John LaPlante

John R. LaPlante is the managing editor of both the StateHouseCall blog and the State Policy Blog. Mr. LaPlante has written on a range of public policy issues since 1998, including health care and education. His writing credits include the Detroit News, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Saint Paul Legal Ledger, and the Wichita Eagle. He holds an M.A. in political science from The Ohio State University.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Bringing the Supply Side Revolution to Health Care 

HSAs are Good, but Not Enough

Filed As:  Health Care

Supply side economics revolutionized thinking about tax policy. John Goodman says that what we need now is to apply supply-side thinking to health care policy.

Goodman's latest op-ed appears in today's Wall Street Journal (here's a link more »»

Friday, March 30, 2007

A Real Investment in Education: Tax Credits 

Filed As:  Education (k-12)

Families want options in schooling, businesses want a well-educated workforce. A tax credit proposal in Maryland nicely ties those two concerns together. 

According to the Maryland Public Policy Institute, “The BOAST tax credit proposal would provide up to $25 million in partial tax ... more »»

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Cars Make America "Not Worth Defending?" 

Sniffing the Anti-Auto Smoke

Filed As:  Transportation

If you consider simply what is best at getting people from point A to point B, a road system and the personal automobile work pretty well. But if you’re interested in social engineering, perhaps not.

This point is made clear in an old but still relevant short exchange of essays between ... more »»

Monday, March 26, 2007

Shining the Light of Public Scrutiny on Spending 

Filed As:  Budget and Tax

Transparency is in.

National Review Online offers a short write-up of the ways that organizations belonging to State Policy Network are exposing wasteful government spending. High on the list: promoting ... more »»

Friday, March 23, 2007

It's Good to Be Connected 

Local "Development" Projects Benefit Private Parties at Public Expense

Filed As:  Budget and Tax

High are the list of attitudes that lead to bad government is the desire to "do something." At the local level, this sometimes works itself out in economic development projects.

There's nothing wrong and plenty right with new jobs, new businesses, and new options for buying and selling ... more »»

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

What Should be Transportation Policy's Priority? 

Filed As:  Transportation

Bus systems, rail transit, or roads?

Last week the Los Angeles Times hosted a debate on transportation between Bart Reed, executive director of The Transit Coalition, and Ted Balaker, policy analyst at the Reason Foundation.

On more »»

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Savings from School District Consolidation Don't Add Up 

Filed As:  Education (k-12)

Is bigger better? Not when it comes to schools.

Does district consolidation save money? You might think so if you focus on the job of superintendent, a high-dollar job. But consolidation won’t necessarily reduce head count, or even salaries.

The more »»

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Will the Last One in Michigan Turn Out the Lights? 

Filed As:  Budget and Tax

It's a simple principle of economics: if you want less of something, you tax it more. So does the governor of Michigan want to accelerate the movement of people out of the Wolverine state?

Michigan has been a "leader" in economic stagnation. In the words of Dana Johnson, chief ... more »»

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

States Use Internet to Prod Citizens to Lose Weight 

Who Benefits from Fitness?

Filed As:  Health Care

Uncle Sam (and his relatives in state capitols) WANTS YOU ... to lose weight.

According to an Associated Press article written by Rick Callahan ("States Push Online Fitness Programs), 18 states have online ... more »»

Monday, March 19, 2007

Idiotic Laws 

Filed As:  Economic principles

You've heard about laws against driving a dog down Main Street and all that? Such follies are not mere historical legacies; they're being considered even today.

In Minnesota, for example, one proposed law would prohibit the ... more »»

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