The Export-Import bank is a favorite of big business. It’s also been defended by some misguided free market folk. But it’s bad for jobs and, as this video from the newly launched Daily Signal shows, an exercise in cronyism. CF&P is part of a large…
Daily Analysis
The VA Health Scandal Is about Government Incompetence, not Inadequate Funding
I’ve never been susceptible to the claim that you solve problems with taxpayer money. Indeed, this amusing poster is a pretty good summary of my views on the effectiveness of government spending. But what about the horrific stories about veterans dying because of…
Global Trends in Economic Freedom
I’m in Vancouver, Canada, for the biennial meeting of the World Taxpayers Associations. I gave a speech on why tax competition is a valuable force to constrain the greed of the political class, but warned the audience that high-tax governments and international…
The Department of Agriculture Deserves the Death Penalty
I believe in free markets and small government, and I’m also against Washington corruption. Which is why I want to abolish the Department of Agriculture. And I suspect all sensible people will agree after reading excerpts from these three articles. We’ll start with…
Detroit Still Not Serious About Getting Its House in Order
Detroit’s bankruptcy was created by decades of fiscal irresponsibility. Politicians ruined the economy with high taxes to finance their lavish spending and depleted the tax base. Given this track record, you would think the city would take a more responsible…
Like Father, Like Son: Thanks in Part to a Disastrous Tax-Hike Deal, the First President Bush Was a Statist
The establishment fervently believes that more money should come to Washington so that politicians have greater ability to buy votes. That’s why statists from both parties are so viscerally hostile to Grover Norquist’s no-tax-hike pledge. They view it as an obstacle…
Repeal the Gas Tax…and Get Rid of the Department of Transportation
More than three years ago, I wrote that the Department of Transportation should be dismantled for the simple reason that we’ll get better roads at lower cost with the federalist approach of returning responsibility to state and local governments. I echoed those…
The Slow-Motion Train Wreck of Entitlement Programs
The Census Bureau just released a report on America’s aging population. The big takeaway is that our population will be getting much older between now and 2050. And since I’m a baby boomer, I very much like the fact that we’re expected to live longer. But as a public…
Laughing at Another Spectacular Obamacare Failure
As you can imagine, there’s a lot to choose from in the contest for the most spectacular waste of tax dollars. But the politicians in Oregon must really want the prize, because they managed to flush several hundred million dollars down a rat hole by putting together a…
Taiwan Is the Success Story, not China
Which nation is richer, Belarus or Luxembourg? If you look at total economic output, you might be tempted to say Belarus. The GDP of Belarus, after all, is almost $72 billion while Luxembourg’s GDP is less than $60 billion. But that would be a preposterous answer…