I’m very worried about the burden of government spending. Moreover, I’m quite concerned that poorly designed entitlement programs will lead to fiscal disaster. And I’m especially irked that Obama made the problem worse by ramming through yet another misguided and…
Daily Analysis
Can Greece Be Rescued?
I’m a pessimist about public policy for two simple reasons: 1) Seeking power and votes, elected officials generally can’t resist making short-sighted and politically motivated choices that expand the burden of government. 2) Voters are susceptible to bribery,…
An Italian Doctor Joins the Bureaucrat Hall of Fame
In April of 2013, I introduced a Moocher Hall of Fame to “celebrate” some very odious examples of welfare dependency. Since that time, I keep thinking that it’s time to do something similar for government bureaucrats. This compilation from last December would be a…
Australia’s Worrisome Fiscal Drift
I’m in Australia for Consilium, an annual conference which is hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies. I spoke on fiscal policy and pontificated on the need for nations to restrain government spending. That’s an important message (at least in my humble option),…
New Members of the Bureaucrat Hall of Fame…or a Great Moment in Government Waste
Which nation has the most costly bureaucracy? Well, if the answer is based solely on how much it costs to employ bureaucrats, you can see from this chart that Denmark comes in first place. As an American taxpayer, I’m glad to learn that there are other nations that…
Should American Taxpayers Subsidize Israel’s Defense?
I rarely delve into foreign policy and defense issues. And when I do, such as my post about the conflict in Ukraine, it’s usually because it gives me an opportunity to draw attention to a topic that is in my bailiwick (in the case of Ukraine, it gave me an excuse to…
America’s Built-In Greek Fiscal Future
I had a very bad lunch today. But not because of what I ate. My lunch was unpleasant because I moderated anoontime panel on Capitol Hill featuring Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and my Cato colleague Chris Edwards. And I should hasten to add that they were splendid…
Great Moments in Government
You won’t know whether to laugh or cry after perusing these stories that will be added to our “great moments in government” collection. For instance, did you realize that American taxpayers were saddled with the responsibility to micro-manage agriculture in…
A Simple Solution to the Highway Trust Fund Deficit
I’m a big believer in federalism, both as a matter of policy and politics. So you won’t be surprised that I’ve called for the abolition of the Department of Transportation. On more than one occasion. But when you’re trying to convince politicians to give up power and…
An Under-Appreciated Victory over Obamacare
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…