by Dan Mitchell | Mar 4, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
In my 2012 primer on fundamental tax reform, I explained that the three biggest warts in the current system. High tax rates that penalize productive behavior. Pervasive double taxation that discourages saving and investment. Corrupt loopholes and cronyism that bribe...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 3, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Monetary Policy
During periods of economic weakness, governments often respond with “loose” monetary policy, which generally means that central banks will take actions that increase liquidity and artificially lower interest rates. I’m not a big fan of this approach. If an economy is...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 2, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Uncategorized, Welfare and Entitlements
In the grand scheme of things, the Export-Import Bank isn’t the worst government program or the one that most needs to be abolished. Entitlement programs are a far bigger threat to America’s long-run fiscal stability the Ex-Im Bank, with Medicaid serving as a...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 1, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
Back in 2012, I shared some superb analysis from Investor’s Business Dailyshowing that the United States never would have suffered $1 trillion-plus deficits during Obama’s first term if lawmakers had simply exercised a modest bit of spending restraint beginning back...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 28, 2015 | Blogs, Economics
What does World War I have to do with Obamanomics? There’s no real connection, of course, but it did give me an opportunity to present a good analogy. At a conference in London last week, I was discussing with some folks the state of the American economy and the role...