Neither Snow nor Rain nor Unfunded Liabilities: The Consequences of the Underfunded Postal Retiree Health Benefits

December 6, 2017

Jared Whitley, MBA, and Ike Brannon, PhD Capital Policy Analytics December 2017   Introduction The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) needs to achieve a modicum of financial stability if it is going to perform the services that it is constitutionally empowered to take on. However, these days it is teetering on insolvency: In the last decade … More Neither Snow nor Rain nor Unfunded Liabilities: The Consequences of the Underfunded Postal Retiree Health Benefits

The Annual Renewal of Dubious Tax Provisions Is No Substitute for Real Reform

November 30, 2016

This article originally appeared in the Cato Blog. Click here to read the full article. By Ike Brannon and Gordon Gray Ike Brannon of Capital Policy Analytics and Gordon Gray of the American Action Forum warn against an attempt in the lame-duck session to revive ‘‘orphan’’ tax breaks not made permanent at the end of … More The Annual Renewal of Dubious Tax Provisions Is No Substitute for Real Reform

Legalize Marijuana and Reduce Deaths from Drug Abuse

July 8, 2016

This article originally appeared in The Hill. Click here to read the full article. By Ike Brannon It seems as if everyone has woken up to the problem of opioid abuse at once and wants to do something about it. In March, Politico assembled a working group to “confront the opioid epidemic.” In May, New … More Legalize Marijuana and Reduce Deaths from Drug Abuse

My View: Debt Side Story: Corruption and a Big Labor Agenda Define Obama’s Response to Puerto Rican Debt Crisis

June 15, 2016

This article originally appeared in Deseret News. Click here to read the full article. By Jared Whitley Puerto Rico My heart’s devotion Let it sink back in the ocean Always the hurricanes blowing Always the population growing And the money owing… So begins Puerto Rican darling Anita in West Side Story’s signature song, “America.” Little … More My View: Debt Side Story: Corruption and a Big Labor Agenda Define Obama’s Response to Puerto Rican Debt Crisis

An Oversight Board Can Work in Puerto Rico, But Not the One in Promesa Bill

May 26, 2016

This article originally appeared in the Hill. Click here to read the full article. By Logan Albright Congress has been trying to tread a very fine line on the path to rescuing Puerto Rico from the fiscal mess it’s gotten itself into. On the one hand, conservative Republicans will not tolerate anything resembling a bailout. … More An Oversight Board Can Work in Puerto Rico, But Not the One in Promesa Bill

Treasury Pretends Not to Know What a ‘Bailout’ Is

May 20, 2016

This article originally appeared in the Weekly Standard. Click here to read the full article. By Ike Brannon Following the reintroduction of the Puerto Rico debt legislation this week, it appears that the battle over how to restructure the insolvent island may soon be headed for a Congressional vote. The basic problems with previous approaches … More Treasury Pretends Not to Know What a ‘Bailout’ Is