Our Opinion Writers
Taxpayers must be protected from unchecked growth in local government spending. Statewide limits on tax increases would do that while forcing local governments to live within their means.
Not much for now, with next year’s insurance premiums jumping far more than general inflation and tax revenues. Employers’ only hope to begin stemming these costs long term is a stronger, unified front at the state and national levels. There also could be an important role for public pensions.
The new federal rules will stress-test our systems. It’s a chance to stop rewarding routine over improvement.
States and localities rely on the regularity and reliability of federal data. Disrupting it undermines everything from pensions to budgets and threatens public trust in government.
People get the kind of politics they demand, if not what they deserve.
Trillions of dollars of wealth, much of it in homes and other property, will be moving from baby boomers to millennials. Local governments should begin preparing for dealing with that generation’s values.
There are plenty of reasons for state and local leaders to be unsure about the future. Not all of them are coming down from Washington.
American politics have reached a point where a radical solution may be needed. It’s worth thinking about, anyway.
It's vital to democracy, but the economics of the business and corporate ownership continue to challenge the independent reporting communities need.
Many of our deepest political problems have the same surprising source.
Some states that have dropped degree requirements for public-sector jobs still force non-degree training providers to navigate a labyrinth of rules as if they were traditional colleges. It’s a fundamental roadblock to economic mobility.
State and local government leaders know their budgets are being swamped by federal changes. They need to act fast to mitigate the impacts.
State humanities councils connect Americans with their past and each other. That work is under threat due to federal cuts.
States are doing the bidding of big drugmakers by limiting the cost-saving role of pharmacy benefit managers.
State lawmakers are making the right move by curtailing the major middlemen of drug sales, known as pharmacy benefit managers.
The only state with such a program didn’t get there overnight. Years of action at the state Capitol and the ballot box set the stage. It’s a lesson for lawmakers in other states facing the fiscal challenges of providing services families need amid diminishing federal aid.
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