A new group backed by some familiar names hopes to become a go-to source for research on tax legislation and other budgetary proposals.
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy describes itself as "nonpartisan, nonprofit, statewide budget and policy research organization" that "focuses on how policy decisions affect all West Virginians, including low- and moderate-income families, other vulnerable populations, and the important community programs that serve them."
The Mountain State has at least one other independent think tank devoted to such issues: the Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia. Also a nonprofit, "the Foundation's mission is to advance sound policies based on the principles of free enterprise, individual liberty, limited government, and traditional American values."
05 December 2007
W.Va. Think Tank Debuts
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3 comments:
They may both claim to be non-partisan, but their descriptions indicate what sound like opposite biases (intrusve vs. limited government).
clear eyes,
I don't think an analysis of how policy decisions affects "all West Virginians" = "intrusive" government.
Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure that the WV Center on Budget & Policy's first publication won't be a hyper-partisan report recommending sweeping policy reforms, as was the case with the Public Policy Foundation's "Unleashing Capitalism".
I'm hopeful and confident that the WVCBP's role will be to conduct high quality, unbiased, analysis and research. What advocates choose to do with that information is another story.
Of course information is power, and in a state with a part-time citizen legislature, having additional insight into the budget and various trends related to the state's fiscal conditions will be extremely helpful.
Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth (which is often less than $.02),
Jim
Jim, I agree with your thoughts concerning no "Sweeping policy reforms," but since we have an intrusive government now, that merely makes the same point I made. The new "think tank" sounds like it will concentrate on thinking primarily about more of the intrusive nanny-state policies which have plagued us for decades. Perhaps they can start with suggesting reversing tort reforms and returning workers comp to state control.
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