Customer Reviews

Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a current, wonderfully written and argued case against failed liberal tax-and-spend policies. The data and conclusions reached seem fairly irrefutable and intuitively obvious after examination of the underlying data. The book also highlights the liberal paradox: "the poor are left victims of the misguided liberal policies that were enacted to assist them...high taxes don't redistribute income, they redistribute people." As billionaire Tom Golisano noted in a recent WSJ OpEd, raising taxes on the rich in NY "was irresponsible, since the top 1% of earners account for about half of state revenue.....We're the ones who can -- and will -- leave." In fact he did leave, for Florida where there is no income tax and one of the authors of this book, Arthur Laffer, also "voted with his feet" and left California for similar reasons. The authors do an excellent job of illustrating their points in an entertaining and engaging manner: ex. "Robin Hood had a progressive stealing structure. You recognize the model, don't you? Doesn't it sound like the California government?...how long would it take you to learn not to go through the forest?" This is a great read for anyone with an interest in liberal vs. supply-side tax policy implications. It is especially relevant for anyone living in California who wonders why the "Golden State" is a perpetual budgetary train wreck despite having so many other positive natural attributes that would serve as a growth magnet in the absence of "liberalism run amok in Sacramento."