Economic Myths and Government Stimulus
by Paul Prentice As the human tragedy and economic damage from Hurricane Harvey continue to mount, it won’t be long until several tired old economic myths are trotted out. First among these is what Frederic Bastiat called the “Broken Window Fallacy”. Accountants-disguised-as-economists will point to the so-called economic stimulus from the rebuilding efforts. But the […]
Time for Colorado Energy Office to receive more than an audit
The Colorado Energy Office continues to show some irregularities in its spending and handling of tens of millions of dollars, according to a newly released performance audit. A 2011 Independence Institute investigation of the CEO, formerly the Governor’s Energy Office, sparked the call for a 2012 audit by the Office of the State Auditor that […]
NREL: Big Green Empire
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located in beautiful Golden, Colorado, is the federal government’s primary research facility for renewable energy for the Department of Energy (DOE). According to its Web site, NREL has enjoyed an enormous budget increase over the last two years. As the economy slowed in 2007, NREL saw its budget decrease […]
TIGER II Rips Another Hole in the Federal Budget
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood put your money where his mouth is when he dedicated well over 40 percent of the latest round of “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery” (TIGER) stimulus funds to streetcars, pedestrianways, and other “livability” projects. The biggest grant was $47.67 million towards a 2.7-mile, $72 million streetcar line in Atlanta. In all, […]
