by Dan Mitchell | Nov 15, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
During the 2016 presidential campaign, I was very critical of Donald Trump’s proposal to expand the entitlement state with a new program for paid parental leave, just as I was very critical of a similar proposal from Hillary Clinton. Neither candidate offered much...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 14, 2018 | Blogs, Taxation
The most disturbing outcome of the recent mid-term election isn’t that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be a Member of Congress. I actually look forward to that because of the humor value. Instead, with the Democrats now controlling the House of Representatives, I’m more...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 12, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Regulations
As a fiscal policy wonk, I’ve come across depressing examples of counterproductive tax provisions (health benefits exclusion, ethanol credits) and spending programs (the entire HUD budget, OECD subsidies). But the folks who work on regulatory policy may get exposed to...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 11, 2018 | Blogs, Economics, Free Market
I periodically explain that labor and capital are the two factors of production and that our prosperity depends on how efficiently they are allocated. But I probably don’t spend enough time highlighting how they are complementary, meaning that workers and capitalists...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 10, 2018 | Blogs, Economics, Trade
Last month, I explained why trade deficits don’t matter. I make the same point in this short video from Freedom Partners. Near the end of the video, I pointed out that unfettered trade is good, whether with your neighbors or with people in other nations. And I also...
