I sometimes make fun of Republicans for being the “Stupid Party,” but I get genuinely agitated when they’re the “Statist Party.” You can forgive someone for not being intelligent, after all, but it’s much harder to look the other way when they deliberately and…
Daily Analysis
Two Cheers to the Obama Administration for Resisting French Anti-Tax Competition Scheme
I damned Obama with faint praise last year by asserting that he would never be able to make America as statist as France. My main point was to explain that the French people, notwithstanding their many positive attributes, seem hopelessly statist. At least that’s how…
Can You Spell L-A-F-F-E-R C-U-R-V-E?
I’m thinking of inventing a game, sort of a fiscal version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Only the way it will work is that there will be a map of the world and the winner will be the blindfolded person who puts their pin closest to a nation such as Australia or…
Yes, You Have Something to Fear, Even if You’re a Law-Abiding Person
Whether we’re talking about NSA spying, cross-border collection and sharing of private financial data by tax-hungry governments, pointlessly intrusive money-laundering laws, or other schemes to give the state more power and authority, we’re often told that “if you’re…
Great Moments in Local Government: Pick Your “Favorite” Example of Thuggery and Incompetence
I’m a strong believer in federalism, but not because I think state and local governments are competent. Politicians and interest groups are a toxic combination in all circumstance. But at least people have considerable ability to cross borders if they want to escape…
Is It Good News or Bad News that the White House Has Delayed the Obamacare Employer Mandate?
As I explained back in April, I’m cautiously optimistic that Obamacare will fall apart for the simple reason that it’s impossible to have a workable government-run healthcare system without the type of brutal rationing and sub-standard care found in places like the…
Should the Government Do Something about Obesity?
Last year, I showed an image of evolutionary stages that was so accurate that it would earn approval even from many strict creationists. Here’s a new image of evolutionary stages that sets the stage for today’s discussion. Simply stated, Americans are becoming bigger….
Thomas Sowell Explains How the Welfare State Hurts the Poor
Political cartoonists like Michael Ramirez and Chuck Asay are effective because they convey so much with images. But we need more than clever cartoons if we’re going to educate the general population about how government harms the economy and undermines freedom. And…
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall, Which Nation Is in the Deepest Fiscal Doo-Doo of All?
According to the Bank for International Settlements, the United States has a terrible long-run fiscal outlook. Assuming we don’t implement genuine entitlement reform, the only countries in worse shape are the United Kingdom and Japan. The Organization for Economic…
Great Moments in Law Enforcement
Lenore Skenazy has a column in today’s Wall Street Journal on the topic of whether it should be a criminal offense to leave your kids in a car, even if just for a few minutes. Here’s how she describes the issue. One mother is hauled off to the police station. Another…