Let’s enjoy some semi-good news today. We’ve discussed many times why Obamacare is bad news, whether we’re looking at it from the perspective of the healthcare system, taxpayers, or workers. But it could be worse. Writing in the Washington Post, Robert Samuelson explains that two-dozen states have refused the lure of expanding Medicaid (the means-tested health care program) in exchange for “free” federal […]
read more...It’s difficult being a libertarian. In addition to all the other challenges (such as trying to convince peoplestealing doesn’t become okay simply because the government is the middleman), I get conflicted about government waste. You’re probably thinking I’m wandering off the libertarian reservation. After all, aren’t libertarians big opponents of boondoggles, government waste, and pork-barrel spending? All true, but here’s my […]
read more...I periodically share polling data. This is because public opinion research (if done honestly) provides insights on the degree to which people are either well informed, uninformed, or misinformed. And that kind of information is useful for policy wonks like me since it shows where we need to re-double our efforts to educate the American people. And some […]
read more...Why do statists make so many mistakes with data? Paul Krugman, for instance, has butchered numbers when writing about fiscal policy in nations such as France, Estonia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. But Krugman isn’t alone. We also have Thomas Piketty, who was lionized by the left after publication of Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Ever since his book was published, various […]
read more...Libertarians tend to like – or at least have a grudging respect for – the underground economy. For instance, even if we’re personally very straight-laced, we don’t like government prohibitions against gambling, drugs, and prostitution. This is why we’re not upset when these things happen in spite of the laws enacted by the political class. But […]
read more...Back in 2012, I shared a sadly amusing image about how the modern political process has degenerated into two wolves and a sheep voting what to have for lunch. I was making an argument in that column against majoritarianism (and that is a critical issue, as explained in this video), but there’s also a very important moral component […]
read more...I wrote a few weeks ago about the hidden economic damage of Obamacare, particularly the harm to the job market. Today, let’s get further depressed by looking at the ever-worsening fiscal damage of the law. Here’s some of what Chuck Blahous of Mercatus wrote about this costly new entitlement. The ACA was enacted in 2010 with the promise of […]
read more...I’ve shared lots of data and evidence about the harmful economic impact of government spending. Simply stated, budgetary outlays divert resources from more productive uses.And this results in labor and capital being misallocated, leading to less economic output. The damage is even more pronounced when you look at how politicians finance the budget. Whether they use taxes or borrowing (or even printing […]
read more...Over the past several years, I’ve repeatedly argued that you get more unemployment when the government pays people to be unemployed. But I’m not just relying on theory. I’ve cited both anecdotes and empirical research to bolster my case. You won’t be surprised to learn that many politicians have a different perspective. They say it is compassionate to provide unemployment insurance […]
read more...