’m not a lawyer, or an expert on the Constitution, though I sometimes play one on TV. But I can read, and I’ll agree with my friends on the left that the federal government has a broad power to tax. I wish the 16th Amendment had never been ratified, but its language…
Daily Analysis
The Crazy French Double Down on Obamanomics
Being a libertarian, I’m used to disappointment. So when something actually goes according to plan, I get very happy. On that basis, I should be utterly and deliriously overjoyed about my endorsement of Francois Hollande to be President of France. I wanted him to…
Obama’s Using Our Tax Dollars to Leverage More Food Stamp Dependency
In past posts, I’ve groused about food stamp abuse, including people using them to buy luxury coffee at Starbucks and to purchase steaks and lobster. I’ve complained about college kids scamming the program, the “Octo-Mom” mooching off the program, and the Obama…
On Reason TV, Andrew Ferguson Discusses the Parasite Economy of Washington, DC
Back in February, I posted this startling map showing that 10 of America’s 15-richest counties are the bedroom communities surrounding Washington, DC. There’s a lot of money in Washington because federal bureaucrats are wildly overpaid, as I document in this video,…
The “Remain-Calm-All-Is-Well” Image of the European Crisis
Yesterday, I did a serious post outlining the absurd policies being pursued in France, Italy, and Greece, along with some much-deserved scorn for the throw-fuel-on-the-fire statist analysis of the International Monetary Fund. Later in the day, I posted a cartoon about…
What Does It Mean When Obama and His Former Top Economist both Reject Obamanomics?
To answer the question in the title, it means you need to read the fine print. This is because we have a president who thinks the government shouldn’t confiscate more than 20 percent of a company’s income, but he only gives that advice when he’s in Ghana. And the same…
Government Cost-Overruns, the English Version
Many of us know that Obamacare will be very expensive and that supporters, aided and abetted by the Congressional Budget Office, deliberately low-balled the cost estimates. I’ve also cited my Cato colleague Chris Edwards, who has made a more comprehensive (and…
Great Moments in Government Waste
Every time some class-warfare Democrat or Charlie Brown Republican says we need higher taxes, I think of all the ways the government wastes money and I get angry because the political elite is ripping off the American people. Should we send more money to Washington…
Observations on the European Farce
Spain’s received a bailout, Greece is having another election tomorrow, and the European political elite is pushing for more centralization. In other words, business as usual in the continent where voters think you can get nothing for nothing (this satirical cartoon…
Will America Face a Greek-Style Fiscal Crisis?
Since I’ve written several times that the United States will face a fiscal crisis if entitlement programs aren’t reformed, you won’t be surprised to see that I repeat those points in this CNBC debate. But I’m not happy with my performance. Not because my leftist…