Free markets Archives - Page 2 of 19 Voice For Liberty

Jul

Wichita airfares, on the rise

A survey by travel website CheapFlights.com shows that airfares in Wichita have both fallen and risen in recent years, even though the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, and the State of Kansas collectively spend millions each year to keep airfares low. The survey, according to a news release, ranks airports by "averaging the prices our users found during the month of June when searching for flights to popular domestic and international destinations like Miami, Honolulu, London and Cancun." The news release warns that "These rankings can shift dramatically from year to year and prices fluctuate frequently on specific routes." Since…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Wichita movie theater expands product line, now selling groceries

Possibly seeking to take advantage of impulse purchases while patrons buy movie tickets, a Warren Theater in Wichita has started carrying a limited line of grocery items. A reader submitted this photo, commenting: "I went to the taxpayer-subsidized Warren Theater this weekend, and who was staring back at me across the counter -- none other than the smiling face of the mayor. Warren has a display set up to sell Brewer BBQ sauce and my sandwich included an (unrequested) cup of the stuff." The sauce in the photo is produced and marketed by Brewer's Best, a company recently founded by…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Wichita STAR bonds project not good for capitalism

Tomorrow the Wichita City Council considers approval of the project plan for a STAR bonds project in Wichita. The formation of the district has already been approved. This action by the council will consider the development plan and the actual authorization to spend money. If approved, the city will proceed under the State of Kansas STAR bonds program. The city will sell bonds and turn over the proceeds to the developer. As bond payments become due, sales tax revenue will make the payments. It's only the increment in sales tax that is eligible to be diverted to bond payments. This…

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Wind tax credit promotes expensive electricity

Conservative and free-market groups are asking Congress to oppose extending the Production Tax Credit for production of electricity from wind. The letter, presented below, is designed for representatives from states that don't have a Renewable Portfolio Standard, which is a policy or law that requires a certain amount of electricity to be produced from renewable sources, which is primarily wind in most places. Kansas has an RPS, and Governor Sam Brownback actively supports maintaining this standard, which will require that more Kansas electricity be produced from wind. Kansas Policy Institute has found that RPS will result in higher electricity costs,…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Nation can no longer afford wind tax credit

From The Hill: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday said the nation’s fiscal situation has become so dire that the government can no longer afford to maintain a wind power production credit that has been in place since in 1992. “I think there is certainly the largest realization that we’ve ever had that it’s time for it to end,” Alexander said at a Wednesday event hosted by The Hill and sponsored by the American Energy Alliance. In a longer story, The Hill reports on the efforts of U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo, a Republican representing the Kansas fourth district (Wichita metropolitan…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

I, Pencil: The Movie

"The spontaneous configuration of creative human energies, of millions of people, with their various skills and talents, organizing voluntarily in response to human necessity and desire -- as if led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of the intention." This is part of the narration from a new short movie I, Pencil, produced by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Lawrence W. Reed, President of Foundation for Economic Education says about this movie: "For more than half a century, Leonard Read’s classic story has opened eyes and changed minds by the hundreds of thousands. It humbles…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Koch articles draw critics, but few factual

Two large articles in the Wichita Eagle regarding Charles and David Koch of Wichita-based Koch Industries have attracted many comments, and many are not based on facts. The two articles are The Kochs' quest to save America and Charles Koch relentless in pursuing his goals. A curious irony is the claim by many comment writers that Charles and David Koch want to buy America, while at the same time they are running it into the ground: "The koch bros. are funding the conversion of OUR COUNTRY into another third world country." Even if it was possible to buy America --…

Sep

By Guest Author

Pompeo: Wind production tax credit should expire

U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo, a Republican who represents the Kansas fourth district, and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander contribute the following article on the harm of the wind power production tax credit (PTC). The NorthBridge Group report referenced in the article is available at Negative electricity prices and the production tax credit. Puff, the Magic Drag on the Economy Time to let the pernicious production tax credit for wind power blow away By Lamar Alexander And Mike Pompeo As Congress works to reduce spending and avert a debt crisis, lawmakers will have to decide which government projects are truly national priorities,…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Pickens changes his mind, again

Energy investor T. Boone Pickens has changed his mind about government subsidy of energy markets -- again. Until recently Pickens has been promoting federal legislation titled H.R. 1380: New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011, or NAT GAS act. The bill provides a variety of subsidies, implemented through tax credits, to producers and users of natural gas. The goal is to promote the use of natural gas for a transportation fuel, particularly for long-haul trucks. Now, according to reporting in Politico, Pickens said about the transition to natural gas "It's going to happen, and you don't have…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Minimum wage increase not a solution

Those who advocate for a higher minimum wage law appear to have the best interests of workers as their concern. But as is almost always the case when government intervenes into markets, the unintended consequences create more harm than good. In the case of the federal minimum wage, we need to remember that this law -- as well-intentioned as it may be -- is not the solution to unemployment or raising the standard of living of workers. The great appeal of a higher minimum wage mandated by an act of Congress is that it seems like a simple and harmless…