I hope you've had a chance to visit our website, SeeTheSpending.org. It allows you to search the state budget to see exactly how the state is spending your money. (more…)

This time of year, we think about taxes, but we really should think about that every day. Many people think the amount of their paycheck is the amount they earn, forgetting that what they really earn is the amount before taxes. (more…)

How can public officials�or private citizens�take the principles found in our Governing by Principle primer and apply them to proposed laws, regulations, or other actions? The first step, of course, is to understand the principles and resolve to live by them. But in the rush through the agenda of a committee or board meeting or a legislative session, it can be difficult to evaluate each proposal. (more…)

Now that Governor Barbour has released his budget plan for next fiscal year, the work begins in earnest to find a way to accomplish the immediate goal of creating a balanced budget in the reality of the current economy. (more…)

Last week in Columbus, Ohio, a woman pulled up to a Burlington Coat Factory in a Hummer limousine, walked to the store check-out counter and loudly announced that she had just won the lottery and would pay for everyone's purchases up to $500. (more…)

There are two methods our society employs when confronting someone who takes money from their children or grandchildren. Either we hold them in utter contempt and send them to jail, or we elect them to Congress and praise them for taking money not only from their children but from our children as well. (more…)

In the first episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, Jed Clampett's sister asks how much the oil company is going to pay him for the oil on his property. Jed said, "Twelve dollars." His sister was shocked: "Only twelve dollars?!" Jed replied, "Yeah, but it's some new kind of dollar. I've heard of paper dollars, and I've heard of silver dollars, but these are called mill-ee-yun' dollars." Most politicians at the state and local level seem to think Washington invented a new kind of dollar that doesn't really cost anybody anything. It's called a "fed-er-al" dollar. (more…)

Would you invest in a company that will be bankrupt by the end of the month? What if the government forced you to invest in that company? (more…)

One of the most difficult concepts to grasp in tax policy is that taxes on businesses are not taxes on businesses. The reality is that taxes on businesses require higher prices for consumers, since the taxes become another cost of doing business, just like paying rent or insurance or employees. (more…)