Forbes Columnist Credits Candidate Riley for “Pro-Growth” Message, Calls Nixon “The Worst President” of His Lifetime

Forbes columnist Louis Woodhill praises GOP congressional candidate Michael Riley for emphasizing “pro-growth” policies during event in East Greenwich. Woodhill also compares current economic conditions with the Great Depression of the 1930s and identifies Nixon as the “worst president” of modern times.

Barro’s Welfare Error

Compartmentalizing society, with business tasked with maximizing profit and government tasked with picking up the pieces, is another example of how big finance is distorting both the economy and the government, in Justin’s view.

10 News Conference – Justin and RIFuture’s Bob Plain

Video and an off-stage anecdote from Justin’s appearance on 10 News Conference with Bob Plain, hosted by Jim Taricani.

Ronald Reagan’s “Welfare Queens” Re-emerge as Debate Intensifies over “Dependency Portal”

Tea Party activists see a return of the “welfare queen” in health benefit exchange “dependency portals” and President Obama’s policy on work rules for welfare.

On State of the State: Getting RI Involved and on Track

Justin is his contrarian self on State of the State with John Carlevale.

The Real Motivation of ObamaCare

In almost presidential election cycle, partisans on both sides claim that the public is about to vote “in the most important election of their lifetime.” This time around, it may actually be true. Our own Justin Katz has pieced together some documentation from the Urban Institute and The Center for Law and Social Policy that demonstrate how Rhode […]

Bringing the Dependency Portal into Focus

The RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity has created a page to trace the development of Rhode Island’s “dependency portal.”

Recoveries: The Difference the Debt Makes (Not to Mention the Government’s Focus)

The continued sluggish recovery results from the failure of the President and the rest of the political class to pay enough attention to the economy to recognize how current circumstances are unique.

Republicans Send out Mixed Messages on Health Care Exchanges

Across states and official positions, Republicans opposing ObamaCare have different views on the value of health benefit exchanges.

RI Job Count Adjusted Up; Rhode Islanders Not Necessarily the Beneficiaries

According to the RI Dept. of Labor and Training, the state is creating jobs, but it looks like they’re going to people out of state.

Rhode Island State Officials to Proceed with Medicaid Expansion Under ObamaCare

State executives have made the decision to implement the Medicaid Expansion detailed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

Hopkins Center Milton Party (and Thoughts on the Fuel of Capitalism)

The Stephen Hopkins Center birthday celebration for Milton Friedman raised questions of justice and virtue.

The Facts Don’t Lie on Taxpayer Migration

Justin responds, on GoLocalProv, to those who brush aside the exodus of Rhode Island taxpayers.

The Context of the President’s Context

Even more context for President Obama’s Roanoake speech produces even worse context, in Justin’s view.

Talking Teen Unemployment and the Minimum Wage on the Dan Yorke Show

Audio from Justin’s Tuesday appearance on the Dan Yorke Show.

Rhode Island Sees Long-Term Potential for Expanded Welfare Services Through Health Care Exchange

RI officials acknowledge, but downplay, the intention to link additional government services to the state’s health benefits exchange. But advocates for smaller government see a pattern in federal and state efforts to make various public payments easier to get.

Mancession Recovery… Sexist!

Apparently, just as the silver lining of the recession was that men lost most of the jobs, allowing women to catch up as a percentage of the workforce, the dark side of the recovery is that men are claiming most of the “new” jobs.

Chronology of a Chastened Politician

President Obama has modified his “you didn’t get there on your own” perspective quite a bit in the past week and a half.

Generations Adrift Without the Habits of Working

A new study of teenage unemployment, with an eye on public policy such as the minimum wage, suggests that we might be failing young adults.

Thirty-One Legislators’ Pay Does Not a Turnaround Beget

The full list of RI legislators declining salary increases, Justin suggests, only emphasizes the failure of the General Assembly to address the state’s real problems.

Unemployment Down… and That’s Not Good

Rhode Island’s improved unemployment rate for June tells a deceiving story; the state’s decline continues.

GOP Congressional Candidate Riley Sees Merit in Raimondo’s Hedge Fund Strategy

GOP Congressional Candidate Michael Riley says RI Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s hedge fund strategy might make sense, depending on execution.

Credit for Building, Blame for Dividing

The grammatical debate over President Obama’s “you didn’t build that” remark risks trivializing the core dispute, which Justin sees as definitional for our times.

Nationwide Unfunded Pension Liability Now up to $4.6 Trillion

The latest national unfunded pension liability estimate of $4.6 trillion ought to spark conversation about the meaning (and value) of risk.

A Decade of Moving Next Door

Rhode Island taxpayers have been fleeing the state since 2003, bringing their money and productivity with them; the trend can definitely be reversed, but it’s a choice that residents will have to make.

Wind Turbine Profits Blown Away in Portsmouth

Portsmouth’s wind turbine has run into technical problems, and Rhode Islanders should learn a broader lesson about government in business.

RI’s Paradox of Being Great, but Still Failing

In the quality of life versus business friendliness debate, Justin points out that RI’s paradox ought to make its residents even more outraged.

Exchanges and Medicaid Expansion Move Health Care in the Wrong Direction

A policy brief for the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity finds multiple reasons for the state to pull back from its plans to implement a health benefits exchange and to expand Medicaid.

The Conundrum of Consumer Bags

A possible ban of plastic bags in Barrington is one more indication of Rhode Island’s governance problem.

David Brooks Doing the David Brooks Thing

A David Brooks column leads Justin to question new and old statements of common health care wisdom.

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