Ben Bernanke is definitely trying hard to overtake Arthur Burns and G. William Miller (those wonderful guys who helped give us the 1970s) as the worst Fed Chairman of the modern era. But unlike Burns and Miller, who “earned” their poor reputations with bad monetary…
Dan Mitchell
Daniel J. Mitchell is the President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity and the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation. Dr. Mitchell advocates limited government and fundamental tax reform, and is the nation’s leading opponent of tax harmonization schemes developed by the Brussels-based European Union, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations.
In addition to fiscal policy, Dr. Mitchell is a trenchant observer of economic developments and an expert on Social Security reform – particularly the fiscal policy impact of reform and what the US can learn from other nations that have created personal retirement accounts.
The Not-so-Secret Left-Wing Agenda to Increase the Burden of Government – and How to Stop It
The main political goal of the left is to seduce Republicans into supporting higher taxes. Bluntly stated, all of their fiscal policy goals require more tax revenue coming to Washington. The most important factor (from their perspective) is that they can’t make…
Are Unions a Net Plus or Net Minus for America?
The libertarian position is that government should be totally neutral whenever there is a conflict between labor and management. Unfortunately, politicians usually tilt the playing field in favor of unions, largely in response to big campaign contributions. This issue…
Former Top Economic Aide for Obama Admits Threat of Lost Decade
Larry Summers served as Chairman of the National Economic Council for Barack Obama, so it is rather remarkable that he is admitting that the economy is in deep trouble and that America may be on the verge of long-term, Japanese-style stagnation. Here’s part of what he…
Corrupt Obamacare Waiver Process Is Like a Scene from Atlas Shrugged
In a column about the revolving door between big government and the lobbying world, here’s what the irreplaceable Tim Carney wrote about the waiver process for folks trying to escape the burden of government-run healthcare. Congress imposes mandates on other entities,…
Individualism Is Good for Growth, not Collectivism
There are lots of things that are important for a good life and a prosperous, well-functioning society, including family and community. But something else that belongs on the list, at least if you want more growth, is individualism. Here’s an excerpt from a new study…
Boost Economic Growth by Slashing the Size of Government
It doesn’t get much attention, but one of the most interesting economic experiments in American history occurred right after World War II. Despite warnings of Armageddon from Keynesian economists, government spending was slashed as the United States demobilized from…
Block-Granting Medicaid Is a Long-Overdue Way of Restoring Federalism and Promoting Good Fiscal Policy
This new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity explains why Medicaid should be shifted to the states. As I note in the title of this post, it’s good federalism policy and good fiscal policy. But the video also explains that Medicaid reform is good health…
Will the U.S. Government Get Downgraded…and Would It Matter?
Here’s another news appearance from my new youtube channel. I chat about the importance (or lack thereof) of a possible ratings downgrade for the United States government. You’ll see that I’m not overly impressed by Moody’s and the rest of the rating agencies.
In Symbol of Government Stupidity, the Nanny State Meets the Quota Cops
Here’s the kind of story that makes me fear for the future of the nation. It is a disturbing example of both government stupidity and soft tyranny. The police may not be ticketing for smoking in the parks, but they are still ticketing parker visitors for crimes…