Source: Heartland
With John Nothdurft missing in action, Heartland Editor Justin Haskins joins Donny Kendal in episode #33 of the In The Tank Podcast. This weekly podcast features (as always) interviews, debates, and roundtable discussions that explore the work of think tanks across the country. The show is available for download as part of the Heartland Daily Podcast every Friday. Today’s podcast features work from the Manhattan Institute, the National Center for Policy Analysis, and the Heartland Institute.
Featured Work of the Week
This week’s featured work is a report from the Manhattan Institute titled “Energy Policies and Electricity Prices: Cautionary Tales From The E.U.” The report takes a look at the energy policies that are being put in place in Europe. In the hopes of preventing future global warming, the E.U. is taking steps to phase in renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions. As the report shows, these moves have led to skyrocketing energy prices, higher dependency on energy imports, and less competative energy-intensive industries.
In the World of Think Tankery
Today Donny and Justin talk about an policy brief published by the National Center for Policy Analysis titled “Income Inequality and the U.S. Tax System.” The article discusses some of the misconceptions about income inequality and the factors that serve to inflate claims of inequality. As the policy brief examines, reported income usually does not include the value of benefits received by lower-income individuals. When all is accounted for, the bottom 20 percent of households pay a -34.2 percent tax rate.
As Donny mentions, Heartland hosted an event featuring the Ayn Rand Institute’s Yaron Brook, author of Equal is Unfair. Watch this event here.
Justin and Donny also talk about a topic that is being discussed in many states – Medicaid expansion. Justin, author of the Consumer Power Report, explains why the expansion looks good on paper, but is actually a bad deal.
Events
Here are a handful of upcoming events that you may be interested in attending.
Heartland Institute (Thursday, April 14) Frank Buckley – The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America @ The Heartland Institute in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Manhattan Institute (Thursday, April 14) U.S. Welfare Policy: Past, Present, and Future @ The Manhattan Institute in New York City
National Center for Policy Analysis (Wednesday, April 27) Financial Crisis Conference: Can We Prevent the Next Credit Crisis? @ Dallas Marriott in Irving, Texas