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New option for consumers who want to avoid genetically engineered foods (even though they're safe)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing a voluntary certification program for foods that do not contain genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. The AP reports: USDA’s move comes as some consumer groups push for mandatory labeling of the genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The certification, the first of its kind, would be voluntary — and companies […]

Sundry links: capital gains tax, data centers, and tourism

Jared Walczak of the Tax Foundation writes about proposals to tax capital gains here in Washington, and links to our report on Gov. Inslee’s proposal. TechFlash reports that CenturyLink has decided to locate a new data center in Grant County. We wrote about the economic impact of data centers on central Washington in 2013. Further […]

Wages vs pension promises: A bird in the hand . . .

David Goldstein links to the news that the Illinois Supreme Court has found certain pension reforms in that state to be unconstitutional. The New York Times reports, The changes would have curtailed future cost-of-living adjustments for workers, raised the age of retirement for some and put a cap on pensions for those with the highest […]

Policy Today: Happiness and Incumbency

InFocus this week: Aerospace, tourism, employment, and annual dinner update

In Focus this week: Economic mobility, McCleary, and plumbing

Harvard study shows economic mobility is relatively high for kids raised in Snohomish and King Counties

A front page article in today’s New York Times highlights a new study by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren, two Harvard University economists: Based on the earnings records of millions of families that moved with children, [the Chetty and Hendren study] finds that poor children who grow up in some cities and towns have sharply […]

Looking on the budget bright side . . .

In 2013, Oregon had reformed its public pension system, including by repealing certain cost-of-living adjustments. Yesterday the state Supreme Court ruled that that was unconstitutional. The Oregonian has a delightfully scathing editorial: Unfortunately, the majority party has spent much of the current legislative session on a counterproductive, far-left policy bender. . . . Thursday’s court […]

In Focus this week: Free trade, minimum wage for actors, and rent control

The false hope of rent control

Last week Seattle City Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Nick Licata held an affordable housing town hall. From the news reports of the meeting, it sounds like rent control was the main agenda item. As I’ve written before, this is a bad idea. Still, it seems like this may be the new hot topic in Seattle, […]