Economy
Agriculture
Fourth of July cookouts cost a little more this year
There are regional cost differences from the AFBF data, highlighting how different areas of the country have different living expenses. For a 10-person meal, the least expensive place to spend the holiday is in the Northeast, where you’ll pay an average of $71.35 for groceries. The Midwest comes in a ...
Blog
Indiana’s Bears play could put taxpayers behind an $8 billion franchise
Illinois has plenty of problems. Its tax system is complicated, its approval process is slow, and its politics made the Arlington Heights path harder than it needed to be. In this case, though, Illinois not rushing into a special deal for the Bears was not the main policy failure. Indiana ...
Blog
A public bank in California would be costly, risky and unnecessary
But lawmakers were pushing forward anyway. AB 2243 would have established a taxpayer-funded commission to study the feasibility of a public bank and how it could act “as an additional financial tool to lower borrowing costs, strengthen local lending partnerships and help finance urgent public needs like affordable housing, infrastructure, ...
Blog
Higher pay, fewer trips: What Seattle’s gig law got wrong
According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University analyzing Seattle’s law in a National Bureau of Economic Research study, the average base pay per delivery jumped from about $5.37 to $12.52, but tips fell so much that more than one-third of that gain disappeared, and monthly earnings for highly active drivers were ...
Blog
Despite Exorbitant Fees, LA28 Ticket Buying Experience Was Gold Medal Worthy
Recently, I felt like Charlie Bucket searching for the golden ticket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I “won” the lottery for the first draw opportunity to buy 2028 LA Olympic tickets. Much of what I read about the process online were complaints, primarily about pricing. A limited allotment ...
Agriculture
Farmer’s share of the grocery dollar shrinks again
Almost everything from the price of a dinner out to the cost to heat one’s home seems to take a bigger chunk out of the wallet lately. According to the Consumer Price Index, the overall cost of goods rose 2.4 percent in January. Even as grocery store prices rose, the ...
Blog
California Is Falling Behind On Jobs: Can It Move Beyond The Crossroads?
While the state has become known for its mounting troubles, at least the California economy is growing. But all isn’t as well as it might seem. When compared the rest of the country, California’s jobs market is one of the weakest. Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show California’s total employment ...
Blog
We Should Call February 20th Tariff Liberation Day
This decision will limit one of the Administration’s major anti-growth policies. The immediate benefits will be muted because, also as expected, President Trump is pushing alternate ways to try and raise tariffs. He has announced, under another statute, that he has imposed an across-the-board 15 percent global tariff. The catch ...
Blog
Price controls won’t save credit card borrowers
Americans are drowning in credit card debt, but President Donald Trump’s suggestion to cap interest rates at 10% for one year is not a particularly good solution. On its face, it sounds great. Americans largely hate banks and Trump’s suggestion gives the Robinhoodish illusion of robbing the rich to give to the ...
Blog
Does California Need Billionaires?
If supporters are able to rack up 874 ,641 signatures, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. Should it pass, it will levy “a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth.” Rather than waiting until voters make their decision, a few billionaires have already left California, including PayPal and ...
Fourth of July cookouts cost a little more this year
There are regional cost differences from the AFBF data, highlighting how different areas of the country have different living expenses. For a 10-person meal, the least expensive place to spend the holiday is in the Northeast, where you’ll pay an average of $71.35 for groceries. The Midwest comes in a ...
Indiana’s Bears play could put taxpayers behind an $8 billion franchise
Illinois has plenty of problems. Its tax system is complicated, its approval process is slow, and its politics made the Arlington Heights path harder than it needed to be. In this case, though, Illinois not rushing into a special deal for the Bears was not the main policy failure. Indiana ...
A public bank in California would be costly, risky and unnecessary
But lawmakers were pushing forward anyway. AB 2243 would have established a taxpayer-funded commission to study the feasibility of a public bank and how it could act “as an additional financial tool to lower borrowing costs, strengthen local lending partnerships and help finance urgent public needs like affordable housing, infrastructure, ...
Higher pay, fewer trips: What Seattle’s gig law got wrong
According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University analyzing Seattle’s law in a National Bureau of Economic Research study, the average base pay per delivery jumped from about $5.37 to $12.52, but tips fell so much that more than one-third of that gain disappeared, and monthly earnings for highly active drivers were ...
Despite Exorbitant Fees, LA28 Ticket Buying Experience Was Gold Medal Worthy
Recently, I felt like Charlie Bucket searching for the golden ticket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I “won” the lottery for the first draw opportunity to buy 2028 LA Olympic tickets. Much of what I read about the process online were complaints, primarily about pricing. A limited allotment ...
Farmer’s share of the grocery dollar shrinks again
Almost everything from the price of a dinner out to the cost to heat one’s home seems to take a bigger chunk out of the wallet lately. According to the Consumer Price Index, the overall cost of goods rose 2.4 percent in January. Even as grocery store prices rose, the ...
California Is Falling Behind On Jobs: Can It Move Beyond The Crossroads?
While the state has become known for its mounting troubles, at least the California economy is growing. But all isn’t as well as it might seem. When compared the rest of the country, California’s jobs market is one of the weakest. Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show California’s total employment ...
We Should Call February 20th Tariff Liberation Day
This decision will limit one of the Administration’s major anti-growth policies. The immediate benefits will be muted because, also as expected, President Trump is pushing alternate ways to try and raise tariffs. He has announced, under another statute, that he has imposed an across-the-board 15 percent global tariff. The catch ...
Price controls won’t save credit card borrowers
Americans are drowning in credit card debt, but President Donald Trump’s suggestion to cap interest rates at 10% for one year is not a particularly good solution. On its face, it sounds great. Americans largely hate banks and Trump’s suggestion gives the Robinhoodish illusion of robbing the rich to give to the ...
Does California Need Billionaires?
If supporters are able to rack up 874 ,641 signatures, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. Should it pass, it will levy “a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth.” Rather than waiting until voters make their decision, a few billionaires have already left California, including PayPal and ...