South By North Strategies, Ltd.

Shorting The Future

A new report from the NC Budget and Tax Center analyzes the final state budget for fiscal year 2012-2013 recently enacted by the NC General Assembly — a budget that “takes no significant actions to address the state’s growing structural budget deficit.” From the report:

Although the final budget increases spending by 1.2 percent over the continuation budget, when compared to state spending before the Great Recession it reflects a tremendously diminished baseline budget – one that has resulted in fewer teachers in classrooms, aging and out-of-date textbooks, skyrocketing tuition rates for students at public colleges and universities, higher costs for accessing the courts, and widespread disrepair in the state’s transportation infrastructure.
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… From an overall fiscal standpoint, the final budget continues in the same direction as the one set in the 2011 legislative session. As such, it will continue to significantly underfund the education, well-being, and safety of all North Carolinians.

Public Health Insurance Fills (Some Of) The Gaps

Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute analyzes the role that public insurance programs have played in offsetting declines in employer-sponsored health insurance for Americans under age 65. Public programs offset all of the declines among children and roughly half of the declines among non-elderly adults.

Around The Dial – July 12, 2012

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• The New York Times reports on the struggles of former hub airports.
• Dean Baker again debunks confidence fairies.
• Joe Nocera mulls unusual ways of addressing the housing crisis.
• Kathleen Sebelius explains the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
• Jonathan Gruber answers “no” to the question of whether Obamacare “will kill jobs.”

The Politics Of Expanding Medicaid

The PBS NewsHour reports on the politics of expanding Medicaid at the state level.

Watch Arguments Brew at State Level Over Medicaid Expansion on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Around The Dial – July 11, 2012

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• Nancy Folbre worries about the ostrich more than the stork.
• Dean Baker argues that income redistribution isn’t technology’s fault.
• Paul Krugman points out Mitt Romney’s “grey areas.”
• Sarah Kliff reports on “the incredible shrinking public health workforce.”
• Felix Salmon explains “why arts organizations love new buildings.”