Entries by Andrew Cline

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Film production incentives flop in state capitals

Dazzled by the allure of Hollywood, some New Hampshire legislators have spent years trying to create a state tax incentive program for the film production industry.  These efforts have died like a B-movie villain year after year, but they return from the grave at the start of each new session.  Research from other states shows […]

This Labor Day, celebrate economic growth

Among the modern American Labor Day traditions are cookouts, excursions to large bodies of water, and politicians portraying America as a battle-scarred, Marxist’s nightmare where the ruling class preys mercilessly on defenseless commoners.   For instance, in 2011, President Obama said “the decks were too often stacked against ordinary folks in favor of the special […]

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Eliminating coal is a gas, gas, gas

On Tuesday, a few protesters dumped a few buckets of coal at the State House. It was, they said, a bold act of civil disobedience because they stole the coal from the Merrimack Station power plant in Bow. Yes, they admitted this. They even helpfully provided the Bow Police with evidence by posting an incriminating […]

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To fix health care, look to Milton Friedman, not Bernie Sanders

Following the lead of a self-proclaimed socialist, on Tuesday and Wednesday the top Democratic candidates competing to lead the world’s most successful capitalist country diagnosed the source of America’s health care ills to be… capitalism. Bernie Sanders: “…the health care industry makes tens of billions of dollars in profit…. If you want stability in the […]

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Five ways a $15 minimum wage would be bad for New Hampshire

The U.S. House on July 18 passed the “Raise the Wage Act,” mandating a $15 minimum wage (a 107% increase) by 2025. The bill also eliminates the exemption for tipped employees, forcing a 562% increase in wait staff labor costs by 2026. New Hampshire’s U.S. Reps. Chris Pappas and Annie Kuster voted for the bill. […]

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Expanding the tobacco tax to non-tobacco products is bad policy

SUMMARY: Both the Democratic Legislature and Republican Gov. Chris Sununu included in their budgets an expansion of the state tobacco tax to electronic cigarettes. Bipartisan support for this policy is cause for concern because of its tax and health implications. New Hampshire has no broad-based sales tax on goods, but it does have “sin” taxes […]

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Capitalism vs. Socialism

During this presidential primary season, Granite Staters will hear a lot of talk about the supposed benefits of socialism vs. the alleged failures of capitalism. This excellent, brief video from Prager University offers a good primer on the subject. It explains well the philosophical mistakes made in the assumption that socialism is morally superior to […]