Back in 2010, I shared a remarkable chart showing how quickly economic output doubles in a fast-growth economy, but it also showed how long it takes for GDP to expand if an economy only grows 1 percent or 2 percent per year. My main message was that nations should…
Daily Analysis
Lies, Damned Lies, and the IRS
When I wrote recently that the IRS was corrupt, venal, and despicable, I didn’t realize that I was bending over backwards to be overly nice. Every new revelation in the scandal shows that the agency is beyond salvage. Writing for Real Clear Markets, Diana…
The Hidden Economic Damage of Obamacare
Obamacare resulted in big increases in the fiscal burden of government(ironically, it would be even worse if Obama hadn’t unilaterally suspended parts of the law). The legislation increased government spending, mostly for expanded Medicaidand big subsidies for private…
A 2016 Preview? Rand Paul vs Hillary Clinton on Taxes
I wrote a post several years ago contrasting a good initiative by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and a statist proposal by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. There was no connection between the two ideas, but I thought the comparison helped show the difference between…
Obama Shouldn’t Limit Higher Education Choices
The Obama administration has consistently sought to eliminate education choices and reduce opportunities, particular for the poor. The president has repeatedly tried to eliminate funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, despite the fact that the limited…
Good – and Very Bad – Developments in Global Tax Policy
With occasional exceptions such as Switzerland and Estonia, there’s rarely good news from Europe. At least with regards to fiscal policy. But maybe there’s a bit of sense on the Iberian Peninsula. I reported a couple of years ago that Portugal was at least flirting…
Everything You Need to Know about Government Bureaucracy
Since I’ve already created a Moocher Hall of Fame to acknowledge the strangest and most reprehensible examples of government dependency, it’s occurred to me that there also should be a Bureaucrat Hall of Fame to highlight the government employees that have figured out…
Obama’s Accidental Brush with Libertarian Foreign Policy
One of the many challenges of being libertarian is that people sometimes think you’re naive about foreign policy (sort of like the first entry in this 24-part satirical collage of libertarians). In large part, I think that’s because they confuse non-interventionism…
Subsidized Statism: Americans Are Paying IMF and OECD Bureaucrats so They Can Agitate for Obama’s Agenda
If some special-interest lobbies give money so that a left-wing group can propose something like a value-added tax to finance bigger government, that’s no surprise. And if a bunch of subsidy recipients donate money to Barack Obama or some other statist politician…
Bill and Hillary Hypocrisy Alert
I actually have a perverse fondness for Bill Clinton. This is both because we got better policy while he was President (whether he deserves credit is a separate question) and because he single-handedly generated a lot of quality political humor. But that doesn’t mean…