• Hedging Bets
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   January 2006
• With slow growth from traditional investments, pension fund managers are tempted by the snappy returns of alternatives.

• Costing Out Security
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   September 2005
• The economic burdens of "hardening" transit systems are huge--and raise politically divisive questions.

• Bubble Trouble
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   July 2005
• A puncturing of today's inflated real estate values would have negative and broadscale effects on local governments.

• The Oldest State
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   May 2005
• Gone are the comforts of an era when an ever-expanding economy coupled with growing populations could pay the future freight.

• Breaking a Bond
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   March 2005
• Advanced refundings are on the line as the federal government sees revenue in cutting off some muni bond tax breaks.

• No Help From Higher-Ups
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   January 2005
• The states can expect to bear the fiscal burden of major changes in federal taxes and domestic spending.

• Borrowers Beware
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   November 2004
• The SEC is going after muni bond issuers who fail to supply adequate information when their debt goes on sale.

• Buy Now, Pay Later
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   September 2004
• The problem in putting a price tag on government is that costs are deferred--buried in borrowed money and out of voters' sight.

• Retirement Rage
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   April 2004
• The high costs and rising profiles of public employee pension benefits are raising the public's hackles.

• Debtor's Dilemma
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   May 2004
• The core problem for states is not structural deficits. It's the polarizing disagreement over what to do about them.

• Tax Avoidance Inc.
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   March 2004
• Corporations today believe they owe it to their stockholders to minimize business taxes any way they can.

• A Leaky Roof
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   January 2004
• There's an $80 billion gap in what we spend and what we need to spend to maintain our infrastructure as is.

• Going For Broke
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   November 2003
• Using the initiative process, Californians have fiscally handcuffed their governor, legislature and local governments.

• Productivity Pinch
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   September 2003
• Because of the nature of the services they provide, states and localities find it difficult to increase productivity.

• The Budgetary Abyss
• BY: John E. Petersen   |   May 2003
• States are pushing a bow wave of operating deficits ahead of them in hopes that fiscal conditions may brighten.

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• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans
• The Effect of Federal Budget Cuts on States and Localities
• What's Wrong with Kansas' Tax Reform?
• Gun Taxes and State Revenues
• The Pros and Cons of Internet Gambling

• How Tennessee Plans to Solve Its IT Problems
• Kardashian Pulls T-Shirt from Shelves After Gov. Cuomo Threatened Lawsuit
• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans
• Bike Lane Battles Heat Up
• Success of Gun Buyback in Phoenix May Backfire

Comments

• Do Tax Breaks for Senior Citizens Pay for Themselves?
  
  "I am much more receptive to empirical data, and the evidence I see here in Wisconsin...."
• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans
  
  "Hi Robert, when a member of the Colorado PERA pension system retires, their base pension..."
• What's Wrong with Kansas' Tax Reform?
  
  "There's an exodus in Kansas too. In fact, one out of three counties in this state will..."