Stick it to Foreigners Former U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Russel B. Long (D-Louisiana) noted how politicians protected their own constituents and sought to shift the burden to others. He famously said, “Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax the guy behind the tree.” Now Senate Democrats have found someone to help fund their $3.5 trillion budget resolution that would more than double public welfare spending – non-Americans. The Finance Committee has been instructed by Democratic leaders to find a way to impose a “carbon polluter import fee” to offset the proposed increase in domestic spending. While it has yet to be seen whether a carbon border adjustment mechanism can pass muster with...
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.