Wayne Winegarden
Agriculture
Tariffs Are A Bad Negotiation Tool
Is he, or isn’t he? That’s the big question when it comes to the $100 billion in tariffs that President Trump has threatened to impose on China. Many supporters of these threatened tariffs would claim that the answer is: he isn’t; or more accurately, he won’t need to. In this ...
Blog
Trade Follies
The Administration’s call to impose billions of dollars of tariffs on Americans who consume goods and services made in China is economic folly. Nevertheless, the Administration incorrectly touts that these tariffs will benefit the economy. Such claims are simply wrong. The justifications for imposing tariffs are based on many myths, ...
Commentary
Are Electric Car Subsidies Just Giveaways To The Wealthy?
Gov. Jerry Brown and some California lawmakers are pushing Golden State drivers to the fast lane of an all-electric car future. For example, San Francisco Democrat Phil Ting has introduced legislation to outlaw the sale of traditional gas-powered cars by the year 2040. My colleague Kerry Jackson has called this idea “a ...
Business & Economics
Strike The Right Regulatory Balance To Promote Generic Medicines And Future Innovation
Striking the right regulatory balance for pharmaceuticals is no easy task. On the one hand, policy should promote drug affordability by encouraging robust competition. On the other hand, policy should encourage future innovations by granting these drugs temporary market exclusivity. While these goals appear contradictory, the federal government’s drug approval ...
Commentary
Subsidies for Electric Vehicles Favor the Wealthy
Electric vehicles are heavily subsidized by the federal, state, and local governments. Based on a study I just completed, the federal subsidies are worth over $42.7 billion to their recipients over the lifetime of the programs. They include the federal grant and loan programs for manufacturers, and the consumer tax credits worth $7,500 per ...
California
Are California’s Poor Losing Out In State’s Drive For Clean Energy Future?
California policymakers have been on overdrive in recent years pursuing a clean energy future for the Golden State. State policymakers have enacted scores of government mandates and programs to push employers and individuals to reduce emissions, including unrealistic renewable energy mandates, cap-and-trade, and its embrace of high-speed rail. Many of ...
Business & Economics
Averting Fiscal Crises Requires Grandiose Reforms, and More Effective Budget Management
The long-term consequences of irresponsible government spending – federal, state, and local – are quickly becoming near-term realities. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the worst of these consequences can still be avoided if politicians and governing bodies enact grandiose reforms, step up efforts to prevent budget ...
Business & Economics
Put the Risks on Health Insurers, Where It Belongs
When it comes to the U.S. health insurance market, the adage about communist economics is apropos. In this instance, instead of being “they pretend to pay us, we pretend to work”, it is “they pretend to sell insurance, we pretend to buy it”. What we call health insurance in the ...
Business & Economics
State Pensions Need Reforms, Not Fewer Options
Across the country, state and local pension systems have not amassed enough assets (stocks, bonds, and other financial investments) to cover the retirement benefits promised to current and retired state and local employees. This gap is referred to as the pension funds’ “unfunded liabilities”. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, the ...
Business & Economics
Government Electric Car Subsidies Are ‘Costly Subsidies for the Rich’, Finds New Study
Generous, taxpayer-funded subsidies for electric car purchases have become just another costly subsidy benefitting the rich, finds a new study released today by the California-based free-market think tank, the Pacific Research Institute. Click here to download a copy of “Costly Subsidies for the Rich” “When politicians talk about the need ...
Tariffs Are A Bad Negotiation Tool
Is he, or isn’t he? That’s the big question when it comes to the $100 billion in tariffs that President Trump has threatened to impose on China. Many supporters of these threatened tariffs would claim that the answer is: he isn’t; or more accurately, he won’t need to. In this ...
Trade Follies
The Administration’s call to impose billions of dollars of tariffs on Americans who consume goods and services made in China is economic folly. Nevertheless, the Administration incorrectly touts that these tariffs will benefit the economy. Such claims are simply wrong. The justifications for imposing tariffs are based on many myths, ...
Are Electric Car Subsidies Just Giveaways To The Wealthy?
Gov. Jerry Brown and some California lawmakers are pushing Golden State drivers to the fast lane of an all-electric car future. For example, San Francisco Democrat Phil Ting has introduced legislation to outlaw the sale of traditional gas-powered cars by the year 2040. My colleague Kerry Jackson has called this idea “a ...
Strike The Right Regulatory Balance To Promote Generic Medicines And Future Innovation
Striking the right regulatory balance for pharmaceuticals is no easy task. On the one hand, policy should promote drug affordability by encouraging robust competition. On the other hand, policy should encourage future innovations by granting these drugs temporary market exclusivity. While these goals appear contradictory, the federal government’s drug approval ...
Subsidies for Electric Vehicles Favor the Wealthy
Electric vehicles are heavily subsidized by the federal, state, and local governments. Based on a study I just completed, the federal subsidies are worth over $42.7 billion to their recipients over the lifetime of the programs. They include the federal grant and loan programs for manufacturers, and the consumer tax credits worth $7,500 per ...
Are California’s Poor Losing Out In State’s Drive For Clean Energy Future?
California policymakers have been on overdrive in recent years pursuing a clean energy future for the Golden State. State policymakers have enacted scores of government mandates and programs to push employers and individuals to reduce emissions, including unrealistic renewable energy mandates, cap-and-trade, and its embrace of high-speed rail. Many of ...
Averting Fiscal Crises Requires Grandiose Reforms, and More Effective Budget Management
The long-term consequences of irresponsible government spending – federal, state, and local – are quickly becoming near-term realities. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the worst of these consequences can still be avoided if politicians and governing bodies enact grandiose reforms, step up efforts to prevent budget ...
Put the Risks on Health Insurers, Where It Belongs
When it comes to the U.S. health insurance market, the adage about communist economics is apropos. In this instance, instead of being “they pretend to pay us, we pretend to work”, it is “they pretend to sell insurance, we pretend to buy it”. What we call health insurance in the ...
State Pensions Need Reforms, Not Fewer Options
Across the country, state and local pension systems have not amassed enough assets (stocks, bonds, and other financial investments) to cover the retirement benefits promised to current and retired state and local employees. This gap is referred to as the pension funds’ “unfunded liabilities”. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, the ...
Government Electric Car Subsidies Are ‘Costly Subsidies for the Rich’, Finds New Study
Generous, taxpayer-funded subsidies for electric car purchases have become just another costly subsidy benefitting the rich, finds a new study released today by the California-based free-market think tank, the Pacific Research Institute. Click here to download a copy of “Costly Subsidies for the Rich” “When politicians talk about the need ...
