Show-me Institute Podcast

Should hair braiders have to go through the same expensive and rigorous training as a cosmetologist? Attorneys for a group of Missouri women who specialize in African-style hair braiding say “no” and we’re back in court Wednesday appealing their case in federal court. We’ve discussed the importance of occupation licensing reform before and there’s no better example than Missouri’s licensing restrictions which penalize workers such as hair braiders We caught up with Institute for Justice attorneys Dan Alban and Paul Avelar, who are representing the hair braiders, for a sit-down discussion after the case’s hearing on Wednesday, September 20th. To learn more about licensing reform and the hair braiding case check out: Demand Supply: Why Licensing Reform Matters To Improving American Health Care http://bit.ly/2xkRuVa Hair Braiders Continue Missouri Licensing Fight http://bit.ly/2fXFcuh

Show-Me Minute: Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) We have talked before about why raising the minimum wage is a bad idea. Because it hurts the very people it’s supposed to help. Business owners in Seattle reacted to the city’s new $13 an hour minimum wage by cutting hours for low wage workers. Overall income for those workers dropped $100 million! So if raising the minimum wage isn’t a good idea, what is? How about expanding the earned income tax credit? That’s a refundable tax credit for low-to-moderate income workers. That means they would get to keep more of the money they earn to help make ends meet. It will also slow the growth of public welfare spending because it encourages and rewards work. And employers wouldn’t be forced into reducing hours or hiring fewer low wage workers. Unlike raising the minimum wage, expanding the earned income tax credit would help the very people it’s supposed to. Check out our 2017 Missouri Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward at showmeinstitute.org. This Show-M

Show-Me Minute - Seattle minimum wage It seems like a good idea. Raise the minimum wage so low paid workers will make more money. Their standard of living will rise, and the overall economy will benefit. But, sorry, the market doesn’t work that way, and now there is proof. A few years ago, the city of Seattle decided to raise its minimum wage from $9.47 an hour to $13 an hour at the start of 2016, one of the highest in the country. Good, right? No. A study by the University of Washington found that small businesses trying to contain costs cut the hours of low wage workers by about 10 percent. The wage hike also lowered the annual total payroll for low wage workers in Seattle by $100 million dollars. That’s a drop in income of about $125 per month for the average low wage worker. So instead of helping, the hike in minimum wage actually hurt the very people it was supposed to help. Check out our 2017 Missouri Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward at showmeinstitute.org. This Show-Me Minute has been

For the first time in our state’s history, the Legislature has fully funded the education formula at a price tag of $3.4 billion, but will this additional funding be well spent? If the past is any indicator of the future it will probably include hiring more teachers, administrators, and staff through what’s called a “staffing surge.” A lot of people believe hiring more teachers and staff translates to higher academic achievement, but is this really the case? Emily Stahly joins the Gary Nolan Show on 93.9 The Eagle. Originally aired on July 13, 2017.

Brenda Talent joins KMOX's Reardon Roundtable on Friday, June 30, 2017 to debate important issues of the week including safety concerns with MetroLink, healthcare reform, and funding for MoDOT.

On Monday, June 26, 2017, the United State Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a Columbia preschool that was denied a state grant to purchase scrap tires for their playground. What impact will the court's decision in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer have on religious institutions moving forward? Show-Me Institute's Michael McShane appeared on KCMO radio's Greg Knapp Show on June 28 to discuss.

Graham Renz, Policy Researcher for the Show-Me Institute, joins host Ryan Wrecker to explain if your tax dollars are being spent appropriately in the state of Missouri. Wrecker then transitions to a unique story about a Pennsylvania radio host who quit his job after the station told him he was not allowed to continue to talk down President Trump on his weekend Classic Rock show.

Show-Me Minute-Liberty At the Show-Me Institute, our motto is “Where Liberty Comes First”. But what does Liberty mean? It’s making your own decisions. Taking responsibility for your own actions. Lots of Missourians are willing to do that, but government refuses to do simple things to help people take charge of their lives. How about more school choice for parents and their children? And fewer government handouts to corporations and developers? Why not make sure with public pension plans that the money will be there for retirees? Liberty means a health care system designed to help patients not the big insurance companies. It also means lowering taxes so Missourians have more options in what to do with THEIR money. As Ronald Reagan said, as government expands, liberty contracts. Check out our 2017 Missouri Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward at showmeinstitute.org

Show-Me Minute: Transportation Kicking the can down the road was fun as a kid, but it’s not good public policy when you grow up. And that’s what our officials are doing with Missouri roads. Look, MoDot says I-70 desperately needs to be rebuilt, and the cost for that and other big projects will be in the billions of dollars. How about hiking the state’s gas tax? It’s one of the lowest in the country, and hasn’t been raised in more than 20 years. So what about toll roads? Modern ones are electronic with no delays…it’s a user fee so those who drive the roads pay most of the cost. But Missouri lawmakers just said no to even studying toll roads this fiscal year. So where’s the money going to come from? We can just keep doing what we have been doing. But kicking the can down the road will only make that road more expensive. Check out our 2017 Missouri Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward at showmeinstitute.org

Show-Me Minute: Transportation Development Districts (TDDs) Wouldn’t it be great to have someone else pay your bills? Too many private developers are doing just that…and Missouri taxpayers are footing the bill. Let’s say a developer wants to build a shopping mall. He sets up what is known as a TDD…transportation development district. He can then add to the sales tax in that area, and use that money to help pay for the mall. The law requires 50% approval from area residents, but most TDDs are formed where no one lives. So when you shop in that area, you pay more in sales taxes, often with no indication on your receipt. Nice huh? According to the State Auditor, in 2014 and 2015 alone, TDDs in Missouri collected more than $176 million in tax revenue—much of it without the approval of area residents. Reform is needed to change the law that allows what our founding fathers fought against…taxation without representation. Check out our 2017 Missouri Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward at showmeinstitut

Listen to our 2017 Missouri Legislative Recap Telephone Town Hall. This recap includes discussion of the bills passed, and defeated in Jefferson City and what this means for our state going forward. This recording is from May 17, 2017. To learn more visit: showmeinstitute.org

Patrick Ishmael interviewed on campaign finance reform during an "Up In the Air" segment from 3-16-2017 in St. Louis.

3-16-2017 The Eagle - Tuohey on Criminal Justice Reform by Show-Me Institute

Brenda Talent joins KMOX's Reardon Roundtable on Friday, March 3, 2017 to discuss the policy proposals presented by President Trump in his first address to Congress, St. Louis mayoral race, and an increase to St. Louis City's minimum wage. Originally aired on KMOX on March 3, 2017.

Kansas City leaders want a four decade commitment from taxpayers, but have they earned their trust? Patrick Tuohey explains Kansas City's general obligation bond (GO bond) placed before voters on the April 4 ballot. Originally aired on KCMO on February 8, 2017 in Kansas City.

Listen to a recording of our first Telephone Town Hall from Thursday, January 12, 2017. We just released our 2017 Missouri Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward, which presents 15 policy ideas covering a broad ranges of issues - from education to healthcare, from public pensions to union reform, and from tax policy to transportation. We look forward to discussing policy reforms that will help get Missouri back on track.

Show-Me Institute's Director of Government Accountability Patrick Ishmael appeared on KZIM-KSIM in Cape Girardeau on January 3, 2017 to talk about our "2017 Blueprint" for growing Missouri's economy. For more information on "2017 Blueprint" visit: http://showmeinstitute.org/publication/good-government-miscellaneous/2017-blueprint-moving-missouri-forward

Wendell Cox appeared on KCMO radio with host Mike Ferguson to discuss his new paper, "Kansas City-Genuinely World Class: A Competitive Analysis." Read the entire paper here: http://showmeinstitute.org/blog/local-government/kansas-city-genuinely-world-class

Show-Me Minute: Uber Ever had trouble finding a taxi? Me too. That’s why I used Uber on a recent trip to Texas. The ridesharing service was easy to use, comfortable and affordable. In Missouri, it may not have been possible at all. That’s because taxicab regulators in Kansas City and St. Louis don’t like companies like Uber and have filed suit to stop them. They control the number of cabs and prices that are charged, supposedly to ensure safety and supply and demand. What they really want to do is eliminate any competition. Competition is a good thing. Innovative companies should not be penalized for providing a needed service. Sure ridesharing services should be safe and drivers licensed, but are other regulations like huge insurance fees really necessary? More rides can mean better service and lower prices, and result in plenty of jobs for drivers. If the ridesharing services aren’t good, customers won’t use them. Let the free market decide who can give you a ride home. Want to help? Cli

Show-Me Minute "Growth" It’s hard to ignore an elephant in the room. But our leaders seem to be doing just that. Something’s wrong with Missouri’s economy. We are way behind most states in annual growth in goods and services. From 2001 to 2014, Missouri ranked 45th in GDP growth. It’s an elephantine problem, but lawmakers keep ignoring it. So how do we get Missouri moving again? How about cutting income taxes? Lost revenue, you say? Well, if Missourians had more money to spend, that would mean more revenue for the state. And why not stop handing over our money in corporate welfare? Missouri has dished out more than $5 Billion in corporate giveaways since 1990. Maybe our leaders should just let the free market work…and stop ignoring the economic elephant in Missouri. Want to help? Go to our website at Showmeinstitute.org and make a donation for Liberty. This Show-Me Minute has been brought to you by the Show-Me Institute and Show-Me Opportunity.