Business & Job Creation
Businesses need a friendly and fair business environment so they can compete, innovate, and create jobs. We’re keeping politicians from playing favorites by offering special deals and tax breaks to the favored few.
Arizona's corporate and political leaders may be worrying needlessly about the relationship between the state's rapid growth and its economic future.
That's because the state's continued growth over the past decade is evidence that business opportunities and a desirable quality of life are readily available, said Robert Franciosi, director of Urban Growth and Economic Development Studies at the Goldwater Institute.
Contrary to what some critics say, Arizona's superheated growth during the 1990s was good for the economy, the conservative Goldwater Institute concluded in a policy paper released Thursday.
Robert Franciosi, an economist with the Phoenix public policy institute, cited statistics that he said dispute claims that growth brought low-paying jobs and poorly educated workers to the state, and that more government spending is necessary to improve education, revitalize downtown areas and lure "new economy" companies and workers.
Competition is usually a good thing except when the competition is among cities to see which can spend the most tax payer money on corporate welfare. Cities across Arizona are showering subsidies on businesses, with taxpayers picking up the check.
Opinion polls demonstrate strong support for a state minimum wage. The idea appeals to an innate sense of fairness. We don't like the idea that people can work hard, play by the rules and still be poor. Advocates argue that raising the minimum wage creates a more just society by reducing poverty.
Unfortunately, the price for increased wages is jobs. As former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan explains, "The reason I object to the minimum wage is I think it destroys jobs, and I think the evidence on that, in my judgment, is overwhelming."
Labor activist Dolores Huerta was criticized for telling students at a Tucson Magnet High School assembly that "Republicans hate Latinos, OK?" Clearly, her small-minded partisan drivel has no place in an educational setting. But that wasn't really the worst of her speech.
Gas prices are climbing, and Arizonans want to know why.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard have written letters demanding answers from federal officials. Napolitano is asking President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft to launch a federal investigation into rising gas prices. Goddard's letter asks Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to investigate.
Napolitano and Goddard are correct to seek answers from the federal government, because Arizona's high gas prices have their roots in federal policies.
Nothing demonstrates better how feeble electricity deregulation has been in Arizona than the Corporation Commission's recent rejection of the proposed Toltec power station in Eloy. If the electricity market is open for competition, why do government regulators still prohibit private companies from providing electricity services to customers?
The Goldwater Institute filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One V. Holder. The brief challenges the Voting Rights Act "preclearance" requirement under the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection and the 10th Amendment's guarantee of federalism. Download the PDF here.
Executive Summary
In 2008, the Arizona Legislature will consider whether to enact the Cellphone Users Bill of Rights to regulate wireless phone service in the state. Provisions include a ban on wireless contracts with an initial term over one year and several letting consumers rescind their contracts more easily.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In modern politics, many believe that the government plays the role of Robin Hood. Through progressive taxation and spending, proponents believe that government reduces poverty while making everyone pay their fair share. The pages that follow will empirically evaluate the effectiveness of state government as Robin Hood.