The libertarian position is that government should be totally neutral whenever there is a conflict between labor and management. Unfortunately, politicians usually tilt the playing field in favor of unions, largely in response to big campaign contributions. This issue…
Daily Analysis
Former Top Economic Aide for Obama Admits Threat of Lost Decade
Larry Summers served as Chairman of the National Economic Council for Barack Obama, so it is rather remarkable that he is admitting that the economy is in deep trouble and that America may be on the verge of long-term, Japanese-style stagnation. Here’s part of what he…
Amazon Abandoning Greedy States with Online Retail Taxes
In continued news of people responding to tax competition, online retail giant Amazon.com Inc. has announced it is scrapping deals in Arkansas and Connecticut due to new legislation requiring new online retail taxes. As the Wall Street Journal reported: Amazon.com…
Individualism Is Good for Growth, not Collectivism
There are lots of things that are important for a good life and a prosperous, well-functioning society, including family and community. But something else that belongs on the list, at least if you want more growth, is individualism. Here’s an excerpt from a new study…
Boost Economic Growth by Slashing the Size of Government
It doesn’t get much attention, but one of the most interesting economic experiments in American history occurred right after World War II. Despite warnings of Armageddon from Keynesian economists, government spending was slashed as the United States demobilized from…
Block-Granting Medicaid Is a Long-Overdue Way of Restoring Federalism and Promoting Good Fiscal Policy
This new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity explains why Medicaid should be shifted to the states. As I note in the title of this post, it’s good federalism policy and good fiscal policy. But the video also explains that Medicaid reform is good health…
Will the U.S. Government Get Downgraded…and Would It Matter?
Here’s another news appearance from my new youtube channel. I chat about the importance (or lack thereof) of a possible ratings downgrade for the United States government. You’ll see that I’m not overly impressed by Moody’s and the rest of the rating agencies.
If We Want to Fix the Healthcare Mess, We Better Understand the Real Problem
This is the most depressing – but revealing – thing I have read in a long time: “the health-care sector has twice as many clerical workers as nurses and nine times as many as doctors.” That passage is from a very good column by Robert Samuelson, in which he covers a…
Government Fiscal Estimates: Always Wrong, Usually Biased
My good friend Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University did a very illuminating interview with Bloomberg about the serial inaccuracy of government fiscal forecasts. Veronique uses health care as an example, giving particular attention to the…
How Redistribution Creates a Poverty Trap
I’ve beaten up on Newt Gingrich for his views on global warming and his attack on the Ryan budget plan, but I’m completely on his side in the faux controversy about whether it is racist to call Barack Obama the “food stamp president.” This story from ABC News should…