Advocates of big government think it is appropriate for the state to redistribute wealth out of a sense of fairness. They usually claim to want some form of taking from the wealthy to give to the poor. But the practice of redistribution is actually quite different. …
Daily Analysis
Fighting Class Warfare in a Debate with a CAP Statist
Two things struck me about this debate. First, the guy from the Center for American Progress was either clueless or dishonest about double taxation. Second, nobody seems to understand that balancing the budget is a simple matter of restraining the growth of government…
Great Moments in Local Government
Here’s another remarkable story illustrating the incompetence of government. A bureaucrat in Norfolk, VA, got paid for 12 years (including benefits) without ever showing up for work. Depending on the agency, this may actually have been a good thing (I wish IRS…
A Strange Debate on CNBC
I think I did okay in this debate, but my opponent wanted me to defend Bush and didn’t seem to get my point that I don’t like big-spending interventionists, regardless of whether they have a D or R after their names.
Time to Shut Down the Congressional Budget Office?
One of the many disappointing things about Republicans is that they fail to correct problems when they get power. After the 1994 “Gingrich Revolution,” the GOP had complete control of Capitol Hill. This meant complete authority over the Congressional Budget Office…
Chile’s Private Social Security System a Big Success
Unlike the United States and most European nations, Chile does not face a long-term Social Security crisis. This is because lawmakers shifted to a system of personal accounts almost 30 years ago. As a result, Chile’s economy is much stronger, the financial system is…
Taxpayer-Funded Sex Trips to Amsterdam?!?
I think Viagra subsidies for sex offenders are an absurd example of government stupidity in America. I’m also amazed that European taxpayers are forced to pay for penile implants for bureaucrats at the European Commission. But I’m almost speechless to learn that…
Great Moments in Government Incompetence
I take second place to nobody in my view that government is horribly incompetent, but even I’m shocked by this story linked on Drudge. According to a news report out of Indiana, students who take the government’s driver’s ed class are four times more likely to crash…
New York Times Seeks Higher Taxes on the “Rich” as Prelude to Higher Taxes on the Middle Class
In a very predictable editorial this morning, the New York Times pontificated in favor of higher taxes. Compared to Paul Krugman’s rant earlier in the week, which featured the laughable assertion that letting people keep more of the money they earn is akin to sending…
Why Is Keynesian Economics Like a Freddy Krueger Movie?
Working in Washington is a frustrating experience for many reasons, but my personal nightmare is that bad ideas refuse to die. Keynesian economics is a perfect example. It doesn’t matter that Keynesian deficit spending didn’t work for Hoover and Roosevelt. It doesn’t…