Month: May 2017

I am Pamela Villarreal, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis. The current tax system is drain on the national economy. Besides the billions of dollars spent a year on compliance, the marginal rates on both individuals and corporations disincentive productive activities — such as working, saving and investing. Although the right and the left may not agree on specific reforms, they generally agree that there are too many loopholes, but if the tax system were simpler, broad-based and less punitive there would be no need for loopholes.

I am Pamela Villarreal, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis. For several years, I have explored and written about the importance of individuals and families saving for retirement as a supplement to Social Security benefits. Policymakers, retirement researchers and financial experts have conducted numerous studies only to find that most adults soon to be approaching retirement are not ready for retirement, and a majority will depend on Social Security for most of their income.

Not long after Medicare was established in 1965, expenditures began to skyrocket. Whereas spending per Medicare beneficiary was $385 in 1970, spending per beneficiary increased to $12,210 annually by 2013.

America’s electric power grid is arguably the most vulnerable part of our nation’s infrastructure. Divided among three geographical regions, the U.S. network remains dangerously exposed to a host of potentially devastating natural disasters and foreign attacks. The May 2016 GAO report “Critical Infrastructure Protection: Federal Efforts to Address Electromagnetic Risks” does well to highlight the potential threats from an EMP and covers the actions already taken based on the recommendations of the 2008 EMP Commission, such as establishing industry standards and federal guidelines. However, the report’s remaining proposals are noticeably broad, which present difficulties for implementation on a national scale. The Lone Star State finds itself in a unique position to act as the only state with its own, self-contained grid. More importantly, the United States depends on Texas for its national security and defense readiness.