John
Taylor is the chairman and president of the
Virginia Institute for Public Policy, an
independent, nonpartisan, education and research
organization dedicated to developing and promoting
public policy that is consistent with the Virginia
tradition of individual liberty, dynamic
entrepreneurial capitalism, private property, the
rule of law, and constitutionally limited
government.
Under
the banner of the Virginia Viewpoint, the Virginia
Institute for Public Policy publishes op-ed pieces
each month on its website and for distribution to
state media.
He
previously served as assistant to the president of
the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C.
In 1975, he
received a B.A. from Wofford
College, and subsequently earned an M.B.A. from Georgia
State
University
(1979), and a J.D. from the Woodrow Wilson College
of Law (1978).
A
member of the Federalist Society, John is also a
member of the National Association of Scholars,
the Philadelphia Society, and the Virginia
Association of Scholars. He serves on the board of directors of the
Center for Law and Accountability, a
public-interest law group headquartered in
northern Virginia, and in 2000, he was elected to the
national advisory board of the James Monroe
Memorial Foundation.
Virginia
Viewpoint Columns
-
2008 -
June
23: Audit
Time. Before
jacking up taxes and throwing money around, let's audit
the plethora of Virginia transportation-related agencies
and authorities, define clear goals and set priorities
for spending. by
Ron Utt
-
2007 -
Nov.
12: If
He Wasn't Whining, Would
We Notice Him At All? Tom
Davis is living proof that the "big tent"
strategy is a loser for Republicans if it means
conservatives are filing out the back door. by John
Taylor
-
2006 -
Nov.
20: Vote
For Me -- We're Better Off than Mississippi!
That attitude
won't cut it anymore. If Republicans want
conservative votes, they'd better live up to
conservative ideals. by John Taylor
-
2005 -
May
23: The
Truth About Outsourcing.
To
businessmen,
outsourcing is a tool to compete in the global
marketplace. To economists, it's a tool to create wealth
and higher living standards. To politicians and demagogues, it's a
godsend.
by
Atin Basuchoudhary
-
2004 -
July
26: Goals?
Measures? Accountability? Public
education advocates characterize the $330 million
in new SOQ spending mandates as an
"investment." What return on
investment can taxpayers expect? No one can say
because no one is even asking the question. by
John Taylor
June
21: Privatize...
for the Kids, of
Course. Privatizing non-core services like
transportation, food service and cleaning/maintenance
could save Virginia schools millions of dollars a year.
June
7: Let
Me Spell it Out for You.
Politicians, like Dr. Watson, see but do not
observe. Here's why higher taxes in Virginia hurt
economic growth and job creation.
March
15: One
Man's Gouging is Another
Man's Salvation. Legislation
to cap prices after natural disasters is a bad
idea. Price controls disrupt market signals that
allocate scarce resources to those who need help
the most.
February
16: How
to Lose a AAA Bond Rating. Virginia
isn't on "credit watch" because its
taxes are too low -- it's because there's too much
state and municipal debt and default rates are
rising.
February
2: Been
There, Done That. Watch
out, Virginia! Other states have increased taxes
to pay for government services -- and paid the
price in the form of slower economic growth.
January
19: Spending
Reform, Not Tax Reform. A
Taxpayers' Bill of Rights capping state spending
would force the politicians in Richmond to set
priorities without increasing taxes.
January
19: Evaluate,
Consolidate, Divest. Virginia
state government could save millions of dollars by
managing its real estate assets and liabilities as
a private company would: minimizing cost and
maximizing return on assets.
-
2003 -
November
14: Low
Taxes, High Growth. Virginia's
economy has outperformed Ohio's over the past 35
years. Why? Because the Buckeyes increased taxes
over that time and the Old Dominion kept its
levies low. by Richard Vedder
November
3: We Need
a Governator, Too.
Virginians
are fooling themselves if they think they're much
better off than California. Our politicians have
jacked up spending even faster than Gray David and
a liberal legislature. by Stephen Moore
November
3: Shoot
MCI/Worldcom? Busting
up Virginia's largest telecom company
would overlook the guilty, punish the innocent and
hurt consumers. Only competitors would
benefit. by Richard Wagner
September
8: Let D.C.
Build the Ball
Park. Anthony
Williams wants to raise taxes in Washington, D.C.
to build
a $400 million, major league ball park. Taxation with representation may not be the answer after all.
by Ronald D. Utt
August
25: Outsource
More, Govern Better. Florida
is saving millions of dollars annually by
out-sourcing H.R. functions to the private sector.
Why doesn't Virginia? by Geoffrey F. Segal
July
28: Privatizing
Prisons. The
experience of other states shows that privatizing
prisons reduces correctional costs. Potentially,
Virginia could save $130 million by opening more
of its facilities to competition. by Geoffrey
F. Segal
July
14: A
Workable Plan to Harm Minorities
and the Poor. "Smart
Growth" attacks home ownership and
automobility, the indispensable tools of upward
mobility in American society. by Randal
O'Toole.
June
30: A
Trust Betrayed. The
Commonwealth has stripped the James Monroe
Memorial Foundation of authority agreed to in
1947. Donors beware: The state may not always
honor its agreements. By G. William Thomas Jr.
June
2: Earth
Day Revisited.
Environmental
quality is getting better -- and will continue to
do so as long as we safeguard the institutions
that create wealth and support the advance of
science and technology. by William C. Dennis
May
5: When Special Interests
Rule.
The city of Hampton
took land from the Ottofaro family then flipped it
to the developer of a shopping center. The
condemnation make a mockery of private property
rights.
by Donald J. Kochan
April
28: School
Choice and Taxpayer
Relief. School
choice in Virginia would save taxpayers money,
allow more kids to afford private schools -- and provide
more
money per pupil for public schools. by Carlisle
Moody
April
7: Nobelity
at GMU: With
a second Nobel Prize recipient, George
Mason's department of economics has established a
worldwide reputation as an advocate of free
markets. By
Donald J. Boudreaux, J.D., Ph.D
-
2002 -
December
2: Build
Rail to Dulles? We might as well teach
pigs to fly. The proposed Metrorail extension is a
fanciful, multibillion-dollar extravagance that
will carry a fraction of the projected ridership. By
Peter Samuel
November
18:
Expanding
Government = Expanding 'Burbs. Traffic, congestion, and sprawl in Greater
Washington is a function of the growth of
government. If you do not wish to check the
latter, you must learn to live with the former. By
William C. Dennis, Ph.D.
November
11: Oops,
Weren’t We Going to Lower the Death Tax?
Virginia's
punitive tax structure runs could chase wealthy
citizens out of the state. by Stephen Moore
November
4: Transit
Travesty. The
Northern Virginia sales tax referendum would pour 40 percent of
its proceeds into mass transit -- even though transit's market
share is 7.6 percent and falling. by Ronald D. Utt, PH.D.
September
23:
Asleep
at the Wheel. Virginia's congressional
delegation has tolerated an unfair distribution of
federal gasoline taxes for years. Before approving
higher taxes for roads this fall, voters should
insist on a better deal. By Ronald D. Utt,
PH.D.
August
19: Socialism
on Wheels
Traffic
jams come from free public use of highways. We
should put market methods to work in this outmoded
area of our economy. by Robert H. Nelson
August
12: Just
Another Protection Racket
The
state still prohibits Virginians from purchasing
out-of-state wine over the Internet. The case
doesn't hold water. By Donald J. Boudreaux,
J.D., Ph.D.
August
5: Oligarchy
in Action
The
Coalition for Virginia's Future is a classic case
of the organized few working to raise taxes in
their own interests -- against the interests of
the poorly organized many. By Richard E.
Wagner, PH.D.
July
29: Agrarianism.com
Agrarianism
foundered on the economic realities of the 20th
century. The
information age, however, may make possible a
return to agrarian ideals. By Ted J. Smith III
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