Beware of Government Job Creation Schemes
To pull us out of the current recession, politicians on the state and federal level are jumping on the job creation bandwagon. Governor Kulongoski wants to spend a billion dollars on transportation infrastructure, in part to put Oregonians to work. President-elect Obama wants to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to create (more…)
The Help that Fails
Portland was recently chosen as one of five cities where the U.S. Small Business Administration will bring a program next year intended to boost urban businesses that have “high growth potential.” The program will select certain business owners for 26 weeks of free training on such topics as marketing and financial management. The goal will be to “generate new jobs, attract investment, and (more…)
Oregon Greenhouse Gas Reduction Policies:The Economic and Fiscal Impact Challenges
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Todd Wynn
Tel.: 503-242-0900
Fax: 503-242-3822
E-mail: todd@cascadepolicy.org
Cascade Policy Institute has released a detailed economic analysis of the challenges of achieving Oregon’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. Oregon Greenhouse Gas Reduction Policies: The Economic and Fiscal Impact Challenges discusses the current goals in place and the possible effects of instituting the Western Climate Initiative’s (WCI) cap-and-trade program to help reach those goals.
Why the ASPIRE Act Has Not Become Law
Summary
Public policy advocates and lawmakers have proposed numerous programs allowing people to accumulate assets, as opposed to simply receiving cash benefits, in the hope of breaking cycles of poverty and government dependency. In the guise of an asset-building tool, the Federal ASPIRE Bill is actually another entitlement program. Policymakers realize this, and this is the reason it has not become law. (more…)
Governor’s Global Warming “Solution” Would Cut Economic Growth in Half
Policymakers in Oregon have concluded that global warming is a crisis, that the use of fossil fuels is the primary cause of warming, and that state policies must be enacted to stabilize the global climate. Because of this, Oregon has adopted one of the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals in the world. Wide-ranging policy initiatives are being planned that will have large negative impacts on Oregon’s economy and standard of living.
In October 2008, Governor Kulongoski announced (more…)
The Severe Economic Costs of Cap-and-Trade in Oregon
Summary
Greenhouse gas reduction strategies should strike a balance between economic costs of regulation and the benefits of mitigating costs that future climate change could impose. Unfortunately, the projections of future climate change are highly uncertain, and thus the estimated costs or benefits of not acting are highly suspect. Implementing a cap-and-trade program in Oregon would create economic burdens and provide little or no environmental benefit. (more…)