attractions.
Before Con Read More...
Do We Need a Tax Increase to Fix the Bridges? |
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At Least Universal Health Care Is Free, Right?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says, it won’t be in Wisconsin.
You want universal health care? Then look to Wisconsin.
The state’s Democratically controlled Senate has passed a bill to provide health insurance to every Wisconsinite under age 65.
Filmmaker Michael Moore claims universal coverage is free, but in Wisconsin it’s estimated to cost $15.2 billion. The Wall Street Journal says that’s $3 billion more than the state currently collects in all income, sales and corporate income taxes.
But at least everyone has the same coverage, right?
No. It looks like the state teachers will be exempted from the plan. And you can expect even more of the well-connected to flee.
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At Least Universal Health Care Is Free, Right? |
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Should the Government Control the Price of Prescription Drugs?
Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovations says only if you don’t want access to new medicines
Currently, drug companies negotiate drug prices with insurance companies providing the new Medicare drug benefit. That process has led to insurance premiums being 35 percent below what Congress expected.
Democrats say the government could negotiate even lower prices. But the government doesn’t “negotiate.” It simply imposes price controls—just as it currently dictates prices on what Medicare pays doctors who treat seniors.
Read More...
Should the Government Control the Price of Prescription Drugs? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation
Number 63
November 15, 2006
What Do You Do if You Can’t Win a Nobel Prize?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says there may be a less “Nobel” option.
You know about the Noble Prize; but did you know that there’s also the Ig Noble Prize?
Every year Harvard University hosts the Ig Noble Prizes, which are supposed to recognize scientific innovations that seem bizarre—and yet strangely reasonable.
For example, among this year’s winners were scientists who: |
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Is There a Solution to Global Warming?
The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says one scientist has an interesting plan.
Most climate scientists believe the earth is getting warmer. The more controversial question is whether or not humans are causing it.
Now a Nobel Prize-winning scientist has proposed a solution to global warming—an answer taken from nature itself.
Professor Paul Crutzen noticed that when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it spewed sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which lowered global temperatures by 0.5 degrees Celsius for a year, with no negative environmental effects.
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Is There a Solution to Global Warming? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation Number 61 November 1, 2006 Should Criminals Be Allowed to Vote? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says, only if you want inmates Read More...
Should Criminals Be Allowed to Vote? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation What Does Donald Trump Have in Common with a New Type of City Hall? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says, the end of thei Read More...
What Does Donald Trump Have in Common with a New Type of City Hall? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation Is the Public Concerned About Privacy Rights? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says, not while they’re talking on their cell ph Read More...
Is the Public Concerned About Privacy Rights? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation Do Pirates Make Money or Lose It? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says, it depends on whether you’re making films or ste Read More...
Do Pirates Make Money or Lose It? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation Will Chinese Students Soon Be Saying, ‘Chairman Who’? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says the communists are stil Read More...
Will Chinese Students Soon Be Asking, "Chairman Who"? |
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From the Institute for Policy Innovation What Can We Say About Welfare Reform? The Institute for Policy Innovations Dr. Merrill Matthews says the government finally got one right Ten years ago Read More...
What Can We Say About Welfare Reform? |
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Has This Been a ‘Do-Nothing’ Congress? The Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews says, we can only hope. We have heard a lot lately about this being a “do-nothing Congress.” The Read More...
Has This Been A "Do Nothing" Congress? |
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Author: Merrill Matthews Jr. || Location: Lewisville, Texas, USA