This report from the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council ranks the 50 states and D.C. according to 38 major government-imposed or government-related costs affecting investment, entrepreneurship, and business. Some people might have a MEGO, (My Eyes Glazed Over) episode reading this 50 page report, and so I decided to crunch out a piece that shows a table for tax policy and a table for spending policy. In each of these two tables I include the four most entrepreneur-friendly states and the four most anti-entrepreneur policy environment states according to this report. The worst state is New Jersey preceded by New York, California, and Vermont. The best state is South Dakota followed by Nevada, Texas, and Wyoming.

The tax policy table includes data for the following: Personal Income Tax, Individual Capital Gains Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Corporate Capital Gains Tax, and Death Taxes. The spending policy table includes data for the following: Electricity Costs, State Tort Liability Costs, Highway Cost Efficiency, and Protecting Private Property. These 9 out of the 38 categories do show the most stark contrast between the top and bottom states in terms of who has created the better environment for entrepreneurship. The top states do not have the ocean beaches and scenic harbors like three of the bottom four states, but they understand better than other states what needs to be in place for a better environment for entrepreneurship. Every business uses electricity, and for some, electricity costs rank among the highest expenses. High electricity rates due to hefty taxes and heavy-handed, misguided regulations can play a significant part in business decision-making. The condition and performance of roads and highways are of significant importance to most businesses. High state death taxes offer incentives to move investment and business ventures to less taxing climates; foster wasteful expenditures on tax avoidance, estate planning and insurance; and force many businesses to be sold, borrowed against or closed down. In these tables below the lower the number, the lighter the governmental burdens, and the better the environment for entrepreneurship. The greater the incentives to invest and take risks in that particular state.

Politicians like to serve up nice talk about small business, but all too frequently, public policy raises costs, creates uncertainty, and diminishes incentives for starting up and investing in businesses. The US Government should learn from the successful and the failing states the policies that are working, and the policies that never work. The citizens are learning and moving their family and business to states with low taxes, low electric bills, low threat of frivolous lawsuits, well maintained roads, and excellent private property protection. The politicians in DC need to catch up with the citizenry.

Cross-posted at The Minority Report

You know, one of the (many) problems with Washington is that all-too-often politicians are too easily bought by special interests and end up selling out their constituents (and America). Historically, it’s been a bi-partisan disease that goes something like this:

1. Person decides to go into politics.
2. Person gets elected and goes to Washington.
3. Newly-minted politician meets lobbyists who wine and dine said politican.
4. Politician falls head over heels in love with lobbyists.
5. Politician marries lobbyist.

Say what?!?

[...Okay, so number five doesn't happen with politicians from every state....Just the ones, it seems, from South Dakota.]

You see, this is is where the lines get really blurry. When a politician marries a lobbyist, it sort of seems like having a fox in the chicken coop. Very quickly, the question can easily become not if there is too much outside influence, but how much? And, should that member ever lose re-election, does that person return to their home state? Or, do they assume a job as yet another lobbyist?  And, if the latter is the case, whose interests is that member serving now—the voters or a prospective employer?

That, in a nutshell, is the question South Dakota needs to figure out about Democrat Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin from South Dakota. Is she really working for South Dakota or does she have other interests—namely, special interests at heart?

Read More →

You know, one of the (many) problems with Washington is that all-too-often politicians are too easily bought by special interests and end up selling out their constituents (and America). Historically, it’s been a bi-partisan disease that goes something like this:

1. Person decides to go into politics.
2. Person gets elected and goes to Washington.
3. Newly-minted politician meets lobbyists who wine and dine said politican.
4. Politician falls head over heels in love with lobbyists.
5. Politician marries lobbyist.

Say what?!?

[...Okay, so number five doesn't happen with politicians from every state....Just the ones, it seems, from South Dakota.]

You see, this is is where the lines get really blurry. When a politician marries a lobbyist, it sort of seems like having a fox in the chicken coop. Very quickly, the question can easily become not if there is too much outside influence, but how much? And, should that member ever lose re-election, does that person return to their home state? Or, do they assume a job as yet another lobbyist?  And, if the latter is the case, whose interests is that member serving now—the voters or a prospective employer?

That, in a nutshell, is the question South Dakota needs to figure out about Democrat Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin from South Dakota. Is she really working for South Dakota or does she have other interests—namely, special interests at heart?

Read More →

I once said that Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was done. Finished. Had no chance of winning the South Dakota at-large House seat. Was pining for the fjords. Hers was a dead candidacy. She then promptly tied up the race in the polling.

I already have enough egg on my face that I’m genuinely hoping polls like this one hold up, with Republican Kristi Noem ahead, so I can escape without complete embarrassment.

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I once said that Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was done. Finished. Had no chance of winning the South Dakota at-large House seat. Was pining for the fjords. Hers was a dead candidacy. She then promptly tied up the race in the polling.

I already have enough egg on my face that I’m genuinely hoping polls like this one hold up, with Republican Kristi Noem ahead, so I can escape without complete embarrassment.

Read More →

I have a co-worker who is a massive fan of Kristi Noem and is convinced we need to go as much for her as possible. I’ve been negligent in writing about her because, frankly, there are so many races and so much going on.

But this is great news. Noem has raised over $1 million, which puts her as one of the top challengers in the House.

She is running in South Dakota against Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and is one of those Republicans we need to win to take back the House.

She’s a rancher, a mother of three, and a staunch conservative who is running on a platform of slashing federal spending and repealing the new federal health care law. She’s also an avid hunter known to hunt elk with a bow and arrow.

What can we do to get Kristi elected?

I have a co-worker who is a massive fan of Kristi Noem and is convinced we need to go as much for her as possible. I’ve been negligent in writing about her because, frankly, there are so many races and so much going on.

But this is great news. Noem has raised over $1 million, which puts her as one of the top challengers in the House.

She is running in South Dakota against Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and is one of those Republicans we need to win to take back the House.

She’s a rancher, a mother of three, and a staunch conservative who is running on a platform of slashing federal spending and repealing the new federal health care law. She’s also an avid hunter known to hunt elk with a bow and arrow.

What can we do to get Kristi elected?

With no Governor’s race, all eyes are focused on the Senate race in North Dakota which, in the end, is no “race” at all.  Popular former Governor John Hoeven is the next Republican Senator from North Dakota!  In essence, the Democrats conceded the seat the day Byron Dorgan announced his intentions to retire from the Senate.  Whether that decision was motivated by a possible loss to Hoeven or not remains to be revealed.  In fact, Hoeven is a 47 point favorite in polling thus far against Tracy Potter.  Nothing against Potter, but the race is so decided that it is unnecessary to see where Potter is on the issues.

Something needs to be mentioned here.  While the Democratic Party and their liberal allies in the media mulls over the TEA Party and its influence in the Republican Party seeing bogey men behind every tree, they ignore a more obvious and tangible fact.  In this electoral cycle, there is no doubt that the TEA Party has had influence in some high profile instances.  Their victories in Utah, Nevada, Alaska, Delaware and Wisconsin are remarkable events.  But, not all TEA Party supported or aligned candidates have prevailed at the polls in the primaries.  Although the successes thus far are impressive, the fact is that they are not batting a thousand.  And whether their influence translates into Republican gains come November 2nd remains to be seen.  For example, Angle and O’Donnell were certainly NOT the strongest, most electable choices for Republicans.  It took Ken Buck some time to gain traction in Colorado and their support of Maes in Colorado has been a disaster thus far.

What I see as the most tangible event of this election cycle is the decisions by strong Democratic incumbents like Byron Dorgan in North Dakota and Evan Bayh in indiana to decide to retire rather than campaign on their records.  Bayh, in all likelihood would have won re-election.  A Dorgan-Hoeven match up would have been great and  certainly a referendum on Obama policies.  In essence, their decisions to retire basically handed two Senate seats to the Republicans before any campaigning began.  And that is not even mentioning the numerous Democratic incumbent Representatives who decided to retire rather than face likely defeats at the polls.  Yet, the liberal media is focused on the TEA Party and the Republicans rather than abject resignation to political reality in the Democratic Party.

In the at-large North Dakota Congressional seat, incumbent Democrat Earl Pomeroy, who has held the seat since 1993, trails Rick Berg in the polls by an average of 6 points.  Pomeroy has faced some close calls in past elections and should he somehow prevail in 2010, it may just be his cloest defense of the seat to date.  It is very doubtful given some of his positions.  He voted for Obamacare carrying forth the Democratic “It’s not perfect, but it’s something” mantra and apology.  He voted against the successful Iraqi troop surge.  He once characterized Bush as a “clown” and once stated “I cannot stand George Bush,” which in my book is more disrespectful than someone yelling “You Lie!”  Given the anti-incumbent sentiment in America today, North Dakota is not spared that reality.  Additionally, the top-down voter behavior (Hoeven will win in a landslide) adds about another 4-5 points for Berg in my book.  Despite holding the seat for 18 years, North Dakota will revert to its true red status in 2010 and they can thank Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama for that.

In South Dakota, incumbent Republican Governor Mike Rounds is term-limited.  Dennis Daugaard leads Scott Heidepriem by 19 points and the Governor’s office will remain in Republican hands in 2010.

Likewise, John Thune is the winner of the Senate seat up for grabs this year. having no opposition on the ballot from the Democrats.  They would have loved to exact revenge on Thune for his narrow defeat of Tom Daschle six years ago, but not this year!  In effect, in another Dakota, the Democratic Party threw in the proverbial towel.

Thus the only drama on Election Day in South Dakota will involve their At-Large Congressional seat- basically another statewide race.  The seat is currently held by Democratic incumbent Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin.  She faces perhaps her most serious challenger yet in Kristi Noem.  The albatross around the neck of Herseth-Sandlin is her vote in favor of the Obama stimulus.  And although she talks about her bipartisanship, given anti-incumbent sentiment, nothing is set in stone.  This may be one of those key Congressional races to watch come November 2nd to foretell how deep anti-incumbent sentiment truly runs and just how bad Democratic losses will be this year in the House races.  If she prevails over Noem, it will be a close victory.

From Unlikely Voter: At-Large House races may get a disproportionate amount of attention and polling, but it is what it is. So Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s polling troubles get the whole country’s attention, while a House incumbent in some other state might barely draw notice.

And the South Dakota At-Large Representative is having serious problems. I just don’t see how she can win this.

Read More →

From Unlikely Voter: At-Large House races may get a disproportionate amount of attention and polling, but it is what it is. So Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s polling troubles get the whole country’s attention, while a House incumbent in some other state might barely draw notice.

And the South Dakota At-Large Representative is having serious problems. I just don’t see how she can win this.

Read More →