Ethanol and Gasoline by David Morris April 22, 1997 – published in St. Paul Pioneer Press This Earth Week let’s talk about ethanol and gasoline. Back in the early 1920s car companies were designing more powerful, higher compression cars. They needed an additive to boost octane and eliminate engine knocking. With an octane rating of 110 … Read More
Local vs. Absentee Ownership by David Morris March 25, 1997 – published in St. Paul Pioneer Press This month two enterprises died in our community and weÕre all the poorer for their passing. Some would say they died a natural death. But what passes for natural in the business world these days can be dangerous to … Read More
Putting the Public Back into Public Policy by David Morris and Pamela Neary Institute for Local Self-Reliance Proponents and opponents of a centralized nuclear waste repository are both off the mark. The nuclear waste issue is more than an environmental, energy or economic issue. It goes to the heart of our federal-state relationship. It sets the … Read More
The Budget Surpluses Challenge Us To Manage Our Own Affairs by David Morris March 13, 1997 – published in St. Paul Pioneer Press How glorious to be a state legislator these days. Budget surpluses in 48 of 50 states. Eight states with surpluses that exceed l0 percent of their budgets. A strong economy that continues to … Read More
This March 1997 report by John Bailey and David Morris examines how the proposed $1.5 billion tax shift in Minnesota would impact low income households and offers ways to mitigate the net effect of the tax shift on these households. The Energy Efficiency and Pollution Reduction Act (EEPRA) is a revenue neutral measure proposed in Minnesota to increase energy taxes by $1.5 billion and to reduce existing taxes on labor or income by an equal amount.
The Telecommunications Act Worsened the Situation by David Morris February 25, 1997 – published in St. Paul Pioneer Press A year ago the Telecommunications Act of 1996 became law. At the signing ceremony President Clinton promised the American people the Act would spur competition and give consumers “the benefits of lower prices, better quality and greater … Read More
The Airline Companies Savage Our Sense of Community by David Morris February 11, 1997 – published in St. Paul Pioneer Press Too often stories about the breakdown of community point to kids cursing their teachers or basketball players kicking photographers. Those are apt examples to be sure. Yet to me the breakdown of community is much … Read More
This February 1997 report by David Morris, Alyson Schiller, and John Bailey examines the impact of the proposed Economic Efficiency and Pollution Reduction Act (EEPRA). The bill’s introduction in the 1996 Minnesota State Legislature prompted a discussion about its impact on Minnesota businesses. This report addresses this question. It does so by assessing the net impact of several types of tax shifts on 23 Minnesota businesses, ranging from neighborhood coffee shops to equipment manufacturers and farmers and paper mills.
EEPRA imposes a tax on all fossil fuels and nuclear energy and reduces taxes on property and work. The tax in the form of a $50 fee per ton of carbon burned would raise $1.5 billion a year.
Hemp Comes of Age by David Morris January 29, 1997 – published in St. Paul Pioneer Press As of January 23, 1997 growing industrial hemp is legal in two counties in Kentucky, thanks to a decision by District Court Judge Ralph E. McClanahan. Judge McClanahan dismissed a case against actor Woody Harrelson, who was arrested for … Read More
