Platte Institute for Economic Research

While President Obama did not mention his decision to deny a permit allowing for the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline in last night's State of the Union, the issue remains significant to America's energy and economic security. In Nebraska, failure to build the Keystone XL pipeline would cost $314.5 million in personal income, $9.5 million in Nebraska tax receipts, and $152 million in property tax revenue to state and local communities. More>

This week, the Platte Institute will be taking a look at money brought in and spent by the federal government and how it affects its debt and deficits, from the perspective of the average American household. Admittedly, this is not a unique approach and has been presented by several different groups. Yet this type of illustration personalizes the fact that the current path of government overspending and mountainous debt is not sustainable and will be disastrous if drastic measures are not taken to put our fiscal house back in order. More>

On Monday, the Platte Institute released a study discussing teacher selection and evaluation policies in Nebraska, and the basic conclusion was this: Teacher quality matters. More>