Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Sports, John Oliver’s inspiration to say NO!

This is just so perfect.  Yet again, our comedians have to do what journalist are supposed to do.  And, he does it with facts!  Considering here in RIland some rich dude (who just died) paid $20 million for the Pawtucket Red Sox (the Boston’s farm team) and has proposed moving it to Providence on the […]

Big Business believes in taxpayer subsidies, not "free markets"

by Linda Beale Big Business believes in taxpayer subsidies, not “free markets” David Cay Johnston, former NY Times reporter and now Syracuse professor, writes about the thing that most journalists don’t bother to (or are told not to) write about–the way that Big Business successfully lobbies legislators and regulatory agencies to write the rules to […]

Build it anyway, and some of them may come

 “Build it anyway, and some of them may come” probably won’t sell bonds and loan programs to voters. If you build it they might not come But if the city and its residents are desperate to keep the Coyotes in town, they have to understand that doing so comes at a cost that likely won’t […]

New Report Highlights Flaws of North Carolina Mega-Incentives

by Kenneth Thomas New Report Highlights Flaws of North Carolina Mega-Incentives My new report for the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, Special Deals, Special Problems–An Analysis of North Carolina’s Legislature-Approved Economic Development Incentives, has just been published. It covers a range of issues I’ve emphasized here before as well as some basic considerations reporters […]

David Cay Johnson and taxed by the boss

Reuters brings us a post from David Cay Johnson on a less well known funding mechanism from state coffers to private businesses. Granted there are a lot of others as well. See this post by Kenneth Thomas    (link repaired) on how competition between government is different than between private businesses: Across the United States more […]

Agribusiness, Food, Vegetarianism—-and Taxes

[cross-posted on ataxingmatter–see posting there for additional comments] As some of you may know, I am one of the many people who eat a vegetarian diet. I don’t eat cows, pigs, fish, whales, sharks, chicken, turkey, sheep, wild game, tame game… As I sometimes say when people ask me about my diet, I eat everything […]