October 2012
SISTER STATES, MORE FEMALE LEGISLATORS IN TERM LIMITS ERA
(October 2012) Former President Bill Clinton noted Arkansas and Michigan are sister states1 during a March 1997 speech to the Michigan legislature. Arkansas and Michigan share another distinction: the number of female legislators has increased significantly since...
September 2012
STATE TREASURER HAS NO DERIVATIVES POLICY
The Orange County treasurer managed the pools, which totaled approximately $7.6 billion. The treasurer used reverse repurchase agreements, a type of derivative. The deposits were leveraged to more than $20 billion. Orange County declared bankruptcy in December...
September 2012
LONG-TERM ARKANSAS MEDICAID SPENDING GROWTH GREATER THAN U.S. AVERAGE, CPI
“Governor Beebe has repeatedly said that the current rate of Medicaid growth is unsustainable.” The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society, November 2011 (September 2012) Long-term Arkansas Medicaid spending exceeded the U.S. average...
August 2012
‘Arkids First’ Unfunded Liabilities Estimated At $3.5 Billion
“The long-term liabilities of the ARKids First program should be identified." Policy Foundation memos, 2006 (August 2012) The unfunded liabilities of the state’s ‘ARKids First program,’ a major component of Arkansas Medicaid are conservatively estimated at $3.5 billion, according to enrollment, federal...
July 2012
MILTON FRIEDMAN’S EDUCATION REFORM IDEAS TO BE DISCUSSED AT JULY 31 CONWAY FORUM
(July 2012) The 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Milton Friedman (1912-2006), the 1976 Nobel Economics laureate will be commemorated at a July 31 forum hosted by the Policy Foundation in Conway. The forum...
June 2012
The Earned Income Tax Credit: An Unconventional Income Approach
(June 2012) Dr. Milton Friedman, the 1976 Nobel Economics Laureate advanced the idea of a negative income tax. He argued "outright cash grants" were more efficient than welfare bureaucracies. Summary President Richard Nixon proposed...
June 2012
POLICY FOUNDATION RUNNER-UP IN NATIONAL BETTER GOVERNMENT COMPETITION
(June 11, 2012) A Policy Foundation proposal to increase government transparency is one of four runners-up in the 21st annual Better Government Competition (BGC) sponsored by the Pioneer Institute, a think tank in Boston, Massachusetts. The...
June 2012
ARKANSAS MEDICAID CRISIS LOOMS DESPITE $1 BILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDS
(June 2012) Arkansas policymakers face a potential $1.3 billion budget deficit in the state’s Medicaid program despite receiving $1 billion in federal stimulus funds for “health and human services” since 2009, according to remarks by...
May 2012
HOW LOW WILL THEY GO?
“College algebra is in the way of so many kids. They can’t (pass) it and they drop out of school. I’m not saying ‘dumb down the curriculum.’ I’m just saying, “Let’s get stuff you can use for life.’” Arkansas Higher...
May 2012
ARKANSAS MEDICAID’S UNFUNDED LIABILITIES
“The long-term liabilities of the ARKids First program should be identified." Policy Foundation memos, 2006 (May 5, 2012) Remarks by Arkansas officials this week have pushed Medicaid, a government medical insurance program, to the policy forefront. State...
