We know the welfare state is good news for people inside government. Lots of bureaucrats are required, after all, to oversee a plethora of redistribution programs. Walter Williams refers to these paper pushers as poverty pimps, and there’s even a ranking showing which…
Daily Analysis
Even its Creators Want to Shut Down the Government’s Asset-Forfeiture Racket
If you ask me about the most wasteful department in the federal government, I’ll state that there are lots of good choices, but if forced to identify the best candidate for elimination, I’ll go with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. If you ask me about…
Is Government Threat of Punishment Keeping Private Universities from Cutting Tuition?
Federal policies unquestionably deserve some blame for skyrocketing tuition costs. Washington subsidizes student borrowing, and colleges in turn raise prices to capture federal dollars. Higher prices put pressure on Washington to increase subsidies and the cycle…
Statist Policy and the Great Depression
It’s difficult to promote good economic policy when some policy makers have a deeply flawed grasp of history. This is why I’ve tried to educate people, for instance, that government intervention bears the blame for the 2008 financial crisis, not capitalism or…
Obamacare, Cost Curves, the Ever-Worsening Entitlement Crisis, and the Case for Spending Restraint
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…
Corporate Welfare: Can Republicans Kick the Habit?
I periodically try to explain that there’s a big difference between being pro-market and pro-business. Simply stated, policy makers shouldn’t try to penalize businesses with taxes,mandates, and regulations. But neither should politicians seek to subsidize…
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,…
To the Extent America Has an Infrastructure Crisis, that’s an Argument for Decentralization rather than a Bigger Federal Government
Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute looks at the topic of infrastructure spending and I’m left with mixed feelings. Some of what he writes is very good. Yes, the claims of an “infrastructure crisis” by President Obama, many liberals…are exaggerated….
Another Brutally Disturbing Example of Government-Run Healthcare from the United Kingdom
It’s time to add to our collection of horror stories from the U.K.’s government-run healthcare system (previous examples can be found here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here, here, here, and here). What makes today’s story different,…
America’s Ever-Expanding Regulatory Swamp
Maybe I’m biased because I mostly work on fiscal policy, but it certainly seems feasible to come up with rough estimates for the damage caused by onerous taxes and excessive spending. On a personal level, for instance, we have a decent idea of how much the government…