Publications of Public Interest Institute

Institute Briefs

2013

May -

Let's be more Charitable!

Medicaid, the “Arkansas” Proposal, and IowaCare Use

Obamacare So Far…Increased Taxes and Increased Costs

April -

The Great Coolidge Revival

Spring Thaw in Johnson County

No Place Like Home!

March -

The Second Inaugural Address and the Future of Constitutional Limited Government

Watch the Pennies, and the Pounds Will Take Care of Themselves!

How Much Do You Pay in Property Taxes?

February -

Unions, Administrators, and School Choice

Financial Literacy Is Important for Legislators Too!

The Economic and Fiscal Crisis Continues

January -

Union Money: 100 percent Democrat. Really?

Wasting Renewable Energy in Iowa

Education Savings Accounts: A Path to Give All Children an Effective Education and Prepare Them for Life

2012

December -

The Overregulation of School Lunches

Iowa's Privileged Class: State Government Employees

Governor Branstad Earns a “B”

November -

The Challenge to Liberty

A Short History of Economic Theory

Teen Unemployment in Iowa

October -

The Federal Trade Commission’s Investigation of Google

Judicial Politics

Orascom or OraScam? Corporate Income and Property Tax Reform Needed

September -

"How Shall We Pay for Health Care?"

The Solution to Economic Growth

Government Always Finds a Need

August -

Health Care, the Supreme Court, and the Future of Limited Government

Looking Backward: Potential, but Utopia?

Legislators Failed Our Children

July -

Constitutional Limited Government and the Path to Economic Recovery

Animal House or Animal Colony? Or Neither?

Everyone’s Talking Bankruptcy

June -

Milton Friedman and the Power of Ideas

Hiring Our Heroes

Should Government Pick Winners?

May -

Health Care and the Problem of Overdiagnosis

Tax Increment Financing: Reforming the “Magical Money”

Iowa (And Bill Gates) Could Lead the Way

April -

TABOR: A Pro-Growth Solution for Iowa

Iowa’s Homeowner Property Taxes Compared to Business Property Taxes

Iowa's Business Property Taxes Highest in the Nation

March -

A Republic, Not a Democracy: A Defense of the Electoral College

Iowa Property Tax Reform: A One-Eyed View of Government

We Need Fair and Sound Fiscal Health, Too

February -

Hostess Brands: Bankrupted by Its Own Unions?

Tax Increment Financing: Piracy and Cows

IPERS Needs More Reform

January -

The Problems of Uncontrolled Government Spending

Health Care Compacts: Another Option

iJAG: Preparing Students for the Real World

2011

December -

Replace the Job Killing Corporate Tax With a Border-Adjusted Consumption Tax

Changing the Energy/Environment Discussion

The Benefits of Broadband: Connecting Iowa to the 21st Century Economy

November -

The Ideology of Environmentalism

Iowa Needs Democrats for Education Reform

Children’s Lives Are Wasting

October -

How to Create Jobs and Revive the Economy

Debt and Default Cloud the American Dream

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones…..

September -

The Debt Limit Compromise and the Future of Limited Government

A Party With a Purpose

The Question Remains: Is Law School Worth the Cost?

August -

Working for the Government, Not Ourselves

The Harding-Coolidge Path to Prosperity

Results of an Education Monopoly

July -

The Peril of the Republic: The Decline of Civic Education

Hallowed be the day, celebrate it!

A Summer Reading List for Limited Government, Free Markets

June -

Coolidge, Davis, and the Historic 1924 Presidential Election

Where Should I Send My Check?

Fill in the Blank: “World-Class __________”

May -

Is Iowa Moving in a Supply-Side Direction?

“Congress shall make no Law…”

Sometimes it’s Good to be “Average”

April -

The Need for Economy in Government

The State of the State

Budget too big? Use the Line-Item Veto, Governor!

March -

The Economy and the National Debt: An Economic and Constitutional Debate

“A Great Devourer of Good Men” and Women

Student Loans and College Costs: Are the Regents listening?

February -

The New Deal Dilemma

Glad We’re Iowa, Not Illinois

There is Good News!

January -

The Patriot's Toolbox: Policy Ideas for Citizens and Policymakers from a Free-Market Perspective

Unemployment Payments and the Law of Unintended Consequences

Students Benefit from Expanded Open Enrollment

2010

December -

The Year of Uncertainty

I think I can, I think I can!

Charitable Donations are Not Government Money

November -

Remembering President Warren G. Harding

Good Old-fashioned Fun, and Economic Development too!

We must Control Government Spending

October -

The Wisdom of Warren G. Harding

"Yes Ma'am," Yes Man

Professional Protection and Support, Not a Union or a PAC

September -

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Men of ideas: Conservatives Do Have Policy Solutions

Not Afraid to Get Dirty!

August -

The Return of the Clintons

Humphrey's Warning

What did your Teenager do this summer?

July -

Super Tuesday

The Progressive Offensive Continues

Characters Welcome in Government Today

June -

A Greek Drama Unfolds

What is my Role as a Citizen?

Economic Recovery? Rural Mainstreet bankers aren't sure

May -

You Can't Lose If You Don't Play

Health Care: A Constitutional Question

Our Government is not supporting Charitable Giving

April -

American Gothic - Iowa's Farm Economy

The Mount Vernon Statement

The Regents Don't have Solutions

March -

The Third Branch of Government

A Supply-Side Solution

Just what will that College Degree get you?

February -

The (not so) Perfect Season

An Economic Policy Solution for 2010

I have a College Degree, Now What?

January -

Iowa's Privileged Class - State Government Employees

A Conservative View Towards Public Policy and the Political Process

Good Ideas Come from Many Places

2009

December -

Conservative Health-Care Reform Proposal: Part Two

Conservative Health-Care Reform Proposal: Part One

Sorry, the File is "Corrupt" - Student Cheating, Ethics, and Elected Officials

November -

Dr. Norman Borlaug - A Proud Iowa Legacy

How to "Return to Normalcy" in America: Follow the Example of PResident Warren G. Harding

Philanthropy, Taxes, and Our Own Horatio Algers

October -

H. Ross Perot and the Federal Debt

Health Care and the Constitution

Honey Creek Resort, One Year Later

September -

The Iron Lady and the Man of Steel (or Bronze)

Ideas Have Consequences

We Have Free Speech, For Today

August -

Solving Iowa's Projected Need for New Prisons

Cutting Federal Spending Must Be a Top Priority

Let the Market Work, Government Won't

July -

High-Speed Spending

Woo-Hoo!...Bart Simpson on a postage stamp?

Deafness is Treatable, If You're Listening

June -

Borrowing our Children's Future

It Takes a Special Person to be called "Dad"

A Republic If You Can Keep It: Failing to Teach First Principles

May -

How Long Can We Avoid Responsibility?

What Has Happened to Constitutional Government?

The Federal Marriage Amendment: A Prudent Course of Action

April -

Iowa's State Budget: Spending Our Way to a Crisis Again

The Fourth Wave of Progressivism

Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council Recommendations: Warmed Over and Wrong Again

March -

"You can fool some of the people..."

The American Option: A Plan for Economic Recovery

Choice Through Charters: Policy Analysis of Iowa Charter School Legislation

February -

Stewardship and the Government

Follow the Constitution Rather Than Keynes

Thinking Outside the Box to Face Our Transportation Funding Crisis

January -

Avoiding the "Lesser of Two Evils"

Government Policy YES, Bureaucratic Implementation NO!

Governing By The Founder's Constitution: The Presidency of Warren G. Harding

2008

December -

Nonprofit and Faith-based Organizations: The Face of Future Government Reform

School Choice in America and Iowa: The Time for Change is Now

The Most Trusted Man in America

November -

Honey Creek Resort Continues to Drain Taxpayers' Wallets

Tax Increment Financing: Getting It Right

Charter Schools in Iowa: An Update

October -

Do More By Doubling Up: Providing Iowa Law Enforcement Protection More Efficiently

Charter Schools in America: Will They Be Successful?

Does National Identity and Heritage Matter?

September -

District of Columbia v. Heller: A Victory and a Warning

Remember the First Amendment. Stop Political Bullying in Our Schools!

No Income Tax: The Key to Economic Growth

August -

Ryan's Roadmap

"Core" Curriculum or "Gore" Curriculum? Teaching Our Children Propaganda

Is Iowa Making Good Use of its Higher-Education Dollars?

July -

Don't Cut that Grass! Don't Smoke that Cigarette! Or Build that Bonfire!

The Importance of Elections and the Electoral College

Marriage is Worth Constitutional Protection

June -

A Health Care Prescription for Iowa

The Declining State of Higher Education

The Burden of Government

May -

House File 2645: Iowa's Fiscal Train Wreck

Fiscal Storm on the Horizon: The Looming Entitlement Crisis

How shall we power our World? Coal? Terrestrial Energy? Wind? Solar? Corn? Or Turkey Droppings?

April -

Health Care in Iowa: What Should be the Goal?

Working to Increase Government Transparency

The Future of Limited Government in Iowa

March -

Note to Iowa Legislature: Keep Your Hands Off Our SILO Money!

The Jury is in on Eminent Domain and Economic Development

Remington Arms Company, the Supreme Court, and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

February -

Can Peacocks Help Honey Creek Resort Instead of the Government?

Sinking SCHIP

Spending Our Transportation Dollars Wisely

January -

Education and Government for Liberty

Is America a Republic or a Democracy? Bush Says Latter

The Constitution and the Rule of Law: Are They Equal in Value?