I’ve explained on many occasions how the financial crisis was largely the result of government-imposed mistakes, and I’ve paid considerable attention to the role of easy money by the Federal Reserve and the perverse subsidies provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac….
Daily Analysis
The Deadly Impact of FDA Regulation
I recently commented on some astounding numbers showing that each regulatory bureaucrat destroys 100 jobs in the productive sector of the economy. That’s obviously terrible news. Heck, it would be awful if each bureaucrat caused the destruction of 2 private-sector…
If Obama Wants to Create More Jobs, He Should Get Rid of Regulatory Bureaucrats
Last year, I reported on a study from the Small Business Administration that estimated that federal regulation costs the economy a staggering $1.75 trillion every year. But that number is so large that it’s hard to understand what it actually means, so let’s look at…
DoE Inspector General: Government Too Incompetent to Spend Stimulus
Gregory H. Friedman, Inspector General for the Department of Energy, testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee this morning (Hat-tip: Adam Peshek at the Reason Foundation). Not only was the stimulus based upon bad Keynesian economics, but…
CF&P Objections to IRS Regulation Take Center Stage at Congressional Hearing
Fighting the revival of a decades-old proposal that would drive much needed foreign capital out of the US, CF&P has aggressively laid out the case against the regulation to require reporting of non-resident alien deposit interest information to the IRS, an action…
Growing Opposition to Obama’s IRS Proposal to Make Banks Put Foreign Tax Law above U.S. Tax Law
Why impose a regulatory burden on a weakened banking sector when it has nothing to do with enforcing American tax law?
Measuring One Part of the Bush-Obama Regulatory Onslaught
Have you ever tried to run in waist-high water? It’s not easy, but it’s a useful exercise if you want to experience what it’s like to comply with government rules, regulation, paperwork, and red tape. Especially if you want to understand why it’s getting harder for…
Great Moments in Government Stupidity
Do you want drunk truck drivers barreling down the highway? Probably not, but the government does. That’s a bit of hyperbole, but it’s not an unreasonable interpretation of a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is upset that a…
Crazy California Politicians Want to Regulate Babysitting
I’ve had several reasons to mock California in the past couple of years (see here, here, here, and here). But I never thought state politicians would be crazy enough to impose harsh regulations on babysitting. Filling out a time card for your babysitter sounds absurd,…
The Futile Stupidity of Laws Against “Short Selling”
The governments of Spain, Italy, Belgium and (of course) France recently imposed 15-day bans on “short selling,” which means they are prohibiting people from making investments that would be profitable if certain stocks fall in value. According to the politicians, the…