High-Speed Rail in Missouri Is Snapshot of Government Delusions
Did you know that the building of a high-speed rail line across central Missouri will support more than 200,000 jobs,...
The Not-So-Special Session: Lessons Learned From a Public Policy Viewpoint
Talk about laying an egg! Missouri lawmakers are going home at the end of the 50-day special session of the...
Making a Good System Better: Suggestions for Kansas City Government
All politics, as they say, is local. But the politics in some places (think St. Louis and St. Louis County)...
A Streetcar Too Far: Vanity Rail Lines Are a Waste of Kansas City Tax Dollars
The first line of The Associated Press article said it all: “The trolley is making a comeback.” Sure, the article...
TIF is Everyone’s Education Problem
Remember the school district in Kansas City that is asking for a tax increase because of lost tax revenue? Show-Me Institute’s...
A Wild Idea: Kansas City Votes Nov. 8 On Proposed Zoo Tax
When I was a kid, I often visited the Kansas City Zoo with my family; after all, we were members of...
A Victory for Missouri Taxpayers
The Missouri General Assembly has finally adjourned its special session without creating $360 million in new tax credit programs. This is great...
Kansas City Trolleys: An Expensive Comeback
Kansas City legislators are considering a plan that would bring back trolley cars to the downtown area. Amid a potpourri...
Tax Credit Sunsets: A Step Toward Reform
Over the last few months, we have worked hard to make the following point crystal clear: Tax credits that are narrowly...
Letter To Editor in the Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star kindly published a letter to the editor from us the other day on the earnings tax....
A Race to the Bottom
The Kansas City area made big news, but not in a good way. According to the latest data, the Kansas...
Nothing Says ‘Progress’ Like a Vanity Trolley Project
Will Kansas City be bringing streetcars back to Main Street? If events from early this week are any indicator, maybe....
Missouri’s TIF Infestation
If I got to pick it, the slogan for my beloved home state of Missouri would be: “Missouri: We’re In The...
Some Facts About Tax Credit Programs in Other States
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Missouri Legislature is attempting to create tax credits that could be awarded up...
Missouri’s Ticking Pension Time Bomb? Will the Money be There?
Those who follow this blog are aware of the Show-Me Institute’s interest in Missouri’s 130-plus public pension systems. Tens of thousands of...
A Bidding War Where Everyone Loses
The Kansas City Star reports today that AMC Entertainment is leaving Missouri for the state of Kansas, in part due...
Talking Aerotropolis: Audrey Spalding with Greg Knapp on KCMO, Patrick Ishmael with Mark Reardon on KMOX
Busy days in these parts, as you might imagine. Audrey Spalding was on with KCMO’s Greg Knapp on Tuesday morning...
Hot New Argument for Tax Breaks in Kansas City: Abate My Taxes, Or I Just Might Build a QuikTrip
Taxpayer-subsidized apartments or $1 buffalo chicken hot dogs? How will I ever decide? (Emphasis mine.) Read what David Martin wrote...
Kansas City’s Continuing Fight for Pension Sustainability
Kansas City continues its mighty struggle to save its children and future offspring from the possible ravages of pension-induced bankruptcy. The city has commissioned, for this...
Shockingly, Volunteers Not Happy With City Management of KC Animal Shelter Either!
Now that the city has taken over the operation of the Kansas City animal shelter, from a private operator who was failing...
