Richard S. Davis

Northwest coal ports and American railroad success

The Economist, England’s business-oriented news magazine, features the Northwest’s coal export controversy this week. The relatively short piece offers both sides a chance to state their case. Balance in coverage of this issue can be hard to find. It’s worth a read. An associated story from the previous week should not be missed. It deals […]

Courting California: UT & VA Governors Want to Win Jobs from Golden State

California’s troubled business climate has become a punchline. Earlier this year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry ran radio ads in California urging businesses to check out Texas. Chief Executive magazine ranks California the worst state for business. The California Business Roundtable finds a majority of business leaders think it’s harder to do business in California than […]

Incentives (Still) Matter

News today that Boeing will be investing $1 billion and creating 2,000 jobs in South Carolina over the next eight years underscores the aggressive competition among the states. And, it shows that incentives continue to play a role in corporate investment decisions. Communities and states that understand that simple fact stand to gain. While we […]

AP report highlights problems in retiree pension, health care programs

Yesterday AP reporter Mike Baker exposed abuses in a now-closed pension program for police and firefighters. The program makes it possible for some people to pump their pension by taking late pay raises. As Baker reports, it’s not an isolated situation. And it significantly increases state pension costs. • Even while state and local budget […]

State budget office expresses concerns with proposed Senate budget

Things are moving fast. For now. Then they’re likely to slow down. The quick stuff is the speed of the Senate budget, which was unveiled Wednesday and may go to the floor today, having passed out of committee yesterday. A similarly hare-like pace may be anticipated for the House budget expected next week. Then the […]

Skilled worker shortage starts with high school

Education Week carries a short item on the shortage of skilled manufacturing workers. It’s consistent with what we posted on yesterday regarding a new study of the skills gap in Washington. The EW story has this additional insight. In Minnesota, 13 percent of all jobs are in manufacturing, and the average pay is about $56,000 […]

Oil companies top the list of taxation heroes

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Merril Matthews debunks the enduring myth of the undertaxed oil company. …those special tax breaks just for the oil and gas industry don’t exist. <snip> Ironically, USA Today just published the top-10 list of companies that paid the highest U.S. income taxes as of 2012, and oil industry companies took […]

STEMming the skills gap – better education boosts the economy

In my column this morning I address the recent Washington Roundtable/Boston Consulting Group report on the skills gap. It’s an urgent problem, one that’s costing us jobs now. Combining analyses of publicly-available employment and education data with executive interviews, BCG was able to document the economic impact of the skills gap in Washington. The researchers […]

Business leaders concerned that Inslee's tax hikes will hamper growth

Since Gov. Jay Inslee announced a budget that raised taxes $1.2 billion over the next biennium, business groups have argued that many of the proposed hikes will depress economic activity. AWB president Don Brunell identified the clear immediate consequence. Families and employers pay the government more money. Washington Retail Association president Jan Teague has an […]

Washington's Tax Freedom Day arrives April 20, ranking us 9th highest nationally

The Tax Foundation today released its annual Tax Freedom Day report. Tax Freedom Day is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year… In 2013, Americans will pay $2.76 trillion in federal taxes and $1.45 trillion in state taxes, for a total […]