<ul> <li> <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/15-worst-states-for-entrepreneurs-2009-12"> Business Insider looks at</a></em> the 15 worst states for starting a business. Can you guess which states are on the list? They also put together Pew’s 10 states most likely to have a fiscal catastrophe, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/worst-state-budgets-2009-11#10-wisconsin-1"> what went wrong in each case</a>. </li> <li> <a href="http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/12/16/House-lawmakers-say-its-time-for-Idaho-to-cut-income-taxes"> Idaho Republicans push</a> for an income tax cut, to take effect in 2012. The officials say that it will help position Idaho for economic growth after the recession. <a href="http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/12/16/House-lawmakers-say-its-time-for-Idaho-to-cut-income-taxes"> The reporter does a very well-done Q&A with a sponsor</a>. </li> <li> <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/12/14/daily78.html?ana=from_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_washington+%28Washington+Business+Journal%29"> Maryland business leaders criticized</a> Governor O’Malley’s proposal to reduce unemployment taxes while increasing benefits, arguing that it would be unsustainable. The change would be required for Maryland to access a pot of federal stimulus money. </li> <li> <a href="http://fromtheheartland.org/?p=1548">Utah newspapers push</a> for a cigarette tax hike as “a tax hike we can live with.” Well, “we” except for the people that pay it. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_B._Long">Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fella behind the tree!</a> </li> <li>The Tax Policy Center <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/events/events_121709.cfm">hosted a forum</a> on the non-neutral tax treatment of same-sex and opposite-sex couples. </li> <li>Congressional Democrats <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=amAp4mEjfjFQ"> have pledged</a> to re-enact the federal estate tax in 2010 (it will lapse at the start of the year, due to their <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30673.html">failure to address it before the clock ran out</a>), and they also pledge to do so <em>retroactively</em> to January 1, 2010. <a href="http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2009/12/the-constitutionality-.html"> Paul Caron points out the sad truth</a> that retroactive taxes, despite their many constitutional and policy problems, would likely be upheld by deferential judges. </li> <li>The federal government <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5987341.shtml"> maxed out its credit card</a>, going over the nation’s $12.104 trillion debt limit. The Treasury can do accounting gimmicks to buy another $150 billion in breathing room, which equates to about three weeks of federal borrowing. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5987341.shtml"> Democrats want to increase the debt limit by $1.8 trillion</a>, which will last past the 2010 elections, and Republicans don’t. </li> </ul>
