Mike Ferguson launched the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy in 2011.
Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy director Mike Ferguson picked up national press this week. He’s featured in a Q&A with The Nation.
The Nation writer Sasha Abramsky asked Ferguson about his recent report on the decline in state funding for education, the shrinking role of government, and the shift in Idaho politics Ferguson noted during his tenure as chief state economist.
Voters in Boise County say they are willing to raise taxes to help local government pay off a multimillion dollar legal judgment.
In Tuesday’s primary election, 1,298 voters supported the idea of selling bonds to cover the $3.1 million remaining on the debt stemming from a 2010 federal court verdict. In that case, the county was accused of illegally blocking the development of a teen treatment center.
Around Idaho, Voters Voice Discontent With Closed Primaries – “Turnout was low as Idaho voters cast their ballots in the state’s first-ever closed primary. Many who did go to the polls said they were frustrated by the new process.”Boise State Public Radio
M.V. Voters Back 7 School Levies – “Voters gave a nod of approval Tuesday for supplemental levy measures in six Magic Valley school districts. Voters approved levies for the Shoshone, Richfield, Wendell, Valley, Filer and Castleford school districts.”Times-News
Rep. Hart loses in GOP primary; Ed Morse to face Dan English in November – “And now, well after midnight North Idaho time (and after 1 a.m. Boise time), Kootenai County has its final results, and they show an upset: Rep. Phil Hart has lost to challenger Ed Morse in the GOP primary. ”Spokesman Review
Idaho to boost prison medical staff – “The Idaho Department of Correction has agreed to increase staffing and dramatically increase medical care oversight as part of a long-running lawsuit over conditions at a prison south of Boise.”Associated Press
Less than a quarter of Idahoans 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
There are fewer people with college degrees in Idaho than in many of its neighboring states and the nation.
U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010 shows 24.4 percent of Idahoans aged 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The national average in 2010 was 28.2 percent.
A report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce predicts 61 percent of the jobs available in Idaho by 2018 will require an education beyond high school. Continue Reading →
Of each dollar the federal government spends, how much goes to defense? How much goes to Social Security? How much goes to interest on the debt? And how has this sort of thing changed over time?
The graphic below answers these questions. It shows the major components of federal spending 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and last year.
Semiconductors (computer chips) and industrial equipment make up more than half of all Idaho exports.
The Idaho Department of Commerce reports Idaho exports are down 8.9 percent from the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2011.
Here’s what the department said in part of its press release today:
Following a record year for Idaho exports in 2011 with total sales at nearly $6 billion, first-quarter figures showed a fairly stable start to 2012, with exports in the first three months of nearly $1.4 billion. Continue Reading →
Cheaper gas won’t be enough to get many more Americans on the road this summer. They’re still too worried about their jobs and the economy.
Economists and tourism experts are expecting only a small uptick in summer travelers. Gas prices are lower, but still high enough to keep some Americans off the road. The job market is improving, but still shaky. And household debt remains high.
Retail Sales Slow; Consumer Prices Flat – “Lower gas prices in April weren’t enough to embolden U.S. consumers to spend more elsewhere. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that retail sales rose only 0.1 percent last month. Even after excluding gasoline station sales, consumers increased their spending on retail goods by just 0.2 percent.”Associated Press
HBO documentary draws fire from spud industry – “National potato industry leaders have taken exception with the four-part HBO documentary “The Weight of the Nation” because of data it includes describing the role of spuds in the mounting U.S. obesity crisis. ”Capital Press
Colleges confront higher costs, student debt – “At a time of diminished state funding for higher education and uncertain federal dollars, Gee says that it’s time to think outside the realm of sticking students with higher tuition and greater debt. “The notion that universities can do business the very same way has to stop,” said Gee, the chairman of a commission studying college attainment, including student debt.”Idaho Statesman
The median price for Ada County homes sold in April rose 3 percent to $158,777 from the previous month, according to figures from the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service.
In Canyon County, the median price of homes sold was up 6.9 percent to $87,150.
Some stories take a long time to report. StateImpact’s recent piece on the refugee travel loan program is one example. I first spoke to Legal Aid attorney Zoe Ann Olson in February, not long after I reported a story about how Idaho’s economic downturn has affected refugee resettlement. Marcia Munden, the Catholic Charities social worker who was instrumental in that piece, recommended I give Olson a call.
A long phone conversation ensued. One of Olson’s main observations about the program was this: many refugees seemed not to know they could be eligible for loan deferrals or waivers based on criteria like economic hardship or disability. As a result, she said, the travel loans compounded refugees’ economic distress, and put them at risk for bad credit. The loans were, in effect, creating an additional barrier to integration in the U.S. Continue Reading →
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