In this newsletter, I share my thoughts on the recent events in DC, the upcoming legislative session in Texas, the increased harm to families from government lockdowns, and the need for competition.
You can read this newsletter and register to receive it weekly at no charge here: vanceginn.substack.com/ The Texas economy continues recovering since the steep downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic and business shutdowns by state and local governments in spring 2020. Tailwinds could be strong in 2021 if the government removes restrictions and follows responsible fiscal policy so people are free to live and earn money. I had a blast discussing free-market economics and sound fiscal policy in an era of business shutdowns & fiscal insanity by governments with Brad Polumbo on his podcast "Breaking Boundaries." Here's an overview of our discussion: Former White House economist and current Texas Public Policy Foundation chief economist Vance Ginn joins the show to break down the $3 trillion+ in taxpayer money Congress has spent on "stimulus" and the shortcomings of this Big Government approach to revitalizing the economy. Can you spend your way out of shutdowns? How have Congress's key stimulus initiatives, from unemployment expansion to the Paycheck Protection Program to stimulus checks, worked out? And what about the push for more future $2,000 stimulus checks? We discuss this and more—like Vance's hot take on how best to consume meatloaf. Follow Vance on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanceGinn. Subscribe to his newsletter: https://vanceginn.substack.com/. Check out his work for TPPF: https://www.texaspolicy.com/about/sta.... Follow Brad on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brad_polumbo. Follow Brad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradpolumbo/. You can watch our episode at the link below and subscribe to his podcast here: https://apple.co/35ET311 Read my full newsletter with charts and subscribe here.
Hello Friend! As 2020 nears an end, I’d like to start this newsletter a bit different to share some personal things about me that you might not know. We will then get into the many things that have happened since the newsletter last week. Here are the highlights of my life’s journey so far:
TEXAS ECONOMIC AND FISCAL SITUATION Texas’ Legislative Session Starts Jan. 12: More to come on this soon! I’m looking forward to TPPF’s Policy Orientation on Jan. 13-15 that will be live-streamed, so I’ll be sure to add info about it later. Read the entire newsletter here: https://vanceginn.substack.com/p/fiscal-insanity-dc-disappoints-again Hello Friend!
I hope you had a blessed Christmas. My family did as we celebrated Jesus’ birth and his eventual death on the cross for our sins. That salvation came at a great cost, yet another example of how nothing is free. We’re now relaxing after a great day playing outside with our boys and hanging out with friends. Those moments are priceless. What’s not priceless is the latest $908 billion COVID aid bill along with the omnibus that’s combined to be over $2 trillion and appropriately called the “coronabus” given how much pork is in this package. I’ve been calling it “CARES 3.0” because there was the original bill and another bill that added funding to the programs created in the original bill, so this is really the third bill that’s funding many of the same things. And that’s part of the problem, as it comes with a huge cost and President Trump is correct to hint at vetoing it. However, the President’s reasoning seems to be to increase the amount in checks to individuals from $600 to $2,000, which would push incomes well above where they were before the pandemic and provide income to many individuals who weren’t influenced much if at all from the shutdown. This is likely the case for you and me, as we are able to work from home or have savings to live on for a while to deal with this situation. I get the point of advocating for more in a check to individuals as it appeals to struggling Americans and balances some of the atrocities in this monstrosity of a bill, but that doesn’t make it good policy. This notes the importance of work flexibility along with saving for a rainy day but also notes the huge cost to those who aren’t in this boat. Unfortunately, too many have and will continue to fall through the cracks of our economic lifeline that should ultimately be improved by moving toward more capitalism and away from socialism. While civil society should be first to help those in need, governments will play a role though hopefully a more limited one as it assists those who can’t be helped otherwise (last resort). This would help improve our bloated, ineffective safety net system that often just expands bureaucracy and helps too many of those the programs were not intended. Thanks again for reading! I’m truly grateful for you continuing to read this newsletter. As 2020 comes to a close, we have much to accomplish to find opportunities to let people prosper. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, please register here at no charge. And follow me on Twitter: @vanceginn. Have a Happy New Year if I don’t write another newsletter before then, which I may given how things go in D.C. Until then, many blessings to you and yours. Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read the full newsletter with figures and subscribe here.
Hello Friend! Can you believe that Christmas and New Year’s are right around the corner? It’s hard for me to believe. We put up our Christmas tree early this year to get into the spirit of celebrating Jesus’ birth and the salvation and grace provided to us through a huge price (Nothing is Free), and this spirit has helped drown some of the negativity going on in the media regarding COVID, the election, and more. I have a lot of what I consider uplifting points to share with you below. It’s important to remember that we live in the most prosperous, most remarkable, and most opportunistic country in the history of man. Sure, there’s much we need to do to improve it because too many have fallen through the cracks, but we have much to be positive about even as the media and many politicians tell us otherwise. So, get your optimistic cap on and maybe grab your favorite drink so you can imagine me telling you the following story. Enjoy! Have a blessed weekend and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in case I don’t see you or write another newsletter before then. I’m truly thankful for you and for your interest in reading this newsletter. My only request is that you share this newsletter with at least one of your friends and ask them to register. That would be a great gift! Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read full newsletter with figures and subscribe here.
Hello Friend! I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving however you chose to celebrate it. I had a nice time with my family from Houston at our place in Round Rock and then a nice time with my in-laws in Port Aransas, which is on the beach near Corpus Christi, Texas. The picture below is of my youngest son playing in the water. It’s been an interesting time that’s normally spent with family. But many have decided not to do so, which is a decision that should be left to individuals instead of politicians trying to tell people how to act. One thing that I’ve been concerned about is missing time with my family and friends and never seeing them again—for many reasons. The COVID-19 situation is serious and one that should be taken seriously, as noted in my previous newsletter, but it is also a situation where I have taken time to grow closer to God, family, and friends when so much else seems to be uncertain. This has given me calm during this storm as I know that these relationships are what matter over time while the novel coronavirus is just a blip in the long run scheme of things. Of course, the repercussions of authoritarian forms of government interventions may last much longer, which is something that we must continue to push back on when necessary. To be frank, I think we should open Texas and all states, as the shutdowns were a mistake, and instead do what should have been done in the beginning and have the government play an informational role to provide guidance on best practices while targeting resources to vulnerable populations and areas as I outlined in a recent commentary at the Austin American-Statesman. I say this with a great deal of humility as there are many factors that go into making these decisions and I understand that I could be wrong. But I also believe strongly in the power of liberty and allowing individuals, families, and entrepreneurs in an inclusive institutional framework (like the Texas Model) to find the best path to dealing with these sorts of crises rather than the government. Thanks again for reading! I hope this newsletter is marginally beneficial to you and will hopefully help us to find opportunities to let people prosper. Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read the full newsletter with charts and subscribe here.
Hello Friends! Thank you for reading my Let People Prosper newsletter! Please keep sharing it with others who may be interested in our productive discussions. Many thanks in advance! I hope you have a fantastic week of finding things to be thankful for as we approach Thanksgiving. May you be blessed with good health, prosperity, and wisdom every day. Keynote Speech: I enjoyed the opportunity to give the keynote speech at the Free Market Institute at Angelo State University on Tuesday, November 17. This presentation was part of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University's Public Speaker Series, where I explain the economics of how institutions, tradeoffs, and policy matters when dealing with this situation. You can watch and view my slides at the link in my tweet below. I included a number of slides in my presentation that walked through where we were before COVID-19 hit, where we have been since it hit, where we are now, and where we should head.If you have any information to share along these lines, please send my way. Also, please unsubscribe at any time. I hope this newsletter is marginally beneficial to you and will hopefully help us to find opportunities to let people prosper. Have a blessed week of thanksgiving. And try to educate yourself on things to tame your fear, and focus instead on your spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read the full newsletter with figures and subscribe here.
Hello Friends! Thank you for reading my Let People Prosper newsletter! Please keep sharing it with others who may be interested in our productive discussions. We’ve got a lot to accomplish together, so I need your help in growing my subscribers. Many thanks in advance! Humble Yourself: This is an important reminder given the rise again in many politicians’ desire to do something like lockdowns to deal with rising COVID-19 cases but nothing or something much more targeted is best. We can learn a lot from economists Friedrich Hayek and John Maynard Keynes, but more importantly from the Bible. If you have any information to share along these lines, please send my way. Also, please unsubscribe at any time. I hope this newsletter is marginally beneficial to you and will hopefully help us to find opportunities to let people prosper. Have a blessed rest of your weekend. And remember to humble yourself this week. Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read the full newsletter with charts and subscribe here.
Hello Friends! Thank you for reading my Let People Prosper newsletter. Please keep sharing it with others who may be interested in our fun discussions. Here’s my personal website, which has my academic work, and my employer TPPF’s website. If you like this information and would like daily updates from scholars on more issues, sign-up for TPPF’s The Cannon newsletter. Before we get going, I’d like to share with you two things that I was thrilled to be a part of this week.
If you have any information that I should see, please send my way. Contact me at any time. Also, please unsubscribe if you’d rather not receive this personal connection. I hope this newsletter is marginally beneficial to you and will help us to find opportunities to let people prosper. Blessings to you and yours, Vance Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read the full newsletter with charts and subscribe here.
Hello Friends! Thank you for reading this latest edition of my Let People Prosper newsletter. Given this is the third entry of the new newsletter, I’d like to again welcome many new subscribers. Thank you! Please keep sharing this with your friends and family who may be interested in our fun but hopefully educational chats. And you can share with them more info about me on my personal website or where I work at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Also, if you like this information and would like daily updates from TPPF scholars on more issues, sign-up for TPPF’s The Cannon newsletter. Are you ready? That reminds me of one of the songs from my favorite band growing up, Korn. Did I mention that I’m a drummer who played for a hard rock band for a few years in Houston? I probably haven’t yet. When you have time, check out my YouTube video where I tell my story of failures and how I got into economics to help people prosper that has supported much success over time. I hope that this information provides insights that reveal how nothing is free. Most of you have heard me say this often as there are always tradeoffs in a world of scarcity, whether those costs are explicit or implicit, such as opportunity costs. If you have any information that I should see, please send my way. Contact me at any time. Also, let me know if you’d like me to take you off this list. I hope this newsletter is marginally beneficial to you and will hopefully help us to find opportunities to let people prosper. Have a blessed week. Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Read the full newsletter with charts and subscribe here.
Hello Friends! Thank you for reading this latest edition of my Let People Prosper newsletter. Given this is the second edition of the new newsletter, I’d like to welcome many new subscribers. You can find out more information about me at my personal website www.vanceginn.com and where I work at the Texas Public Policy Foundation here. Today’s newsletter is going to be longer than usual because I’m including prior insights that I’ve provided this year so we’re on the same page. These will be in three sections: Open Texas and America, Texas Economic & Fiscal Situation, and U.S. Economic & Fiscal Situation. If you like this information and haven’t subscribed yet, please do so here. Is you would like daily updates from TPPF scholars on more issues than these, sign-up for TPPF’s The Cannon newsletter. Okay, enough of the introductory stuff, let’s dive into what’s been going on lately in economic and fiscal issues so we can find ways to let people prosper. Of course, I’ve been making these arguments and more at the Twitter handle @vanceginn, so check me out there as well. If you have information that I should see, please send my way. Contact me any time. Also, let me know if you’d like me to take you off this list. I hope this newsletter is marginally beneficial to you and will hopefully help us to find opportunities to let people prosper. Blessings to you and yours, Vance Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper Overview: Many Americans are recovering after the economic destruction that started in March from the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns by state and local governments. While the economy and labor market continue to improve, the policy recommendations outlined here would help speed up that process so America can quickly return to the prosperous conditions of February. https://www.texaspolicy.com/the-ginn-economic-brief/ Read my newsletter with charts and subscribe here.
Hello Friends! I hope you've had a blessed week. There's quite a bit to report in this newsletter. Please be sure to share this write-up with others who may be interested and ask them to sign-up for the newsletter. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy a quick overview of sound fiscal policy and free-market economics from yours truly. Read the newsletter and subscribe here: vanceginn.substack.com/ Have a blessed weekend. Vance Ginn, Ph.D. | www.vanceginn.com | #LetPeopleProsper The Texas economy is recovering, but there’s much room for improvement. The Texas Workforce Commission recently released the Texas jobs report for August 2020. While there have been improvements in the state’s labor market, there are challenges to return to the robust situation of February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns by state and local governments. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis recently reported that in Texas in the second quarter of 2020 on an annualized basis GDP growth declined by 29% and personal income increased by 34.1%. https://www.texaspolicy.com/texaseconomy/ In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss how we got to where we are today in our careers, which are driven by the desire to improve the well-being of people today and future generations. I'm thankful for their friendship and excellent work!
We discuss the need to rein in government spending so we can have the least burdensome tax system. Here's a write-up on what's going on with taxes and spending in Texas. This conversation goes on a little longer than normal, but it's one that you don't want to miss a moment! Thank you for watching and sharing it with your family and friends. In this Let People Prosper show, we discuss a number of key topics.
These include the opening night of The Endgame which we use it as an interesting twist to the nearing end of the 86th Texas Legislature's regular session. There are many things that should get done quickly to let Texans prosper. We discuss the genesis of the Right On Crime and Think Local Liberty campaigns at TPPF that have been extraordinarily successful. We also discuss the genesis of TPPF advocating for shifting to a more efficient, fair sales tax system from the burdensome property tax system. There's been more noise about this happening this session than likely ever before. We can't promise there will be more liberty and prosperity after this session, but we do promise that we're going to do everything we can to make that happen. Stay engaged! In this Let People Prosper show, we discuss the push by locally elected officials for total control of our lives instead of allowing control by local voters. We also discuss the reasoning for every dollar raised by increasing the state's sales tax rate to go to property tax relief of lower tax bills instead of growing government by just reducing recapture which stays with school districts and doesn't go to cutting your tax bills. That discussion included the House Ways & Means hearings of HJR 3 last week and SB 2 this week. Finally, we discussed major reforms to bail and ban the box that could improve the criminal justice system and help those that are involved. These are the ways we can help Texans and all Americans have more opportunities to prosper.
Please watch the full episode and share with your network. Thanks! #letpeopleprosper In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss the latest Tiger Woods victory and the start of the NBA Playoffs. We go on to discuss the Texas Legislature's latest on property tax reform and lack of spending restraint, key measures of reining in out of control local governments restricting liberty, and efforts to reform the criminal justice system so it punishes and rehabilitates people.
#letpeopleprosper In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss the key elements of real property tax cuts (slower growth rates and lasting tax reductions), movement afoot to eliminate civil asset forfeiture, and potential expansions in local liberty that are being discussed at the Texas Legislature. As we get closer to the end of session, these are critical aspects that you don't want to miss.
#letpeopleprosper In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss how to expand local liberty, reform the criminal justice system, and help people prosper by focusing on spending restraint at every level of government. Please watch and share this episode!
#LETPEOPLEPROSPER In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss the latest current events on the U.S. jobs report, efforts to increase liberty at the local level, reforming a broken bail system, and a path for the Texas Senate to make their version of the budget a Conservative Texas Budget.
#letpeopleprosper In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss ways to limit the leviathan (government) by using revealing more of government spending through efficiency audits, fighting back in the courts, and limiting the growth of the footprint of government to no more than the average taxpayer's ability to pay for it.
#letpeopleprosper Texas Model Helps to Let People Prosper - Presentation on Texas' Economic & Fiscal Situation4/1/2019
The latest BLS state-level jobs report for February shows that Texas continues to lead the way in job creation for the last 12 months and keeps the state's near record low unemployment rate of 3.8%. Here's the statement by the Texas Workforce Commission. The presentation below provides an overview of Texas’ economic, labor market, and fiscal situation while also comparing Texas with other large states. There are also policy recommendations to strengthen the Texas Model of limited government so that it can foster more individual liberty and economic prosperity. My prior research on how institutions matter takes a deeper dive into these figures. I recommend reading it along with watching my vlog on the subject. To summarize, Texas should increase economic freedom by eliminating unnecessary government barriers to competition to let people prosper. Watch my explanation of previous state-level labor reports and other videos at my YouTube channel: Vance Ginn Economics. https://www.texaspolicy.com/blog/detail/texas-economic-labor-market-and-fiscal-situation ![]()
In this Let People Prosper episode, we discuss local government transparency and efforts to rein in progressive policies like government-mandated paid sick leave, state reforms to the criminal justice system, and the failure of the Texas House to pass a Conservative Texas budget...but there was a good discussion about property tax relief!
#letpeopleprosper |
Vance Ginn, Ph.D.
|