Americans

Once Superman Leaves

10/06/2010
by Collin Hitt Trib columnist Clarence Page got some $@%^ with his recent book purchase: “Oh, that (expletive) movie is so full of (expletive),” the young woman [who worked at the bookstore] muttered. “Waiting for Superman,” said the book’s title. Page was purchasing the companion book to the movie of the same super title. “Waiting for Superman”...

The President’s Misleading Tax Math

10/05/2010
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson As the debate over whether or not to extend the Bush tax cuts continues, Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center adds some much needed perspective by comparing the size of the tax cuts to the amount of spending over the next decade. In The American, the journal of the American Enterprise Institute, Dr. de...

43 Percent Say Government Programs Increase Poverty in America

09/22/2010
by Kate Piercy Interesting poll results from Rasmussen Reports: A plurality of Americans (43%) believe that government programs increase poverty in America. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% of the nation’s adults believe that those programs decrease poverty. Twenty-three percent (23%) say they have no impact. There is a fundamental difference...

The Squeeze Begins

09/21/2010
by Heather Wilhelm The great national health-care squeeze, as today’s Washington Post reports, has begun–and Americans can thank the new health care law: Some of the country’s most prominent health insurance companies have decided to stop offering new child-only plans, rather than comply with rules in the new health-care law that will require such plans to start...

Entitlements Rise as Americans Paying Taxes Decrease

09/15/2010
by Ashley Muchow Two trends have taken off in recent years—a rising number of entitlement recipients and a drop in the number of Americans paying taxes.  Both highlight the unfortunate drift towards mounting wealth redistribution and big government. Sara Murray fleshed out these two trends in today’s WSJ. Government data [doesn’t] show how many of the households...

Film Review: The Myth of the Middle Class School

08/11/2010
by Kristin Nisbet* The Pacific Research Institute and director Nick Tucker created a film adaption of a book titled “Not as Good as You Think” by Lance Izumi, Vicki Murray and Rachel Chaney.  This film of the same name questions the assumption that having a well manicured lawn and owning a house in the suburbs is key to gaining access to...

What ObamaCare Means for You

07/14/2010
by Kristina Rasmussen Okay, so what will ObamaCare really mean for you? The Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner recently released a helpful guide: “Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law.” Among the findings: While the bill will increase the number of Americans with insurance coverage, it falls significantly...

75% Say Lack of Spending Cuts to Blame for State Budget Woes

07/09/2010
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson A recent Rasmussen survey reveals that “most Americans report their state currently has a budget crisis, and they continue to blame politicians more than taxpayers for the problem.” How did the numbers break down? The article continues: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Adults shows 75% say the unwillingness of politicians to reduce...

Are Government Jobs Recession Proof?

By Chris Andriesen
07/07/2010
Recently, a number of Illinois state government employees received pay raises in the midst of an economic recession and ongoing budget crisis. Was this an isolated incident? No, it’s a trend. The chart above was constructed using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and it shows the compensation of public and private employees indexed against the first...