Entries by Andrew Cline

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A costly and unnecessary paid leave plan

Senate Democrats unveiled their paid family and medical leave bill this week, and the big question was: Why?  The reasons given — that it will be a job recruitment tool and a family benefit — were hardly enough to justify its cost.  The bill’s fiscal note predicts that the mandatory 0.5 percent tax would raise […]

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Oscar asks for a handout

In the last legislative session, this newsletter warned about the dangerous precedent legislators would set if they passed a tax incentive package tailored for a specific industry, in this case a single company, Manchester’s Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI). New Hampshire doesn’t do industrial tax incentives, we warned, and if the state starts, other industries […]

How the FDA can quickly save more NH lives

If foreigners dispersed throughout the United States a poison that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, and drug makers had a safe, easy-to-administer antidote, would the federal government dare restrict its distribution? It’s an easy answer — because just that scenario is happening right now. Drug overdoses are poisonings (they’re officially classified as such). The […]

The state of the state is hot

If it weren’t for the expectation (among modern governors) that modern governors must use state-of-the-state addresses to excite the populace with a list of flashy new policy proposals, Gov. Chris Sununu could have simply read excerpts from the state’s recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, released December 27.  We quote a few key passages below. “In […]

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Brace for business tax increases in 2019

The incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee wants New Hampshire to go from having the second-lowest corporate tax rate in New England to the second-highest (based on Tax Foundation rankings). The incoming House speaker initially expressed opposition to the idea, only to backtrack in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader.  […]

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Strong economy delivers gifts for everyone

Merry Christmas, New Hampshire.  The strong economy has brought gifts for all the girls and boys of the Granite State. It has been dropping jobs and money like Santa dropping misfit toys. The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security reported on Monday that the state’s unemployment rate fell to 2.5 percent in November. The state […]

The value of work requirements

In January, New Hampshire’s work requirement for most Medicaid Expansion enrollees takes effect. Opponents portray it as cruel and punitive. A new study suggests it will make Medicaid enrollees significantly wealthier.  Granite Staters enrolled in Medicaid Expansion can have a household income of up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The state’s work […]

“I, Pencil” turns 60

The Foundation for Economic Education is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Leonard Read’s famous essay “I, Pencil” with a series of essays about the essay that are worth reading for anyone who isn’t familiar with the groundbreaking original work. If you haven’t read “I, Pencil,” you must. It is a short, simple essay that makes […]

The sales tax invasion has begun

In zombie movies, unsuspecting innocents often fail to recognize that the zombie apocalypse has begun. The first of the undead stumble through the village or city unnoticed or mistaken for drunks. Only when it’s too late do the living realize they’re surrounded. This horror movie cliche came to mind when Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie […]