Kevin Williamson of National Review is always worth reading, whether he’s kicking Paul Krugman’s behind in a discussion about the Texas economy, explaining supply-side economics, or even when he’s writing misguided things about taxation. But I’m tempted to say that…
Daily Analysis
Getting Rich While Serving in Congress Isn’t Proof of Corruption, but It Stinks to High Heaven
Mark Twain famously observed that, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” That’s a generalization, of course, but one that makes a lot of sense. Especially since I’ve written about…
Rich Statists Exposed as Complete Hypocrites
I’ve written before about how some leftists have a masochistic desire to pay higher taxes. I’ve also exposed Warren Buffett’s dishonest math, which is part of his campaign for bigger government. And I’ve even debated rich statists on TV, telling them not to make the…
Since Romney Is Willing to Consider a VAT, Should Libertarians and Conservatives Be Willing to Consider Him?
There’s been a lot of discussion about Mitt Romney’s appeal – or lack thereof – among supporters of limited government. To put it mildly, many libertarians and conservatives are underwhelmed by his less-than-stellar record on healthcare, his weakness on Social…
An In-Your-Face Smackdown of Europe’s Bureaucratic Empire
I’m not a big fan of the European bureaucracy. Indeed, I was semi-serious when I stated that Brussels was the “most statist place on the planet.” Which is why I greatly enjoyed this speech by the head of Ryan Air, who ripped the bureaucrats a new you-know-what while…
Can You Identify the Most Egregious Example of Wasteful Spending by the Welfare State?
I’ve commented many times about wasteful government spending, including Social Security bureaucrats spending $700 thousand to party at a luxury resort, HUD bureaucrats giving huge subsidies for welfare recipients to live in upscale neighborhoods, rampant fraud in the…
European Fiscal Agreements Show that Balanced Budget Rules Mean Higher Taxes, not Smaller Government
I have many frustrations in my life, and near the top of the list is the conservative fixation about balancing the budget. This view is very misguided. Red ink isn’t good, but the fiscal problem in America (as well as Europe, Japan, etc) is that the public sector is…
California’s Top-One-Percent Bureaucrats
Every so often (about 362 days per year), I come to the conclusion that government is a racket for the benefit of special interests. Greece would be an example. And if we limit ourselves to the United States, California is probably the poster child for a kleptocracy…
Two Early Thoughts on the Ryan-Wyden Medicare Plan
It’s obviously quite disappointing that Congressman Paul Ryan has teamed up with Senator Ron Wyden, a Democratic from Oregon, to put forth a significantly watered down version of his Medicare reform plan. Ben Domenech of the Heartland Institute and Peter Suderman of…
Economics Reporter from New York Times Has Accidental Encounter with Reality, Learns Nothing
Earlier this year, I wrote about how the person Obama put in charge of Medicare made some very interesting observations about prices, competition, and markets, but then drew exactly the wrong conclusion about what was needed to solve the third-party payer problem in…