Daily Analysis

Has Obama Made the Economy Better or Worse?

I’ve been a big critic of Obama’s policies on taxes, spending, regulation, and intervention, so you won’t be surprised that I argued on CNBC that his policies have made the economy worse. Here are two graphs, which I posted earlier this month, that make my point. The…

One Year Later, Another Look at Obamanomics vs. Reaganomics

On this day last year, I posted two charts that I developed using the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank’s interactive website. Those two charts showed that the current recovery was very weak compared to the boom of the early 1980s. But perhaps that was an unfair…

Lasting Economies Are Not Built

During his State of the Union speech, President Obama expressed his desire for an “economy built to last,” an oxymoron emblematic of the President’s embrace of Keynesianism and other failed economic philosophies. Simply put, strong economies are not…

Harry Reid’s Unicorn Economics

Harry Reid announced recently that millionaire job creators are “imaginary,” just like the “unicorns” that apparently advise him on economics: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested on Monday that millionaires who create jobs are…

Bringing Science to Government

Accusing a political opponent of being anti-science has become a standard tactic of both parties in recent years. These accusations are usually dishonest, as what the accuser typically means is that the accused is not properly weighing the costs and benefits of…

Congress Made a Deal, but Still No Solutions

The big news is the deal reached to extend the debt ceiling. That politicians reached a deal amongst themselves to extend the nation’s credit so they can borrow and spend more money should not come as a surprise, nor should the fact that the deal, being spun as…

Deficits Are No One’s Best Friend

Susan Feiner, in a recent blog post for Ms Magazine, argues that continuing deficits favor the feminist movement. The post is entitled “A Feminist Economist Speaks Out: Deficits are a Grrrl’s Best Friend”. Normally I wouldn’t give any time to addressing the arguments…

Why Are Some Countries Rich and Others Poor?

Here’s a new video, less than 2-1/2 minutes, pointing out some of the key differences between rich nations and poor nations. Not surprisingly, small government, free markets, and sound institutions are critical. I narrated a similar video, released more than two years…

Nobel Prize Winner Analyzes the Obama Growth Gap

I’ve explained before that one of the most damning pieces of evidence against Obamanomics is that the economy is suffering from sub-par growth, something that is particularly damning since normally one expects to see faster-than-average growth following an economic…