In my last post, I laid out a strategy for turning Alaska blue. It’s only fair for me to construct a strategy for the other side of the political spectrum. The obvious answer is to do the opposite. But there are some points worth discussing. Using the same stereotypes and implications we discussed before, here[…]
For decades, political pundits have reliably put Alaska’s three electoral votes in the Republican count well before our polls even open. Yet, Alaska has elected several Democratic candidates over the years. The Democratic Party has controlled (with some help) at least one chamber of the state legislature for the last decade. We’ve elected a few[…]
Around the globe, there are two basic systems governing the ownership of oil. In the first, resources are owned and controlled by the government. In the second, personal property rights extend all the way down to the core. The difference between the treatment of subsurface mineral ownership has far reaching implications. And, Alaska finds itself[…]
If you were on social media at all last week, you probably got your fill of reflections, resolutions, and predictions. Everyone wants to talk about what happened in 2019 and what 2020 will bring. But, we didn’t just turn the calendar this year – we changed decades. So, just for fun, here are some predictions[…]
In part 1, I spoke about why taxes are necessary in an economy. In part 2, I discussed how an economy functions and how taxation impacts an economy in general terms. Now, in part 3, I will discuss a little more deeply how to measure a successful tax policy. In part 4, I will compare[…]
Before we can have a meaningful discussion about tax policy, let me briefly describe the way an economy functions. Until that foundation is laid, the impacts of taxation cannot be fully understood. The Bucket Analogy A classic metaphor of an economy is to visualize a bucket of water. The level of water within the bucket[…]