Common Sense Unfiltered

In this special edition of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, March 4, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled "Over Easy or Overpriced? The Growing Cost of Living in Colorado." Our panelists included:

Tamra Ryan - CSI Coors Economic Mobility Fellow

Lynn Granger - President & CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association

Ross Kaminsky - CSI Free Enterprise Fellow

Vince Bzdek - Editor-in-Chief of the Colorado Springs Gazette (Moderator).

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The state of Iowa does not have a Department of Government Efficiency, however, Iowa lawmakers began improving government efficiency through a state initiative known as “alignment” more than a year before the American public ever heard of a “DOGE” at the federal level. Common Sense Institute commission a report that evaluates Iowa’s 2023 government alignment. Specifically, it identifies the portion of the 2024 tax cuts attributable to the savings from alignment and uses dynamic modeling to forecast its economic impact on the state. That report, titled "Iowa’s D.O.G.E.: How state government alignment is retuning money back to Iowans and contributing to the state’s economy" can be found here. 

By controlling the rate of growth in government, Iowa lawmakers increased state surpluses over the last five years even while cutting taxes and expanding total state spending. During a period when individual income taxes fell from a top marginal rate of 8.98% to a flat rate of 3.8% and the top corporate rate fell from 12% to 7.1%, total state spending rose by nearly 23%. Education and healthcare saw the greatest increases in spending. When revenue growth outpaces the growth in government, the state can increase its revenue and spending even as tax rates fall. State government alignment helped moderate government growth over the last 18 months, resulting in significant savings for the state budget relative to the counterfactual.

Chairman and Host Earl Wright welcomes Ben Murrey, Director of Policy and Research, to Common Sense Digest to discuss the report. The two discuss the origins of the program, the reduction in taxes for all Iowans, and how crucial services were maintained (and sometimes expanded), all while eliminating redundancies and cutting budget.  

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Everybody wants cleaner energy – but not everybody is going to be happy about how much clean energy is going to cost them.  

Our host DJ Summers, Director of Policy and Research for Common Sense Institute, referencing CSI's recent report "The Future of Energy Prices in Colorado," breaks down the state’s emission reduction laws which require zero carbon emissions from the electric sector by 2040, the increase in electrification for buildings, and the accelerated retirement of coal and natural gas plants. Ambitious carbon reduction goals are a noble pursuit, but how much will it cost businesses and consumers? The total numbers are likely to shock you. Find out how much you'll be paying on this episode of Colorado Clarity. 

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Our research can be found here.

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Public concern over crime in Oregon has intensified, with a significant majority of residents expressing dissatisfaction with local government responses. A May 2024 poll revealed that 78% of Portland-area voters disapprove of how local authorities are handling crime, reflecting widespread unease across various demographics. This sentiment is further underscored by a December 2023 survey, where 74% of respondents expressed worry about becoming crime victims, and 90% were dissatisfied with public safety. 

These concerns are substantiated by recent crime statistics. Between 2019 and 2023, Oregon experienced a 10% increase in violent crime, contrasting with a 4% national decline. Notably, the state's murder rate surged by 53%, more than double the national increase of 22%. Aggravated assaults rose by 23% in Oregon, surpassing the national uptick of 10%. While property crimes in Oregon decreased by 11%, this reduction lags behind the national decline of 23%. Motor vehicle thefts in the state escalated by 28%, outpacing the national rise of 15%. You can read our full report on the issue here.

Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Mark McMullen, Vice President of Research and Policy for CSI Oregon, and Max Williams, former State Representative, former Director of Oregon Department of Corrections, and Past President and Senior Advisor of the Oregon Community Foundation to discuss the report, its findings, recommendations for a path forward and much more. 

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Like other states across the nation, Iowa faces a severe shortage of quality affordable childcare. Research by the Iowa Women’s Foundation found that the annual average cost of infant care in Iowa is 18.4% higher than in-state tuition at a four-year public college and 14.1% higher than annual housing costs. The fact is, childcare is prohibitively expensive if not entirely inaccessible to many Iowa families with young kids. Without affordable and reliable childcare, parents’—especially mothers—miss out on work. When women forego employment early in their careers because they don’t have childcare, not only do they lose the opportunity to earn income, but they also miss out on crucial years to build their careers and increase their earning potential over the long term, causing them to fall behind economically. And when childcare reduces participation in Iowa’s workforce, the state’s businesses and economy also lose.

Joining Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright is Sheri Penny, who serves as Employment Engagement Director for the Iowa Women’s Foundation, a Des Moines-based non-profit focused on shattering the barriers to economic self-sufficiency for Iowa’s women and girls. The organization is engaged with 85 communities, more than 160 business leaders, 44 economic development and chamber of commerce offices, and 37 out-of-state leaders—all working with the Iowa Women’s Foundation on childcare solutions. She and CSI Iowa's Director of Policy & Research Ben Murrey discuss the issue from a variety of angles including the causes, solutions, potential impacts, and how childcare profoundly affects Iowa's workforce. Our full study on the issue can be found here.

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Downtown Denver was a jewel of the state during the 2010s. It was vibrant and full of businesses. That has changed markedly in the last five years. Downtown Denver still has not recovered to its former glory, and its recovery is slower than other cities in the U.S. The malaise of downtown Denver is perhaps not cleanly explained by urban decay or remote work alone. Downtown economies are complex and varied. To the extent that it is possible to know which factors are most directly related to a sluggish downtown recovery, homelessness and crime, particularly property crime, are as important as the remote work trends that have emptied offices. Our full report can be found here. 

Joining CSI Chairman and Host Earl Wright to discuss the various issues pertinent to downtown Denver are CSI Urban Development Fellow Kelly Brough, who now serves as board member for the Ensemble Innovation Venture Fund and President of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, J. J. Ament. They examine the issue from a multitude of angles, discuss both possible causes and potential solutions, and highlight factors like foot traffic, office vacancy, crime, homelessness, and affordability. 

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The Common Sense Institute's 2024 Ballot Guide highlights the potential economic and fiscal impacts of key ballot measures in Colorado. Proposition 127, for instance, could lead to significant revenue losses for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and reduce overall economic output by $61.65 million. Other measures, such as school choice and law enforcement funding, focus on improving education options and public safety, while initiatives like the fur ban and affordable housing tax could have broad implications for local businesses and residents. You can find our full ballot guide here.

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman of CSI Earl Wright welcomes CSI Colorado Executive Director Kelly Caufield and Senior Economist and Research Analyst Zach Milne to the show to discuss selected ballot issues and their likely impacts. Earl also asks Zach about inflation, and the three discuss the issue along with housing, energy and how local governments can impact all of these issues. 

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In this episode of Colorado Clarity, host DJ Summers sits down with Chris Brown, Vice President of Policy & Research at the Common Sense Institute, to break down the multi-year inflationary cycle that’s become a central issue in the presidential election. Together, they dive into CSI’s recently released Inflation Misery Index, with a focus on its impact on Colorado’s economy. How much misery are we facing when we address inflation?

Read the full report: https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/jobs-and-our-economy/inflation-misery-index

Earlier this year, the Common Sense Institute released a thorough review of homelessness spending at all levels – non-profits, state and local governments, and federal grants and transfers. The report identified over 200 Arizona providers – public and private - who today spend a collective $1 billion per year on homelessness-related expenses. Despite those resources, Arizona’s counted homeless population has increased more than 40% in the past five years; over half of them are unsheltered.

Following up on that initial research, Common Sense Institute has worked with two dozen stakeholders throughout Arizona from the more than 200 public and private homeless service providers and other stakeholders. They were asked a simple question: What is needed to solve the homelessness crisis in Arizona? Our full report can be found here. 

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Julie Katsel, Jim Kolbe Free Enterprise Fellow and one of the report's authors, and Ted Maxwell, President & CEO of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council to discuss the report, the complexity of the homelessness issue, the many approaches currently deployed, what an ideal path forward might look like, and much more. 

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

In this episode of Colorado Clarity, we sit down with Dr. Reggie Washington to discuss the critical state of maternal healthcare. As an expert in the field, Dr. Washington sheds light on the challenges, disparities, and advancements in maternal care, both in Colorado and across the nation. Join us as we explore the vital role of equitable healthcare access for mothers and the work being done to improve outcomes for families.

Read the full report here: https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/healthcare/colorados-ranking-on-maternal-healthcare-costs-and-options