Economic Prosperity
The State Government Leadership Foundation is committed to educating decision makers on how economic prosperity is best achieved and fostered. The State Government Leadership Foundation is committed to supporting policies that provide for less and more efficient government, which ultimately allows for the competitive environment and outstanding entrepreneurship that keeps the American economy strong, state by state.
The SGLF further believes that economic prosperity goes hand and hand with lowering the tax burden, while simultaneously lowering government spending. We believe this decreased tax burden will not only help America’s families, but will also help in America’s road to economic recovery. The SGLF also supports lower government spending at the state level. We support policies that aim to hold governments responsible for their spending habits.
Free market principles work best in our economy and help foster the entrepreneurial spirit that America is known for. By eliminating harmful and burdensome government red tape and by decreasing taxes and limiting spending, American businesses will be able to flourish.
Jobs
- Although technically out of a recession, the United States is still experiencing a terrible economic downturn. National unemployment continues to hover around 9% and states across the country are seeing companies and jobs flee to other locations, leaving behind a trail of economically depressed cities and unemployed residents.
- State leaders need to look for ways to incentivize businesses to open or relocate in their state. States that best do this have decreased government regulations, lower business taxes, tax incentives, and other economic development programs designed to stimulate growth.
Taxes, Spending, & Budgeting
- The ballooning cost of government has been forcing legislators to consider tax increases in order to balance their budgets. The SGLF supports making government leaner and more efficient in order to avoid tax and fee increases. Families have had to make difficult decisions on how to save money in this economic downturn, and governments need to do the same. Belt tightening is also good for future fiscal policy, and helps states be proactive rather than reactive.
- Spending too much is not an excuse for raising taxes. In order to stay true to prudent fiscal policy, states must reign in government spending instead of asking citizens to continue dishing out more of their hard-earned money, especially during these difficult economic times.
- Rainy Day Funds, much like savings accounts, are also wise financial reserves to have in case of emergencies.
- As was the case in many states once federal stimulus money was handed out, recurring expenses should not be funded with one-time revenue sources. Once that money dries up, the recurring expense is still present, and creates an even bigger issue on how to fund it in the future.
- Identifying cost saving in all areas of the budget will serve as a responsible budget strategy as well as not allowing any area of the budget to remain immune from cuts, especially in these economic conditions.
Regulation
- Studies show that overall Americans are wary of government regulation on businesses. A Pew Research Center study conducted in 2009 asked whether or not surveyors thought regulation of business usually does more harm than good, and a majority of respondents agreed that regulation normally does more harm than good. Although their opinions may vary after drastic current events such as the recent financial crisis, in general Americans are wary about the effects of government regulations.
News & Articles
Angry about inequality? Don’t blame the rich.
Debt, taxes are key concerns for South Carolina legislature
Republican Gov. Nikki Haley said “the key is we are expecting to have higher revenues this year. They cannot spend it. It should either go to tax relief, debt relief or back to the taxpayer.”
The Monetary Foundations Of Economic Prosperity
But as Art Laffer recently estimated, reduced marginal tax rates may roughly be considered 10 times as important as reduced regulatory costs, and stable money may be considered 10 times as important as reduced tax rates.
Capitalism and the Right to Rise
Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: "The right to rise."
Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect.
But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck.
The Economic and Employment Contributions of Shale Gas in the United States
This study examines the recent increases in shale gas production, the continued trend of growth expected for shale gas production into the future, and the economic benefits of this growth, including the employment contributions.
Thoughts on Baselines and the Toomey Proposal
Recently, the New York Times published an article on the debate over the Social Security payroll tax. The headline read as follows:
Curing the Unemployment Blues
One of the enduring faiths of modern progressive thought is that omniscient policy makers can cancel out the errors of one form of economic intervention by implementing a second. That lesson was brought home to me when I was a third year student at Yale Law School, whenever discussion turned to the perennial debate over the minimum wage. The charge against the minimum wage was that it had to introduce some measure of unemployment into labor markets by raising wages above the market-clearing price. “Not to worry,” came the confident reply. The way to handle that imperfection is to raise the level of welfare benefits in order to remove the dislocations created by the minimum wage. If one government program had its rough edges, a second government program could ride to the rescue. Implicit in this argument was the tantalizing, but fatal, assumption of economic abundance: The government has the power to tax, and with that power, has access to a cornucopia of public funds that never runs empty—at least until it does.
Op-Ed: Why Christie matters
Regardless of whether he runs, he’s got the right message
There is a reason so many Republicans across the country badly want Chris Christie to run for president. He might be the only man in America who can make the case for conservatism in clear and compelling language. It’s not just that the New Jersey governor has a plainspoken and often combative style, though that’s a part of it. Rather, it is that he connects the burden of a bloated and inefficient government with the everyday struggles of working Americans.
Obama’s Jobs Bill: Read It and Weep
An infernal mish-mash of taxes, subsidies, and regulations.
The dim news about the current economic situation has prompted the Obama administration to put forward its latest, desperate effort to reverse the tide by urging passage of The American Jobs Act (AJA), a turgid 155-page bill. The AJA’s only certain effect is to make everything worse than it already is by asking Congress to tighten the stranglehold that government regulation has already placed on the economy.