Archives: Thomas Savidge / Articles
Archives: Thomas Savidge / Articles (page 2)
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Gimmicks and Gas Costs
As ALEC has documented, the Biden Administration is hostile towards American energy, and Americans are paying the price. Research from American Enterprise Institute Economist Mark Perry shows that…
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A Pension Win for the Golden State: Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill Dies
The Golden State saw a huge win last week. We’re not talking about the Warriors’ NBA championship. Last week, Senate Bill 1173 was halted for this legislative session.
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Tackling $8.28 Trillion in Unfunded State Pension Liabilities
In the sixth edition of Unaccountable and Unaffordable, the authors observed that unfunded state pension liabilities in the United States today stand at a whopping $8.28 trillion, a…
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Tax Myths Debunked
In light of the most recent round of naysayers, let’s debunk some myths about Rich States, Poor States. Contrary to what some believe, the Rich States, Poor States…
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VIDEO: ALEC on Conservative Commandos Radio/TV: Average American Family is on the Hook for $100K
Thomas Savidge, ALEC Research Manager of the Center for State Fiscal Reform at ALEC, was a featured guest last week on Conservative Commandos Radio/TV. Savidge shared with host George Landrith…
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What’s in a Discount Rate?
Readers of Unaccountable and Unaffordable may have noticed that the measurement of unfunded liabilities differs from the liabilities listed in state annual comprehensive financial reports (ACFRS) and state actuarial…
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ALEC in The Orange County Register: Fossil Fuel Divestment Spells Crisis for Pensioners and Taxpayers
ALEC Vice President of Policy Lee Schalk and Research Manager Thomas Savidge penned an op-ed in The Orange County Register on Sacramento’s latest war on fossil fuels. If the…
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Fiscal Rules: An Important Step on the Path to Responsible Fiscal Policy
Government spending is at an all-time high, and with the federal debt reaching its highest levels since World War II, and state government spending has risen more than 90%…
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Americans Get Thrown Under the Omnibus Again
The massive omnibus spending bill barreling through Congress brings to mind the book Thrown Under the Omnibus by the late humorist P.J. O’Rourke. Unfortunately, not much has changed…
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A Super Bowl Football Fans and Taxpayers Could Enjoy
If you’re like me and made Valentine’s Day dinner reservations not realizing it was Super Bowl Sunday, you’ve spent the week catching up on highlight reels. One of the biggest…
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Latest GDP Data Shows Private Sector Growth
Recent data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that America is slowly recovering from the effects of COVID-19 and government-mandated lockdowns. Initial data shows GDP increased at…
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ALEC Seeks to Protect Pensioners in New Public Comment
On December 13, 2021, the American Legislative Exchange Council submitted a comment to the Department of Labor in opposition to a proposed regulation that allows pension plan managers and proxy…
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Inflation Surges to Record High
Inflation surged 6.8% from a year ago in November, the fastest increase since 1982. The Department of Labor notes that increases in food and energy prices, where prices rose…
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Unemployment Across the States: Looking Back at August 2021
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released its monthly findings for state-by-state unemployment. Here’s the highlight reel: The average unemployment rate among the states continues its downward trend…
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Governor Cox Discusses the Secret to Utah’s Success at ALEC 48th Annual Meeting
Governor Spencer Cox addressed the ALEC 48th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. He cheered on Utah’s successes, including earning a number 1 ranking in the ALEC-Laffer Annual Report Rich…
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Governor Abbott Talks Texas Success at ALEC Annual Meeting
At the 48th ALEC Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas discussed economic prosperity in Texas. He noted that he was ranked first in the…
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OPEB: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Center for State Fiscal Reform at the American Legislative Exchange Council recently released “Other Post-Employment Benefit Liabilities: The Continuing Need for OPEB Reform,” the latest in a series of ALEC annual publications examining growing state financial liabilities.2 Our report continues to find that states with some of the highest tax rates (for example, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York) have some of the highest unfunded OPEB liabilities as well.
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Bonus Unemployment Payments in Maine: Stimulating or Stifling?
Maine Governor Janet Mills recently announced that the state will provide bonuses for those leaving unemployment to get back to work. The Pine Tree State will use federal funds…
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States Continue to Lead on Policies for Economic Recovery
NOTE: In the video above, ALEC CEO Lisa Nelson, Executive VP of Policy and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams and Senior Director Lee Schalk hosted a webinar with economists Stephen Moore…
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How (Not) to Make it in New York: Albany’s Record-Breaking Taxes and Spending
Growing up just outside of New York City on Long Island, I’ve been hearing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” for as long as I can remember. Sinatra famously…