David Stokes talks property assessments on KTRS TV.

David Stokes has a weekly guest spot on the McGraw Milhaven show on KTRS 550AM. In this appearance, Stokes and the host discuss Missouri's alcohol distribution laws.

Dr. Mark Perry of the American Enterprise Institute spoke with SMI communications director Rick Edlund about why he's optimistic about the U.S. economy. The country is full, he says, of the energy of ideas, and it's starting to pay off.

David Stokes talks sales taxes with McGraw Milhaven.

It cost taxpayers $ 15 million to build the Brentwood Boulevard shopping and apartment complex near the Richmond Heights Metrolink station. Government planners thought it would encourage transit use, but has it succeeded?

Recently, and especially leading up to the 2012 Pesidential Election, there has been much talk about inequality of both wealth and tax burden among the American people. In a talk at Saint Louis University, UCLA Economics Professor Lee Ohanian dispelled some of the popular but mistaken ideas about the relative income growth of rich and poor, the tax burdens each group bears, and how best to restore prosperity for every American.

In this Columbia, MO Forum, Show-Me Institute Education Policy Analyst James Shuls spoke to an enthusiastic crowd about what private funding of public schools really looks like.
"Isn't that just a voucher?"
"No," says Shuls, as he describes the three basic types of publicly-funded private schooling.
This talk was reprised the following morning at the Show-Me Institute's office in Saint Louis.

Are the Rams on their way out of St. Louis? A recent decision by arbitrators could have a serious impact on whether the Rams stay or go. Show-Me Institute Policy Researcher Michael Rathbone explains what this decision means not only for the Rams, but for taxpayers as well.

Most lobbyists who vie for tax dollars are privately funded. But some public entities — cities, public employee groups and others — hire lobbyists using taxpayer dollars, in order to lobby higher levels of government for even more tax dollars. Show-Me Institute Policy Analyst David Stokes discusses the concept briefly in this video, and at length in a recent paper.

In this February 2013 Show-Me Forum, Policy Analysts David Stokes and Patrick Ishmael detail some of the specific bad public policies that are hurting Missouri. Of particular focus are corporate handouts in the form of development tax incentives, governments lobbying other governments for a larger share of taxpayer money, and Enterprise Zones (plus EEZs). Like all the Show-Me Forums, this event was held in Columbia. On the following day, Stokes and Ishmael reprised this presentation for an audience in the Show-Me Institute's office in the Central West End of Saint Louis.

Crowds of parents and students rallied at Union Station in Kansas City to celebrate school choice, as part of the National School Choice Week Whistle Stop Train Tour. Students sang, danced, and cheered as speakers drove home the message that students are all different — but they share one thing in common. They all deserve a quality education.

Funding for K-12 public education is an important issue, especially now. The state’s school funding formula is underfunded and federal support for education is likely to decline in the next year. Show-Me Institute education policy analyst, James V. Shuls, discusses this topic on Missouri Viewpoints with Mike Ferguson. So what is the answer to Missouri’s education funding problems? According to Shuls, “The answer can’t always be more.” Rather, the state and school districts need to begin to rethink how we deliver education.

Tax Increment Financing is one of the most common forms of local government corporate welfare. Here in Saint Louis, developers are attempting to use it in one of the most vibrant and economically healthy neighborhoods. A new high-rise apartment and Whole Foods grocery would be wonderful, but it should not involve taxpayer subsidy.

On December 6, Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich stopped by the Show-Me Institute's office in the Central West End of Saint Louis to discuss his work and his office for a packed-house crowd. Among the topics Schweich discussed: how his office has saved taxpayer money, and how much; the state auditor's office's new rapid response team; Auditor Schweich's personal bio and how he came from practicing law, to international law enforcement, to returning to Missouri to become State Auditor; and Auditor Schweich's favorite part of his current position — helping small towns throughout the state find their financial footing.

In the final Show-Me Forum breakfast lecture of 2012, Bob Roper recapped the recent election results, discussing both national elections and Missouri elections.

On November 7th, James Shuls presented his paper, The Salary Straitjacket, to the Missouri Mathematics and Science Coalition in Jefferson City, Missouri. This is the audio of that presentation, along with the slides Shuls used.

Ticketmaster is proposing paperless ticketing technology that would limit the freedom of fans to buy, sell, and give away tickets to concerts and other events. Show-Me Institute Research Assistant Kacie Galbraith stopped by the recent Justin Bieber concert in Saint Louis to ask fans what they think of the change.

On October 25, 2012, in an event co-sponsored by the Federalist Society and the Show-Me Institute, a crowd of excited attendees gathered despite inclement weather in Saint Louis to watch a debate on the hotly contested topic of voter ID laws.

John Fund, senior editor of the American Spectator, and Denise Lieberman, senior attorney for Advancement Project, represented the opposing sides of the debate, with Missouri Circuit Court Judge Robert H. Dierker moderating.

On September 27, 2012, the Show-Me Institute co-sponsored the latest lecture in the economic speaker series at the Saint Louis University John Cook School of Business.

In this talk, renowned health care expert John C. Goodman explained, with humor and lively examples, how the problems with health care in the U.S. stem not from too little regulation, but from too much. Dr. Goodman also described a path to improving health care by allowing markets to work.

On the Show-Me Daily blog I have noted how Missouri’s education system is stuck in terms of academic achievement (here and here). To get our state moving in the right direction, we must empower schools and provide parents with educational options. The school in this video, City Academy, embodies these two principles.