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A Case Study of How Government Handouts Undermine Human Decency and Social Capital

A Case Study of How Government Handouts Undermine Human Decency and Social Capital

Why is big government bad for an economy? The easy answer is that big government usually means high tax rates, and this penalizes work, saving, investment, and entrepreneurship. And perhaps… Read more »

The Toulouse Child Killer: Another Case of Welfare Being Used to Subsidize Terrorism?

The Toulouse Child Killer: Another Case of Welfare Being Used to Subsidize Terrorism?

I’m not a big fan of welfare programs, in part because I sympathize with taxpayers (check out these outrageous examples of waste) but mostly because redistribution programs subsidize poverty and… Read more »

New Research Shows Obamacare Resulted in 25 Additional Democratic Losses in 2010 Elections, but Was It a Long-Term Victory for the Left?

New Research Shows Obamacare Resulted in 25 Additional Democratic Losses in 2010 Elections, but Was It a Long-Term Victory for the Left?

I like to think people in the United States still believe in liberty, and I’ve cited some polling data in support of American Exceptionalism. And it seems like that philosophical… Read more »

The Return of Much-Needed Medicaid Reform

The Return of Much-Needed Medicaid Reform

Last year, I narrated a CF&P video making the case for Medicaid reform. The proposal is very simple: Replicate the success of the welfare reform of the 1990s by block… Read more »

Even with a Volatile Stock Market, Personal Retirement Accounts Are Better and Safer than Social Security

Even with a Volatile Stock Market, Personal Retirement Accounts Are Better and Safer than Social Security

Early last year, CF&P released this video, narrated by yours truly, making the case that the United States and other nations should shift from a tax-and-transfer entitlement scheme to a… Read more »

What’s More Compassionate for the Poor, Dependency or Self-Reliance?

What’s More Compassionate for the Poor, Dependency or Self-Reliance?

I’ve written a couple of times about the Food Stamp program, citing ridiculous examples of waste, fraud, and abuse. These include: Using food stamps to buy luxury coffee at Starbucks…. Read more »

A Video on the Cradle-to-Grave Welfare State from the folks at Government Gone Wild

A Video on the Cradle-to-Grave Welfare State from the folks at Government Gone Wild

As I explained in this set of videos, we desperately need to reform entitlement programs. But not in the wrong way, with price fixing and means testing. Good reform means personal… Read more »

Can You Identify the Most Egregious Example of Wasteful Spending by the Welfare State?

Can You Identify the Most Egregious Example of Wasteful Spending by the Welfare State?

I’ve commented many times about wasteful government spending, including Social Security bureaucrats spending $700 thousand to party at a luxury resort, HUD bureaucrats giving huge subsidies for welfare recipients to… Read more »

Two Early Thoughts on the Ryan-Wyden Medicare Plan

Two Early Thoughts on the Ryan-Wyden Medicare Plan

It’s obviously quite disappointing that Congressman Paul Ryan has teamed up with Senator Ron Wyden, a Democratic from Oregon, to put forth a significantly watered down version of his Medicare… Read more »

According to the Cluelsss Crowd at the Washington Post, Germany Is “Fiscally Conservative”

According to the Cluelsss Crowd at the Washington Post, Germany Is “Fiscally Conservative”

By European standards, Germany is in pretty good shape. There’s a very large welfare state and the tax burden is quite onerous, both of which hinder growth, but Germany has… Read more »