In two days, many of us will gather with friends and family and celebrate Thanksgiving Day. As we give thanks, I would like to share with you a piece I wrote & I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Small business women and men are thankful to live in a country where dreams shape reality, and [...]
by Timothy Sandefur The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that Bisno Development has withdrawn from plans to throw hundreds of homeowners out of their property and replace their homes with a multimillion dollar development. Given that Proposition 99 gives Californians…
Written by Victoria Braden, CEO/President of Braden Benefits Strategies, Inc. "Experts in Small Business Healthcare Funding"
Small businesses hold your wallet - again!
Government take-over of the healthcare system in the United States could be a disaster for small businesses as they struggle with a difficult economy and now add the concern of even higher healthcare costs.
Under the current [...]
In mid-November 2008 the Honolulu Advertiser reported that the FBI is investigating a scam whereby Hawaiian Kingdom bonds are being sold to people for use in paying off mortgages. Several foreclosures have resulted when people stopped paying their mortgages because they “paid” their debt by using the bonds. Andrew Walden has published a [...]
I recently spoke at the Sumner's Public Policy Conference in Dallas, TX where some of the brightest young men and women engaged in public policy discussions. To name just some of the attendees: students from the University of Dallas, University of N. Texas, Howard Payne, Schreiner University, and Austin College all responded during Q&A with [...]
Thurston Twigg-Smith is the grandson of Lorrin A. Thurston, a major leader of the revolution which overthrew the Hawaii monarchy in 1893. Mr. Twigg-Smith’s book, “Hawaiian Sovereignty: Do the Facts Matter?” provides historical details and a valuable perspective. Two chapters are of special relevance today: Chapter 9 (land) and Chapter 10 (the 1993 apology resolution). [...]
by Timothy Sandefur My article on the Nevada ballot initiative forbidding the use of eminent domain for private purposes ran in the Elko Daily Free Press this week. You can read it here.
On discovery of the news that an anti-tax ballot measure is leading — but apparently not definitively resolved — in liberal Montgomery County, I recalled a study I saw recently which found Maryland’s state and local tax burden the fourth highest in the country. The study determines that Marylanders pay 10.8% of their total income in state and local taxes. Maybe county and state officials should not be as surprised as they seem to be that one of Robin Ficker’s tax limitation proposals has garnered so much support.
The Montgomery County anti-tax measure would amend the county charter to require that all nine Council members, rather than the current seven, vote to exceed the established property tax limit. The Washington Post article on the ballot measure is here. If you want to see which states had a higher state and local tax burden than Maryland, the Tax Foundation study is here.