The bathroom project got a bit of a break today. The tile grout had to cure until mid-afternoon which meant we couldn’t even walk on it – oh darn!
Burl left early for breakfast with his motorcycle buddies and then they took off on a long ride to enjoy a spectacular spring day. I did a little shopping for bathroom accessories and then joined a group from Show-Me Institute (SMI) for a Lunch and Learn at Ocean Zen.
SMI is a non-political think tank which researches major public policy issues facing Missouri from a free market perspective. Their publications look at areas of taxes, education, health care, red tape, privatization and corporate welfare.
The Director, Dr. Joe Haslag, is also a professor and the Kenneth Lay Chair in Econominca at the University of Missouri-Columbia and was the moderator for today’s luncheon. His talk centered on the current resolution which passed the Missouri House and is now pending in the Senate – and if passed by the Senate would allow a state-wide ballot vote to abolish the state income tax in favor of an enhanced sales tax.
Joe compared Missouri’s economic growth over the last 50-60 years with states that have chosen this model and the empirical data suggests that if the sales tax is made revenue neutral, it will be less volatile in economic swings and also a fairer way of taxing the citizens.
Since I’m one of these nerds who finds economics fascinating, I was extremely interested in what he had to share. He will be back next month for a panel discussion on the current Springfield city pension issue and then plans to give bi-monthly lunch forums on various topics throughout the rest of the year.
As an added bonus, I’ve been asked to meet with him and some of his staff in a couple of weeks to discuss potential topics for future offerings.
I came away energized and it was refreshing to hear about statewide issues that didn’t once mention anything about politics – just the facts!
If you’re reading this blog and want more information on the Springfield events, let me know and I’ll keep you in the loop as to when and where they are meeting.
Brain candy for a true econ geek!
