New Jersey

Cigarette taxes can’t fix Medicaid

By Jonathan Ingram
04/16/2012
It looks like Gov. Quinn may be pinning his hopes of finding Medicaid savings by raising cigarette taxes. This isn’t the first time Gov. Quinn has floated his $1-per-pack tax hike on cigarettes. So I was glad to see that Sen. Dale Righter and Rep. Patti Bellock, members of the Medicaid reform working group, have voiced their opposition to...

Life isn’t fair: The teachers’ union boss’ teachable moment

By Chris Andriesen
02/21/2012
by Dan Proft I stand corrected. The teachers’ unions do have the ability to educate. New Jersey Education Association Executive Director Vincent Giordano recently provided, however inadvertently, the greatest teachable moment in public education since American Federation of Teachers President Al Shanker said, “When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the...

Things you think are treats but really are tricks

10/27/2011
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson This time of year, children go door-to-door dressed in costumes to ask their neighbors for treats. Throughout the year, governments at the federal, state and local level provide services and programs that many look upon as treats. But considering the cost and inefficiency of some of these programs and services, are these...

Another State Rejects High-Speed Spending

By Chris Andriesen
04/14/2011
by Mark Cavers Bloomberg Business Week reports that legislators in Missouri are moving to reject some federal money to fund work that would speed up rail travel between St. Louis and Kansas City. The mounting concerns over future costs to Missourians echo similar concerns in a host of other states that have rejected federal money. Over...

New Jersey Turnpike Authority Spends Money on Bowling League & Birthdays

10/20/2010
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson In New Jersey, auditors concluded the New Jersey Turnpike Authority “wasted $43 million on unneeded perks and bonuses.” The audit found public funds were spent on an employee bowling league and an event for toll operators which “none of the authority’s employees actually attended.” In an egregious example highlighting the problems with the current compensation...

Renowned Banking Analyst Predicts Gloom and Doom for Illinois

10/01/2010
by Ashley Muchow Meredith Whitney, former banking analyst, and current CEO of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group, doesn’t see anything short of fiscal ruin for a handful of U.S. states. In a Bloomberg interview, Whitney holds up states as the new systemic risks to the U.S. economy.  Her company’s latest report, appropriately titled “Tragedy of the Commons”,...

States with Business-Friendly Policies Growing

09/28/2010
by Wesley Fox Over the last decade, Americans have steadily moved to states with lower taxes and fewer regulations on businesses.  The population of business-friendly states such as Texas, Florida, and Utah has increased significantly.  In fact, all three are expected to gain seats in the Congress after they are reapportioned. According to a recent...