I’m mystified that some conservatives and libertarians are sympathetic to the idea that Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, might be a good candidate in 2012. The main challenge for our nation is the growing burden of government, so it seems that this would…
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.
Can You Name the Greatest President of the Past 100 Years?
It’s tempting to say Ronald Reagan is the best President of the past century, and I’ve certainly demonstrated my man-crush on the Gipper, but earlier today at the Mont Pelerin Society (it’s currently Friday night in Australia) I had the privilege of listening to Amity…
Washington Post Columnist Urges GOP to Move Left
For the umpteenth time, a Washington Post columnist has a turgid piece urging the Republican Party to embrace big government. Normally this type of column is written by a graybeard establishmentarian like David Broder or E.J. Dionne, but Ruth Marcus has decided to…
More Real-World Evidence of Regime Uncertainty
I recently posted data showing how companies are sitting on lots of cash, presumably in part because the business climate is not conducive to investment and job creation. I also showed a cartoon that makes the same point in an amusing – yet insightful – manner. Now…
Real-World Evidence for Regime Uncertainty?
There certainly are logical reasons to think that Obama’s policies are dampening economic growth. Investors and entrepreneurs have little reason to produce and take risks, after all, when they know the burden of government is going to climb. Especially when you add…
Political Humor
Here’s a great one-liner from Craig Ferguson, one of the late-night TV talk show hosts. Bedbugs were also found in government buildings in Washington D.C. I can’t believe they have to deal with those blood-sucking pests. Poor bedbugs. I’m not sure if he’s referring to…
How Would You Describe the Federal Government?
There’s an encouraging new poll from Gallup which reveals that 72 percent of Americans say something negative when asked for a one-word description of the federal government. Here’s the “word cloud” showing the results. As you can see, this is very similar to the…
Share this Letter with Everybody You Know Who Has Been Seduced by the Global Warming Hype
I saw this on the Powerline blog. Here are some excerpts from Hal Lewis’ resignation letter from the America Physical Society. In a nutshell, he exposes how scientists have been corrupted by government money. Amazing. And powerful. For reasons that will soon become…
Are Humans Genetically Disposed to Be Statists?
One of the fascinating discussions at the Mont Pelerin Society conference has been about the role of evolutionary psychology and its role in shaping public thinking about economic issues. Paul Rubin of Emory University spoke on this issue at the conference and,…
More Corporate Tax Cutting in Europe while America Lags
By every possible metric, one would expect corporate tax rates to be higher in Europe. The burden of government spending is higher across the Atlantic, so that presumably would lead to pressure for a higher corporate tax rate. The affinity for class warfare and…