I very rarely feel sorry for statists. After all, these are the people who think that their feelings of envy and inadequacy justify bigger and more coercive government. And I get especially irked when I think about how their authoritarian policies will hurt the most vulnerablein society. But I nonetheless feel sorry for statists when I […]
read more...I’ve already shared a bunch of data and evidence on the importance of low tax rates. A review of the academic evidence by the Tax Foundation found overwhelming support for the notion that lower tax rates are good for growth. An economist from Cornell found lower tax rates boost GDP. Other economists found lower tax rates boost job creation, savings, […]
read more...In April of 2013, I introduced a Moocher Hall of Fame to “celebrate” some very odious examples of welfare dependency. Since that time, I keep thinking that it’s time to do something similar for government bureaucrats. This compilation from last December would be a good place to start, though I’d have to figure out whether to have group memberships so […]
read more...The Export-Import Bank is noxiously corrupt example of crony capitalism. It never should have been created. But that’s something we could say about most government programs. So the real question is how to reverse the damage. If we reform a big program such as Medicare, you can’t end it overnight. You have to deal with the reality that […]
read more...Remember when Paul Krugman warned that there was a plot against France? He asserted that critics wanted to undermine the great success of France’s social model. I agreed with Krugman, at least in the limited sense that there is a plot against France. But I explained that the conspiracy to hurt the nation was being led […]
read more...I’m in Australia for Consilium, an annual conference which is hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies. I spoke on fiscal policy and pontificated on the need for nations to restrain government spending. That’s an important message (at least in my humble option), but I thought it was more interesting to learn more about the tax and […]
read more...I’ve shared horror stories about government thuggery and I’ve shared horror stories about government stupidity. Thanks to Mark Steyn, we have a story that exemplifies both the brain-dead nature of the public sector and the nasty nature of our bureaucratic overlords. You may have read about the federal milk police. Well, here’s some of what Mark wrote about the Kafkaesque legal […]
read more...Since I primarily work on fiscal policy, I normally look at the budgetary impact of entitlement programs. And the numbers are very grim. But I’m also an economist, so I periodically comment on how government intervention undermines the efficient functioning of markets in the healthcare field. Last but not least, I’m also a taxpayer, so I can’t resist occasionally […]
read more...Which nation has the most costly bureaucracy? Well, if the answer is based solely on how much it costs to employ bureaucrats, you can see from this chart that Denmark comes in first place. As an American taxpayer, I’m glad to learn that there are other nations that squander more money on civil servants. But I get […]
read more...With all the controversy over the failed and costly Obamacare program, it’s understandable that other entitlements aren’t getting much attention. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t serious problems with Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Indeed, the annual Social Security Trustees Report was released a few days ago and the updated numbers for the government-run retirement program are rather sobering. Thanks in part to sloppy journalism, many […]
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