MuniLand

Scott Hodge of the Tax Foundation discusses the states with the highest and lowest business taxes. More background here via the Tax Foundation.

Good Links

MSRB: MSRB seeks SEC approval of rule to strengthen regulation of broker’s brokers

ISDA: ISDA publishes 2012 U.S. municipal reference entity CDS protocol

Bond Dealers of America: National Municipal Bond Summit agenda

Stateline: Laffer’s supply-side economics staging a comeback

Bloomberg: U.S. pension assets gained 16.4 percent in 2011: Wilshire

FT: Illinois state “on brink of collapse”

Dealbook: Teacher Retirement System of Texas buys ownership stake in a hedge fund

California City Finance: Data, statistics, analyses and articles on California city and county finance

Reuters: Stockton, California’s impact on U.S. muni landscape

Bloomberg: NYC pension costs have risen fivefold since 2002, reform group says

U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Memorandum Opinion on Eligibility of Jefferson County, Alabama Under 11 U.S.C. § 109(C)

Detroit News: As dollars dwindle, so have Michigan police ranks

@Twitter Talk

@BloombergGov Bloomberg Government  Extending the Bush tax cuts only for people making under $200,000 a year would cost the U.S. $3.7 trillion over 10 years.

@USDA Dept. of Agriculture    USDA’s Lisa Pino: We now have 2500 SNAP farmers markets. Triple the number from 2008 and 400% increase in SNAP $$ spent at farmers markets.

@SIFMA SIFMA  Reuters says SIFMA Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds is an “excellent general primer on the market”  reut.rs/z9TiRo

@dvandeventer Donald van Deventer    According to DTCC in week ending 2/24/2012 there were ZERO CDS trades on US states and municipalities.

@randalljensen Randall Jensen    National details its $224 million exposure to Stockton  ow.ly/9sC7W

@blackrock BlackRock®   Interest rates on traditional “safe-haven” bonds are at record lows. So what should you do with your money? bit.ly/wh1KsZ

@radleybalko radleybalko  Montgomery Co., Texas sheriff’s police drone accidentally crashes into Montgomery Co., Texas sheriff’s police tank.  examiner.com/page-one-in-ho…