Category Archives: Fiscal Freedom

Sunday March 5 2017 In Summary

In my last blog post, I stated that there was no reason for a Kenyan to worry about the fast growth Ethiopia was seeing.

By virtue of its larger population, and therefore larger labour force, it is inevitable that Ethiopias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will surpass Kenyas.

The idea was not to commence a polemic about whether higher GDP is consistent with development or not, because that is not a useful argument.

One could ask what the longer term prospects of both countries are, given that they both register growth rates above the world average.

Here the story is that the present growth rates may be real but certainly unsustainable, because both countries are likely to run into a growth wall sooner rather than later, for the simple reason that they do not value economic freedom.

Attaining high growth rates has never been difficult for most nations. The more difficult task is maintaining high growth rates for at least a generation, so as to ensure social and economic transformation.

Kenya and Ethiopia seem to have acquired the first, but the models of development and the status of economic management suggest that they cannot maintain these growth rates for even half a generation.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in the United States, publishes an annual Index of Economic Freedom report. It ranks sovereign territories against twelve forms of economic freedom, grouped into four pillars: the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets.

With a record of two decades of publication, the IEF has consistently demonstrated that economic freedom is important because it is highly correlated with, if not altogether a determinant of, a countrys prosperity.

Because of the breadth of countries ranked in 2017, it is a sensible tool for understanding why material and social prosperity is distributed differently among countries.

Countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Australia are always among the leaders. At the bottom of the scales of the 180 countries are the states with incomplete government consolidation such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and North Korea.

East Africas shining stars, Kenya and Ethiopia, are ranked among the Mostly Unfree, at 135th and 142nd respectively, and thats why the citizens of East Africa should be concerned.

Not only is the ranking quite sobering, but it shows how much work is required to achieve the economic promise these countries hold.

The average score for all 180 countries is about 60.9 points, which would suffice to place any nation in the "Moderately Free" category.

Needless to state, these two eastern Africa giants are below average, with a nearly identical score of 53.7 and 52.7 for Kenya and Ethiopia, respectively.

Of consequence however is that the performance of both nations is nearly converging but going in different directions because Kenyas average score against each of the 12 freedoms has dropped by four points, while Ethiopia has made progress by 1.2 points compared to the previous year.

Using the year-by-year score as a proxy of reform towards economic freedom, Kenya has had a 10-year drop while Ethiopia has had modest but steady upward improvement.

GRAPHIC | KWAME OWINO

The trend lines in these graphs may explain why the growth rates for Ethiopia are nearly 50 per cent above Kenyas, despite Kenyas higher overall score.

Ethiopia has, commendably, moved from being classified as repressed in two decades while Kenya climbed down from a score of above average.

The lesson for Kenya policymakers is that the one step forward with reforms and another two backwards means that Kenya has not broken out with bold, consistent reforms towards economic freedom.

The single largest challenge for Kenya is in government integrity, government size and fiscal health, all under the pillar of government size. This is directly a public spending issue, confirming that Kenya is spending as if it were richer than it really is.

On the other hand, Ethiopias risk profile lies in the same pillar of government size, but added with challenges in the pillar of regulatory efficiency.

In conclusion, the so-called giants of eastern Africa may be growing at a clip but are hardly paragons of economic freedom.

Citizens should be worried. It is in their common interest for governments here to expand our economic freedoms.

Kwame Owino is the chief executive officer of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA-Kenya), a public policy think tank based in Nairobi. Twitter: @IEAKwame

Campaigning politicians should know that shallow directives can be challenged and dismissed

Governor insists region is an Orange Party zone and tells off opponents.

Knec to study report by principals before stating the number of affected learners.

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Without freedom, East African economies will slow down - Daily Nation (blog)

Investors are optimistic, but we see many unknowns.

Chris Higgins is an equity analyst for Morningstar.

New Office of Management and Budget head Mick Mulvaney outlined a base defense budget, which excludes funding for overseas contingency operations, of $603 billion. Predictably, confusion has set in regarding the actual increase the Trump administration is looking for and what this means for the industry. Weve seen reports of a $54 billion increase in defense spending, Sen. John McCain complaining about only getting a 3% increase, and other reports mentioning a 10% increase.The Obama administration requested $552.8 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2017 and planned $586.2 billion for fiscal 2018. Comparing that plan for fiscal 2018 with $603 billion yields a 2.9% increase, hence McCains complaint. The $54 billion figure compares the $603 billion figure with the Budget Control Act of 2011, which caps defense at $549 billion for fiscal 2018. The 10% increase--assuming some rounding--may be referring to either the Trump administrations defense budget increase versus the fiscal 2017 request or the Budget Control Act caps for fiscal 2018, or both.But there are still many unknowns at this stage in the budgeting process. The $60 billion question is the overseas contingency operations account, which is not included in the $603 billion figure. Our sense is that Mulvaney detests the use of the OCO to circumvent Budget Control Act caps, but defense hawks in Congress have proved more than willing to use it as a slush fund for priorities that dont fit into the base defense budget. The fiscal 2017 OCO budget request was $58.8 billion, and its highly likely that the Trump administration will add about $30 billion to this amount via a defense supplemental spending bill. Despite budget hawks distaste for it, we assume that the Trump administration will generate an OCO request as part of the fiscal 2018 budget process, which implies a total defense budget request for fiscal 2018 of well over $650 billion: $603 billion base funding plus our assumption of at least $50 billion in OCO funding. The Democrats in the Senate (the Republicans effectively control the House) can still filibuster the defense budget; in the past, they have typically demanded parity in defense and nondefense discretionary spending increases. Republicans need 60 votes to circumvent a filibuster in the Senate, which means 8 Democrats will need to defect. In 2016, Senate Democrats did not shy away from using the filibuster against the defense spending bill in Congress; this is why the Department of Defense is still operating under a continuing resolution, which freezes funding at the previous years levels and prohibits new-start programs. We think its a distinct possibility that Congress will finally agree on the fiscal 2017 defense budget, but any fiscal 2018 proposal triggers a filibuster and potentially another continuing resolution that can--particularly if it lasts deep into fiscal 2018--create challenges for industry financial performance. Then there is the budget math. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans want to enact sizable tax cuts for corporations and individuals. Trump also continues to push an infrastructure plan, and we note his recalcitrance toward Medicare and Social Security spending reforms. We also note that recent statements from Trump do not emphasize a balanced budget. To offset other priorities, administration officials have pointed to cuts in other discretionary spending as bill-payers for the planned defense budget increase. The administration has put forward a top-line figure for nondefense discretionary spending of $462 billion, which is roughly $100 billion below fiscal 2016 actual levels and about $54 billion below the caps mandated in the Budget Control Act for fiscal 2018. Our view is that most senators and representatives wont find these cuts to other discretionary spending politically palatable and that a comprise will be required. Another wild card is GDP growth. Assuming average real GDP growth of 1.8% annually and no change to current law, the Congressional Budget Office projects persistent deficits of around 3% of GDP through 2020. If annual real GDP growth goes above 3%, then the budget math looks better. But 3% real GDP growth hasnt been achieved in over 10 years, and the longest consecutive stretch in which the real GDP increased by 3% or more each year was 1983-89. Moreover, promises of faster growth in the face of rising budget deficits combined with no entitlement reform may lead to revolt among the 30-40 Freedom Caucus members in the House of Representatives. Although the administrations budget will face hurdles, we view these first broad outlines as an opening gambit to set the negotiating terms with Congress. The next major milestone for investors will be the formal release of the budget request to Congress. Mulvaney is promising to send a budget outline to Congress by March 16 and hopes to flesh out a more detailed budget plan by mid-May. Regardless of timing, we plan to analyze the presidents defense budget request in detail for investors. After the request goes to Congress, it is a long and winding road through committees and ultimately to a possible vote later this year. Again, we think Democrats in the Senate and potentially fiscally conservative Republicans could block spending increases, which could lead to a continuing resolution, effectively freezing the budget at previous-year levels. In the end, this all may be headed toward another bipartisan stopgap measure--Congress has agreed to several in the recent past--that revises upward but does not completely repeal the caps on defense and nondefense discretionary spending. In the interim, we think the fiscal 2017 defense budget that the Obama administration put forward last year might finally get through Congress, albeit seven months after fiscal 2017 started, thereby ending the continuing resolution under which the Department of Defense is currently operating and providing defense contractors with more clarity. We also believe an OCO increase via a separate defense supplemental spending request is likely.

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A Closer Look at Trump's 10% Defense Spending Increase - Morningstar.com

Chris Green Staff writer @chrisfgreen

ROCKFORD Freedom Field Renewable Energy.

The name conjures up an image of sprawling acres of land populated withsolar panels ora wind farm producing an endless supply of self-sustaining energy.

"It is not a field," said Winnebago County AdministratorAmanda Hamaker. "It is an auditorium the size of a big-school cafeteria."

HamakertouredFreedom Field in early February with County Board Chairman Frank Haney andcame away less than impressed.

"The big missis R&D," she said. "There is no research and development being done there. There'snothing that connects the work ofFreedom Field back tothe grid, so to speak, but it also doesn't connectto any actual economic development for the future."

Hamaker, who has a MBA in sustainable business, made her comments Wednesdayafterthe Winnebago County Board's Economic Development Committee meeting, at which Haney asked for and receivedthe committee's approval to request a refundof $60,000 after the board paidFreedom Field atotal of$98,250so far in fiscal 2017.The County Board will consider Haney's request as early as Thursday.

The Freedom Field initiative was championed by Haney's predecessor, Scott Christiansen, a charter member of the nonprofit organization's board of directors. Christiansen, who continues to serve on the board,said the organization was volunteer-driven and had helped the county"retain and attract jobs because of the innovation that Freedom Field represents." He also noted that it has been a resource for college students, helping them get hands-on experience and attain jobs in sustainable energy.

Haney thinks otherwise.

"This is not personal," Haney said Wednesday oftheproposed $60,000 refund. "This is nothing more than right-sizing the investment with results."

On Thursday, Haneywas critical of the nonprofit's productivity:

"There is no correlation to the monies given to Freedom Field and (the creation of) local jobs, or more specifically, local green jobs.

"Sustainability and green technologies are not a gimmick. If we dont do sustainability right in terms of local investment, we are guilty of actually minimizing the importance, and hindering local industry from adopting green technology.

"So far, Freedom Field is nothing more than a long-term science project without any traceable research and development outcomes to invest back into local industry."

The refund requestcoincideswith Haney's campaign promise to be accountable for how the county spends money, particularly host fees.

Waste haulers who dump trash at the Winnebago Landfill are among several entities that pay a host, or tipping, fee to the county. Each year, the County Board earmarks anticipated host fee revenue for economic development projects. County leaders have weathered criticism, though, because the host fee program does not clearly define what constitutes "economic development."

Haney, who was elected County Board chairman in November,said the host fee program lacksadministrative oversightand is projected to spend $1.2 million more than what it earns this fiscal year. In addition, Haney said, the county has no disclosure policythat requires recipients to meet job creation or other economic development benchmarks thatwould justify thevalue of the county's investment.

The chairmanstressed that Freedom Field is not being singled out and saidallrecipientsof county host fee revenue will be scrutinized todetermine whether the publicreturn on investment merits continued funding.

Freedom Field, housed on the Kishwaukee Street campus of Rock River Water Reclamation District, isa nonprofit organization formed in 2009 to facilitate the development and operation of a renewable energy solutions center. Its mission, according to its latest brochure, is to "increase regional awareness of renewable energy opportunities and to facilitate development and commercialization of renewable energy solutions."

Chet Kolodziej, Freedom Field's executive director,also addressed the Economic Development Committee on Wednesday.He spoke of Freedom Field'spartnership with Rock Valley College andits annual presentation of theNorthern Illinois Renewable Energy Expo, a showcase of sustainable energy strategies attracting 250 to 300 people a year.

He told committee members that Freedom Field does not have and has never had established hours of operation and rents its space from the sanitary sewer district at little to no cost. He latertold the Register Star that Freedom Fielddoes not have any employees. Instead, he said Freedom Field is operated "more as a laboratory" oron anas-needed basis.

Winnebago County contributed$712,668.04 from its host fee fund to Freedom Field between Oct. 1, 2012, and November 2016, according to data that Haney provided the committee Wednesday. During thatfour-year period,more than $300,000 was sent back to the county's general fund to paythe salary of amaintenance worker.

County Board member Dave Fiduccia, R-11,questioned why the county would pay for a maintenance worker if Freedom Field does not own the building.

After the meeting, Fiducciasaid he felt duped.

"I thought there were people working there daily," he said. "I thought they had their little lab coats on and weredoing experiments."

Haneysaid he learned after touring the facility in February that Rock Valley College has pulled its equipment from Freedom Field.A Rock Valley Collegeprofessor of engineering and technologydeclined to comment.

Kolodziej said about 60 percent of the county's funding goes toward maintenance of equipment, such as pumps, motors, solar panels and inverters. "Anything that moves needs a fair amount of upkeep," he said.The remaining 40 percent, he said, goes toward event programming.

Kolodziej said he does not know whether Freedom Field would fold withoutthe county's funding.

"That's a board decision," he said. "It is something that needs to be evaluated."

Christiansen said numerous studentsin Rock Valley College's Sustainable Energy Systems and other degree programshad completed projects at Freedom Field and used the experience they earned there to land jobs.

"The fact that Freedom Field was on their resume they got hired," Christiansen said.

The former CountyBoard chairman said he understands the cash-strappedcounty is trying to save money wherever possible.

"During my time, we cut $26 million, and they'll have to cut some more," he said.

He describedFreedom Field's annual operating budget as "fluid," at times totaling up to $100,000 depending, he said, on thenumber of projects taking place at the facility.

He also said Freedom Field will remain openno matter what level of funding it receives from the county.

"The goal has always been to get away from public funding. I think the goal for Freedom Field is to beindependent," he said.

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

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Winnebago County's funding for Freedom Field may dry up - Rockford Register Star

How great is the threat to religious liberty? Just ask Aaron and Melissa Klein. The parents of five were before the Oregon Court of Appeals yesterday with their familys livelihood on the line all for the right to live and work according to their faith. For three long years, the couple whove became the brave face of Americas religious liberty clash has fought the charges of discrimination for turning down an order for a same-sex wedding cake. Staring down a $135,000 fine for exercising their beliefs, the couple is doing everything they can to hold their life together. But even sued, harassed, vandalized, the Kleins havent blinked, even in the face of the PC police. To be told theyre going to force me to convey a message other than what I want to convey it flies in the face of the Constitution, Aaron explained. Its a violation of my conscience. Its a violation of my religious freedom. Its horrible to see your own government doing this to you.

Unfortunately, the Kleins are just one of the families who arent only being persecuted but prosecuted for holding biblical views. At its heart, all Christians are asking for is the same accommodation for their views that liberals already enjoy. Its no wonder these threats to religious freedom are of great concern to leaders across the conservative spectrum.

That concern was front and center in a letter to President Trump this week from the Council for National Policy (CNP). If youre unfamiliar with the group, CNP is a membership organization made up of business and policy leaders who focus on fiscal, social, and foreign policy issues. Although the membership has a broad policy focus, theres strong consensus that mitigating the threat to our First Freedom is a priority. After eight years of President Obama, CNP like the rest of America is anxious to turn the page on almost a decade of faith-based harassment and persecution.

Thats why, this week, the largely behind-the-scenes coalition, which Ive led since 2015, took the unusual step of openly calling on Donald Trump to lift the dark clouds of religious hostility created by Barack Obama. That includes issuing an executive order that would defend the rights the Constitution gave us: to live and work according to our faith. Nearly 150 members of CNP signed the letter asking the White House to act before more Americans are crushed under the weight of the last presidents intolerance. Together with Attorney General Edwin Meese, Morton Blackwell, Kelly Shackelford, Becky Norton Dunlop, Dr. James Dobson, Penny Nance, and other familiar faces, we praised the president for the steps hes already taken in his young administration to uphold our First Freedoms.

We are writing to ask that you continue these efforts to defend religious freedom by issuing an executive order protecting the practical exercise of religious freedom. For the last eight years, Americans of all backgrounds have suffered the loss of their religious freedoms because of destructive Obama-era policies. We commend you for beginning to reverse that devastating trend. After keeping his word on so many other issues, CNP is asking that President Trump build on that reputation of promise-keeping by addressing a problem that hes already acknowledged. After all, it was Donald Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast who said, [O]ur Republic was formed on the basis that freedom is not a gift from government, but that freedom is a gift from God.

Right now, that gift has not only been abused but stolen by members of the radical Left. Using examples of everyone from Little Sisters of the Poor to the West Michigan Beef Company, the signers explain that these are real-life stories of persecution right here in America. These Christians and many like them have either been punished by the government for their religious beliefs or are about to suffer under Obama era anti-religious regulations, CNP writes. They need protections that you can grant through an executive order to prevent federal discrimination against them for acting in accordance with their beliefs. We urge you to take action to ensure their freedom to believe and live out those beliefs is protected from government punishment.

You can add your voice to CNPs and 30,000 other Americans who are asking President Trump to protect religious liberty by signing our petition here.

Originally published here.

The new Commander-in-Chief may be in control of a lot of things, but last week he made clear Americas bathrooms is not one of them. After President Trump nixed the hugely controversial federal edict that schools open their shower, locker room, and restroom doors to both genders, districts are already hard at work overturning the rules they were forced to adopt under the last administrations threats. From New Jersey to Wisconsin, local school boards arent wasting any time putting common-sense policies back in place.

In Derby, Kansas, you could almost feel the community exhale after months of outrage over the rules. By a 5-2 vote, the school board rolled back the federal mandate and embraced parents' views on the issue. Calling it a community-driven decision, one member explained, This realigns the procedure with the culture and values of the larger community of Derby. If we have students that require distinct services, we as a district need to address those on an individual basis and not take rights away from other students.

On the East Coast, New Jerseys Egg Harbor Township listened to two hours of emotional testimony before agreeing to put privacy and safety first. Kevin Barnat, a local pastor who led the opposition to Obamas agenda, said, Why cant we work together? Let Egg Harbor Township pave the way to protect everyone. In the end, the district did, promising that it would take responsible measures to accommodate the needs of transgender students in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations. Other areas, like Wausau, Wisconsin, are a work in progress. Moms and dads are putting pressure on members who used the Department of Educations letter to advance their own liberal agenda. Now, families are demanding that the school board rethink its position. [T]he Trump administration has gone ahead and rescinded that order, said one of the locals hoping to unseat a member who pushed Obamas policy through. And the school board chairman is not willing to act on it. Thats bound to change, if the community turns up the heat.

Meanwhile, the most-watched response to the bathroom and shower debate is in Texas, where leaders are moving full-steam ahead on the states Privacy Act (SB 6). Thanks to President Trump, the momentum for the bill is only building. On Washington Watch, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R) broke the news that the first hearing on SB 6 was scheduled for March 7 an announcement that became formal Wednesday. The Senate State Affairs Committee will be kicking off debate at 8 a.m., and FRC will be there with a group of our Watchmen pastors. Thanks to President Trump, states like Texas have the opportunity to decide for themselves which is more important: freedom and safety or political correctness? Under the leadership of Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and others, the Lone Stars are also ensuring that the debate wont be hijacked by local jurisdictions by creating a uniform policy across the state. Lets hope that more legislatures follow suit and seize the moment President Trump has given them!

Originally published here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.

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Law & (Executive) Order - Patriot Post

Residents might soon start to see signs that change is afoot within the county's parks and recreation facilities.

County Parks and Recreation staff asked for feedback last fall from residents about how to improve parks facilities.

John Carnifax, county parks and recreation director, said people emphasized access to water, improving trails and adding aquatic facilities during public hearings.

"Trails for walking and biking is still the number one thing that I hear," Carnifax said.

Those ideas will be put into a master plan used to guide the county's park and recreation initiatives over the next five years.

The department is working on improving four facilities around the county: Warhill Sports Complex, Freedom Park, James City County Recreation Center and Chickahominy Riverfront Park.

"This document really reflects the needs that the community has come to us with," Carnifax said.

Finding funds

Despite a growing wish list, the county will have limited funds to work with.

The county is proposing to include $4.4 million the five-year capital improvement plan for parks and recreation projects. If approved, that money will be spent in the fiscal year beginning July 1. Of that total, $3.1 million will be spent for the synthetic turf at Warhill Sports Complex.

The department states in the master plan: "... it may be time to consider a bond issue in order to ensure that the Department continue to provide the level of quality programs and facilities that James City County residents expect."

In 1995 and 2005, bond referendums were passed to allocate funds to Parks and Recreations projects, according to the master plan.

A bond referendum planned for 2015 was not issued due to the economic climate, according to the master plan.

The county also plans to use general funds to cover cost for parks and recreations projects. The county spends about $5.5 million on Parks and Recreation in its annual operating budget. It has also collects about $2.8 million to $3 million in user fees, according to the budget document.

Parks and Recreations staff is seeking state grants, sponsorship and advertising to help pay for projects, according to the master plan.

Proposed projects

The county is proposing several indoor and outdoor projects in the master plan.

Carnifax said the county will address residents concerns about traffic at the complex by submitting a traffic plan proposal to VDOT. The plan is still being reviewed by the state.

At the Recreation Center, at 5301 Longhill Road, the county is proposing to add shade structures, improving the athletics fields and making the center ADA compliant. Recreation center improvements would cost $1 million, according to the master plan.

At Chickahominy Riverfront Park, the county is proposing adding a splash pad. At Freedom Park, there are plans to add a walking trail and interpretive stage. This will cost $175,000.

"I'm in the real estate industry, and I think the amenities are something that are important for people who come here, stay here and might decide to live here," said Kevin Onizuk, James City County Board of Supervisors chairman. "As a community as a whole having good parks and recreation department is good for demand which in turn is good for the county."

In December, supervisors agreed to relocate an indoor gymnasium and add a multipurpose room to the Warhill Sports Complex. A WATA bus transfer station will also be created. The total projected cost: $13 million.

The indoor gymnasium will be relocated from next to the basketball courts to open space near the stadium. The transfer station will be on-site but outside of the park proper.

Public response

The county spent last fall soliciting input from residents about parks and recreation improvements. Residents completed 572 surveys between Oct. 21-Dec. 4.

Residents top recreation interests were outdoor activities and programs, health, wellness and fitness.

Participants said the facilities they used most were James City County Recreation Center, Freedom Park, Chickahominy Riverfront Park, Veterans Park and Warhill Sports Complex.

"I like the Parks and Recreation Department; it works out well for me and my family," said James City County resident Bill Scavezze, at the Recreation Center on Friday. "I like the pool, the workout stuff and my son is involved in the soccer programs."

"I think (the facilities) are terrific. I come here three times a week. It's reasonably priced and they have everything you need," said Scott Cash, a county resident who was also at the center.

The department also surveyed people on why they didn't use Parks and Recreation amenities. Two main reasons were a lack of time and unawareness. Those responses troubled Carnifax.

"As much as we've gotten in to social media, that is the one that surprised me," Carnifax said. "I wish we could improve the (unawareness numbers). I want people to know we have the facilities."

Still, the county is growing and more people are using the facilities.

Since the last master plan in 2009, the county's population rose from 64,436 people to 73,147 in 2016.

The amount of unique visitors who visited park facilities also increased from 2.1 million in 2009 to 3.5 million in 2016, according to department statistics.

The most popular facility was the Recreation Center, according to the surveys.

Planning Commissioner Richard Krapf said he was impressed with Parks and Recreation's ability to account for the needs of a growing population.

"This is an exceptionally well put together (master plan)," Krapf said.

Carnifax said the department is moving in the right direction.

"It's not just more people are moving here but it's also because of improved amenities," Carnifax said.

Jefferson can be reached by phone at 757-790-9313.

Want to view the master plan?

Visit: http://bit.ly/2mv92sG

The master plan will go to the Board of Supervisors for approval on April 11.

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James City County Parks and Recreation Department outlines vision - Virginia Gazette

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been ranked two points ahead of India in the Index of Economic Freedom 2017 published by Washingtons No 1 think tank, The Heritage Foundation, which measures the principles of economic freedom and progress.

Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labour and property. In an economically free society, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest, and governments allow labor, capital, and goods to move freely, and refrain from coercion or constraint of liberty.

Pakistan is ranked at 141 out of a total 180 countries, while India is ranked at 143. However, both countries are ranked in the Mostly Unfree category.

The reports states that Pakistan has pursued reforms to improve its entrepreneurial environment and facilitate private-sector development. The financial sector has undergone modernisation and restructuring while progress in improving the entrepreneurial environment has been modest.

However, overall progress lags significantly behind other countries in the region. The tax system is complex and inefficient despite reforms to broaden the tax base and increase transparency, while unstable democracy and threat of terrorism have made the business operating environment more challenging in recent years.

Furthermore, it states the judicial system of Pakistan suffers from a serious backlog, and corruption continues to taint the civil service, while excessive state involvement in the economy and restrictions on foreign investment are serious drags on economic dynamism.

The index states that India is a significant force in world trade but corruption, underdeveloped infrastructure, and poor management of public finance continue to undermine overall development

In India growth is not deeply rooted in policies that preserve economic freedom while progress on market-oriented reforms has been uneven and a restrictive regulatory environment discourages entrepreneurship.

According to the according to the editors of the Index, the world economy is moderately free with another rise in economic liberty leading to a fifth annual global increase. Among the 180 countries ranked, scores improved for 103 countries and declined for 73 (16 of which recorded their lowest Index scores ever).

The world average score of 60.9 is the highest recorded in the 23-year history of the Index. Forty-nine countries, the majority of which are developing countries, achieved their highest-ever Index scores.

Hong Kong and Singapore were ranked first and second in the rankings, while five other frequent top 10 finishers New Zealand (3rd globally), Switzerland (4th), Australia (5th), Estonia (6th) and Canada also improved their scores.

A surprise newcomer to the top 10, the United Arab Emirates took the 8th spot. Ireland (9th) and Chile (10th) saw their scores dip but still managed to round out the global top 10 ranking.

The Index of Economic Freedom documents the positive relationship between economic freedom and a variety of positive social and economic goals. The ideals of economic freedom are strongly associated with healthier societies, cleaner environments, greater per capita wealth, human development, democracy, and poverty elimination.

Launched in 1995, the Index evaluates countries in four broad policy areas that affect economic freedom: rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets.

There are twelve specific categories: property rights, judicial effectiveness, government integrity, tax burden, government spending, fiscal health, business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom, trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom.

Each of the twelve economic freedoms within these categories is graded on a scale of 0 to 100. A countrys overall score is derived by averaging these twelve economic freedoms, with equal weight being given to each.

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Pakistan ranked above India in Economic Freedom Index report - Daily Times

Temporary budget consultant Shante Humble was introduced at a recent Sandwich City Council meeting.

Humble works at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, in the finance departments office of the budget, Mayor Rick Olson said. According to her contract with the city, Humble will work in Sandwich and off-sitethrough the citys budget year at the end of May.

Humble distributed new forms to city officials and heads of departments to help them prepare the citys fiscal 2018 budget, according to Olson. He explained her contract is for atotal of96hours with an hourly wage of about $33 an hour.

The citys prior finance director left the position in November.

In other business, the council had a lengthy discussion about 16 new streetlights that will be installed on West Center Street from Green Street through the Main Street intersection. Some aldermen thought theres not enough money in city coffers to pay for the streetlights and others stressed that the decorative streetlights should remain a part of the downtown beautification efforts.

Director of Public Works/City Engineer Tom Horak told the council there were three different prices, depending on the number of non-decorative street lights with arms on top and how many of the decorative street lights are erected. The prices ranged from $171,000 to $189,000 to $227,000. He said the poles would have electrical outlets and flag holders installed.

Horak announced a schedule for bidding the streetlight project, with bids opened March 22 and awarded April 6. If those dates remain in effect, he said work would start after the July 5 Freedom Days Parade and be completed by the Early Days Gas Engine Days parade of tractors the end of June.

The parking lot on the southeast corner of Main and Center streets will be closed for 31 days for construction equipment, he said.

Horak also is preparing plans for work on the Lisbon Street project, where the city plans to repave the street and to install new sidewalks, water main pipes and sanitary sewer pipes. Construction, which also will include improvements at the intersection of Main and Lisbon streets, is to begin in April, he said.

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Consultant to help Sandwich prepare budget for fiscal 2018 - Kendall County Now (subscription)

I am part Text ColorSwatch/NoneStrokeStyle/$ID/SolidText ColorSwatch/NoneStrokeStyle/$ID/Solid$ID/NothingText ColorText Color$ID/NothingText ColorText Colorof Text ColorSwatch/NoneStrokeStyle/$ID/SolidText ColorSwatch/NoneStrokeStyle/$ID/Solid$ID/NothingText ColorText Color$ID/NothingText ColorText Colora profession recently designated an Enemy of the People.

Its a chilling phrase, used by despots throughout history to justify the limitation of free speech, the imprisonment and even murder of those who speak anyway.

Id like to share this quote from David Remnick of The New Yorker (Feb. 18):

Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, makes the point that autocrats from Chvez to Erdogan, Sisi to Mugabe, all follow a general pattern. They attack and threaten the press with deliberate and ominous intensity; the press, in turn, adopts a more oppositional tone and role. And then that paves the way for the autocrats next move, Simon told me. Popular support for the media dwindles and the leader starts instituting restrictions. Its an old strategy.

However McCarthyism aside it is new to the land of the free, the home of the brave.

Does America have enemies? Sure. Within and without. But you cannot paint the entire media profession with one brush.

Its not all fake news. Its not fake news just because you dont like it. Think it through. Would you trust Breitbart over PBS? Occupy Democrats over the Associated Press?

With a nod to Mike Wilson, editor of the Dallas Morning News, who first wrote on this ...

An enemy of the people wrote a three-part feature on beloved restaurant Olpe Chicken House. An enemy of the people revealed a serious case of theft at a beloved, taxpayer-supported institution.

An enemy of the people spent a day with a law enforcement officer to give the community a better idea of what our protectors face.

An enemy of the people wrote about the need for food, clothes and a place to take a shower for students at Emporia High School.

An enemy of the people questioned the fiscal need for yet another community survey. An enemy of the people talked to hometown hero Clint Bowyer so you could keep up with his career.

Enemies of the people routinely contribute articles to The Gazette on fiscal health, physical health, spiritual health.

Am I your enemy? I hope not. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press is vital to our nation.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.

The Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1892-1984. 1937 1945 interred at Sachsenhausen and Dachau

Regina Murphy

Features Editor

See more here:

Who is the enemy? - Emporia Gazette

Nothing President Donald Trump said in his first speech to Congress, and nothing visible on this years budget battle horizon, will change the grim realities of the long-range federal fiscal forecast.

Trump continues to sound like hes out to refashion the Republicans as populist protectors of elderly Americans and their expansive government safety net, and GOP leaders on the Hill newly sound like they arent going to do anything to stand in his way. That represents a fundamental retreat from three decades of party orthodoxy, which could revive the sort of ballooning annual deficits long derided by Republicans as the enemy of national economic stability.

This has nothing to do with the 10 percent increase in military spending Trump is advocating, which hed pay for by cutting an equivalent $54 billion from education, the environment and other domestic programs.

That headline-inducing trade-off already looks dead on arrival at the Capitol the boost rejected by defense hawks as too timid and the nonmilitary cuts spurned by lawmakers in both parties as impractically draconian. But at least the simplistic equation had the virtue of neutrality toward the budgetary bottom line.

Not so the all-but-formalized decision by the Trump administration to propose no changes whatsoever for Medicare, Social Security, veterans benefits and the other big entitlements. These are otherwise known as mandatory programs because the government is mandated to cover whatever the beneficiaries are entitled based on formulas and eligibility rules that Congress is under no obligation to revisit each year.

Just as he never mentioned North Korea or Russia, two of the nations most nettlesome overseas adversaries, in his address Tuesday night, neither did he say a word about entitlements, which are a comparably vexing and enormous challenge domestically.

Thats because they already combine to account for three-fifths of the budget, and that is twice as much as the $1.2 trillion being spent this year on discretionary programs, from the Pentagon to the arts agencies, which are subject to annual appropriations decisions. (The rest is interest on the national debt.)

Thanks mainly to the aging baby-boom population, annual entitlements will grow by almost $500 billion, or 18 percent, just during this presidential term unless Congress and Trump come up with a plan to curtail the outlays. Just 10 years from now, entitlements will have mushroomed 73 percent more than currently, cresting $4.3 trillion. That will be almost two-thirds of the entire federal budget, and also almost triple what the appropriators have to allocate assuming a continuation in the very slow pace of recent growth in discretionary spending.

And unless taxes are increased along the way which both Trump and the GOP Congress remain unalterably resistant to the cost of doing nothing about entitlements will quickly grow stark. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected last month the annual deficit will rise from $560 billion this year to $1 trillion in six years and $1.4 trillion in 2027, which would equal 5 percent of the economy. And the cumulative effect of those steadily widening budget imbalances would mean adding $10 trillion to the national debt in the next decade, the CBO estimates.

Such dramatic trend lines are nothing new, but they do get slightly more alarming each time another year passes without any legislation to slow or shallow the trajectories which would happen, perhaps dramatically, depending on how deeply entitlement benefits got curbed or how much eligibility was limited.

By remaining silent on that score, Trump is absolutely staying true to his campaign promise to keep Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid just as they are.

The much more newsworthy silence comes from Speaker Paul D. Ryan, whose rapid rise from young Wisconsin backbencher to the principal policy playmaker in the House was fueled by a passionate advocacy for entitlement curbs, which he views as the central ingredient for balancing the budget, and creating a new era of national fiscal health.

This is a once-in-a-generation moment, Ryan said Tuesday of the legislative year ahead, because the first entirely Republican power structure in Washington in a decade creates the opportunity to finally tackle big problems that have held us back for so long.

But the roster of a half-dozen topics he then enumerated made no mention of corralling the growth of entitlements. Asked if that meant the issue had been dropped for the year, the speaker quipped I never give up a dream and took no more questions at his news conference.

He told some other reporters during the day that he believes Trump might still be someday persuaded to limiting Medicare and Social Security for people who retire in the future because if you dont start bending the curve in the out years, we are hosed. But that night, Ryan nonetheless labeled Trumps speech a home run, and to be sure, the president did come close to endorsing Ryans plan for taxing imports and embraced the House GOP leaderships framework for replacing the 2010 health care law.

Still, Ryans apparent willingness to back away from the central crusade of his congressional career is further evidence of his awkward position in the capital power structure of 2017.

Having criticized Trumps temperament and ideology repeatedly during the campaign, without ever flatly repudiating him, while at the same time enduring regular putdowns from the GOP nominee for having focused on fiscal austerity and then losing as the vice presidential candidate of 2012, Ryan is not in the best position to wage a war for the Republican Partys philosophical soul. The president is the de facto head of his political party, no matter how improbable his victory or how low his initial approval ratings.

So if Trump sticks with his unusual recipe of nationalism and economic populism as a replacement for fiscal discipline and a smaller social safety net as the pillars of GOP orthodoxy, for now Ryan and the rest of the party hierarchy in Congress have little choice except to get with the program or get castigated by the partys base forundermining their top commander.

Many Republicans on the Hill had been counting on two of their own now in the Cabinet White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, previously a House Freedom Caucus stalwart from South Carolina, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, a Georgian who was previously the House Budget Committee chairman to successfully sell Trump on the notion that pushing entitlement restraint in the name of long-term government solvency would be an important way to cement an economic legacy.

Although the first written outline of Trumps initial budget wont be delivered to the Capitol for two weeks, his opening preview and his first congressional address have made clear that argument did not get very far.

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How a Tenet of GOP Orthodoxy Slipped Away - Roll Call

As someone who was intimately involved in supporting Tea Party activists in 2009, I feel like Ive entered Bizarro World.

A re-energized wave of liberal activists is crashing down across the nation. Democrats are celebrating disruptive protesters at congressional town hall forums, lauding them as living exemplars of the best traditions of American participatory democracyflesh-and-blood versions of Norman Rockwells Freedom of Speech painting. Everywhere, people are marching, protesting, tweeting, [and] speaking out, cheered Hillary Clinton in a new video released by the Democratic National Committee. Let resistance plus persistence equal progress.

Story Continued Below

For many Republicans, their new roles in this episode are equally upside down. Members of Congress are skipping out on public events, afraid of catching the wrath of angry voters. Several GOP elected officials have alleged that the protesters are not actual constituents, but outside agitators paid by wealthy liberalspeople to be ignored, not engaged with. President Donald Trump himself questioned the legitimacy of so-called angry crowds, tweeting that they are planned out by liberal activists. Marco Rubio, who first won election to the U.S. Senate in the Tea Party wave of 2010, has defended his own decision to avoid such town halls, arguing that attendees will heckle and scream at me in front of cameras.

What a difference eight years makes.

Back in 2009, it was impossible to find a single Democratic apparatchik willing to acknowledge the legitimacy of citizen participation in congressional town halls. Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas dismissed frustrated voters as a mob part of a coordinated, nationwide effort. Then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi described Tea Party protesters not as grass-roots Americans, but as artificial Astroturf. After a glut of protests at town hall events in August 2009, she even went so far as to co-author a USA Today op-ed in which she smeared the demonstrators tactics as un-American. Organizing for America, Barack Obamas campaign machine-turned-advocacy group, outrageously labeled Tea Party members right-wing domestic terrorists who are subverting the American democratic process.

Improbable as it seems, the hysterical reactions from the left about robust citizen participation in the democratic process in 2009 almost make Trumps tweets circa 2017 seem downright reasonable. As Jerry Seinfeld once described it: Up is down, and down is up.

In 2009, I served as the head of FreedomWorks, where I helped to support and organize Tea Party activists. I know something about town-hall protesters. And I have some tough news for both parties. The Tea Party was real, not astroturf, we were not a mob, and we were certainly not domestic terrorists.

Likewise, the Womens March in January and the current flood of town-hall protests are equally real, and should not be dismissed or diminished. Citizens exercising their poweras long as they dont hurt people or infringe on others rightsis always a positive thing. Indeed, its one of the primary tools Americans have to hold the government accountable.

If it looks like chaos, I call it beautiful chaos. We are in the middle of a political paradigm shift that is giving access to knowledge and power back to end users. Citizens have more say today, and social media and other technologies make it easier to educate others about the issues and organize.

Welcome to the new normal in American politics.

***

Todays progressive town-hall protesters follow in a tradition of disrupting the old top-down status quoone that stretches back across the political spectrum, ranging from Howard Dean to Ron Paul to the Tea Party, and yes, even Donald Trump.

That said, there are some important differences between Tea Party and todays activists, and I think these distinctions will ultimately undermine the ability of todays protests to evolve into a social movement with real electoral consequences.

First, this movement feels strictly partisan, and many of the groups supporting the protesters have strictly partisan goals. Indivisible, the group bootstrapping a training manual on town hall disruption based on Tea Party tactics, is helmed by Democratic operatives. Several of the authors are, in fact, former staffers of Doggett. Likewise, the Center for American Progress, the Service Employees International Union, and Organizing for Action (President Obamas community-organizing operation formerly known as Organizing for America) are all involved, often with paid community organizers on the ground.

At FreedomWorks, we provided much of the same type of support: training, organizing, and providing logistical backing. Although we were savaged at the time as Astroturf, these wereand arelegitimate functions. But there is an important difference between advancing partisan political goals and advocating an ideological agenda.

Though my friends on the left may not realize this, they ignore it at their own peril: The Tea Party wasnt a partisan movement, especially in 2009 and 2010. Critics of the Tea Party forget (or ignore) the origins of our frustrations. At the massive Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009, every single activist I spoke with cited President George W. Bushs Wall Street bailout as their primary motive for getting involved. They would recite back to me his infamous rationale: I abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system. Thats what got folks off the couch and organizing. We were ideologues in 2009, and our shared philosophy bound us as a movement.

We targeted Republicans and Democrats with equal zeal, because, as our battle cry made clear at the time, we had to beat the Republicans before we could beat the Democrats. By contrast, todays protesters seem to be strictly targeting Republican town halls instead of making Democratic members of Congress feel the heat, too.

Second, its hard to find a focused, unifying set of issues or principles that connect todays Democratic protesters. Most seem motivated solely by Donald Trumps victory in November. But being anti-Trump is not enough: Even if they wanted to, Republicans in Congress cant really do anything about this. Are the disruptions today about the electoral process? Russia? Immigration? Health care? LGBT rights? One of the myriad other issues that seem to be drawing activists out? I cant tell. They will need to find unified principles and a cause.

The Tea Party, almost to a person, was unified on the principles of individual freedom, fiscal responsibility, and constitutionally limited government. Our policy agenda flowed from that: opposition to bailouts, deficit spending and government control of health care.

Third, if protesters want their cause to reach independents and disaffected Republicans (there are likely plenty), they had better keep it civil and respectful. Tea Partyers certainly got rowdy at the 2009 town halls, but they also came prepared, many having read and shared the contents of the health-care legislation that Pelosi had posted online. Surprising as it may be to some on the left, at FreedomWorks gatherings of Tea Party organizers, we were assigning readings about Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, and other successful nonviolent social movements. Violence can kill your cause, and we did our best to police our own community. Fair or not, todays protesters will own the worst behavior associated with their efforts.

Just shouting down members of Congressor in the case of one recent town hall in Louisiana, booing both the Pledge of Allegiance and the chaplain offering an opening prayer wont play well with anyone you need to win over. Not all protesters are the same and most are real people with real frustrations, but all protesters will be tarred by the actions of the worst among the group. Try to show a little respect, and it will be more effective.

Republicans are making a big mistake if they dismiss or ignore this movement. Contra the political mythology, the Tea Party was far more independent than Republican, and that translated into a broader coalition when coupled with the existing GOP vote. Today, the same battle rages for the hearts and minds of independents and Republicans uneasy with Trumps rhetoric.

So, a little advice to Republican elected officials: Dont avoid town halls. In fact, schedule more of them, like Representative Justin Amash has done. Listen. Hear your constituents. Defend your positions. Dont abandon the promises you made to voters in the election. If needed, provide for security at the event so that all citizens feel safe. Set up a system where everyone gets a chance to speak and to hear your response. Answer democratic engagement with more democratic engagement.

I realize how difficult this all may be in practice, but I agree with former Democratic Representative Gabby Giffords: Have some courage. Face your constituents. Hold town halls. Democrats failed that test in 2009 and 2010. Republicans run the risk of making the same mistake in 2017.

Matt Kibbe is president and chief community organizer of Free the People, and a senior editor at CRTV. He is the author of Dont Hurt People and Dont Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto.

Read more:

Wake Up, Republicans: This Could Be the Democrats' Tea Party - POLITICO Magazine