Two new competitors vying for entrance into the Moocher Hall of Fame.
Daily Analysis
New Member of the Moocher Hall of Fame Demonstrates the High Cost of Eroding Social Capital
A new British member of the Moocher Hall of Fame has emerged.
Message for the Pope: Caring for the Poor Doesn’t Make You a Communist, but Advancing Statism Makes You Misguided
Did the Pope really endorse statism?
The New York Times Accidentally Admits Superiority of Privatized Social Security
I confess that I get a bit of perverse pleasure when a left-leaning media outlet screws up and inadvertently shares information that helps the cause of limited government. A New York Times columnist, for instance, pushed for a tax-hiking fiscal agreement back in 2011…
What Happens When Too Many Voters Support Redistribution?
Back in 2010, I shared some wise words from Walter Williams and Theodore Dalrymple about how society can become unstable when people figure they can “vote themselves money.” On a related note, I shared the famous “riding in the wagon” cartoons in 2011 and the “Danish…
In the 50-Year War on Poverty, Bureaucrats Have Won while Both Taxpayers and Poor People Have Lost
We know the welfare state is good news for people inside government. Lots of bureaucrats are required, after all, to oversee a plethora of redistribution programs. Walter Williams refers to these paper pushers as poverty pimps, and there’s even a ranking showing which…
Obamacare, Cost Curves, the Ever-Worsening Entitlement Crisis, and the Case for Spending Restraint
I’m very worried about the burden of government spending. Moreover, I’m quite concerned that poorly designed entitlement programs will lead to fiscal disaster. And I’m especially irked that Obama made the problem worse by ramming through yet another misguided and…
Can Greece Be Rescued?
I’m a pessimist about public policy for two simple reasons: 1) Seeking power and votes, elected officials generally can’t resist making short-sighted and politically motivated choices that expand the burden of government. 2) Voters are susceptible to bribery,…
The Simple Lesson We Should Learn from Global Economics
I very rarely feel sorry for statists. After all, these are the people who think that their feelings of envy and inadequacy justify bigger and more coercive government. And I get especially irked when I think about how their authoritarian policies will hurt the most…
The Medicare Money Pit of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Since I primarily work on fiscal policy, I normally look at the budgetary impact of entitlement programs. And the numbers are very grim. But I’m also an economist, so I periodically comment on how government intervention undermines the efficient functioning of…