When I started writing about public policy, I never realized that …um…human waste would be a frequent topic. *But we examined (not too closely!) the story of a Postal Service employee who defecated in someone’s yard and got to keep his job. *We wondered why the Greek…
Daily Analysis
Obama Shouldn’t Limit Higher Education Choices
The Obama administration has consistently sought to eliminate education choices and reduce opportunities, particular for the poor. The president has repeatedly tried to eliminate funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, despite the fact that the limited…
Everything You Need to Know about Government Bureaucracy
Since I’ve already created a Moocher Hall of Fame to acknowledge the strangest and most reprehensible examples of government dependency, it’s occurred to me that there also should be a Bureaucrat Hall of Fame to highlight the government employees that have figured out…
Mocking Bad Government in America…but Be Thankful We’re Not Venezuela (at least not yet)
I’ve written a couple of serious posts about the death panels at the VA’s government-run health facilities. I think it’s particularly important to understand that the problem has nothing to do with funding levels. Instead, it’s about the chronic inefficiency of…
Paul Martin: The Bill Clinton of Canada, Only Much Better
Imagine how weird it would be if the Cato Institute and Americans for Tax Reform praised Barack Obama for fiscal responsibility. And think how inconceivable it would be for the Heritage Foundation and the National Taxpayers Union to applaud Tim “Turbotax” Geithner for…
Another Great Moment in Government-Manufactured Human Rights
As part of my “great moments” in government series, I periodically share stories about really foolish regulations and really wasteful spending. And sometimes I’ll even have a story that combines dumb regulation and boondoggle spending. For instance, you won’t believe…
Spending Restraint Is Good Short-Run Policy and Good Long-Run Policy
Regular readers know that good fiscal policy takes place when government spending grows slower than the private economy. Nations that maintain this Golden Rule for extended periods of time shrink the relative burden of government spending, thus enabling more growth by…
Linear Thinking and the Rahn Curve: Responding to a Critic
There’s an old saying that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. That may be true if you’re in Hollywood and visibility is a key to long-run earnings. But in the world of public policy, you don’t want to be a punching bag. And that describes my role in a book…
Corporate Tax in Japan, Benefits for American Veterans, and Overweight British Kids
The title of this post sounds like the beginning of a strange joke, but it’s actually because we’re covering three issues today. Our first topic is corporate taxation. More specifically, we’re looking at a nation that seems to be learning that it’s foolish the have a…
Time to End Export-Import Bank Cronyism
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…