I wrote about the Ryan budget two days ago, praising it for complying with Mitchell’s Golden Rule and reforming Medicare and Medicaid. But I believe in being honest and nonpartisan, so I also groused that it wasn’t as good as the 2011 and 2012 versions. Now it’s time…
Daily Analysis
More Entrepreneurs Say “Au Revoir” to the Administration Fiscale, Escape France’s Confiscatory Tax Regime
As a general rule, it’s not right to take pleasure at the misfortune of others. But I think we’re allowed an exception to that Schadenfreude rule when the “others” are greedy politicians pursuing spiteful policies. We want the political elite to suffer misfortune…
Everything You Need to Know about the Ryan Budget
Sigh. Even when they’re sort of doing the right thing, Republicans are incapable of using the right argument. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, has unveiled his proposed budget and he and other Republicans are bragging that the plan will balance the…
Sequestration’s Impact on HUD: Just 358 More Days and Mission Accomplished
As part of my “Question of the Week” series, I had to decide which department of the federal government was most deserving of abolition. With a target-rich environment of waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington, that wasn’t an easy question to answer. But I decided to…
My Heart Breaks and Tears Flow When I Read about Sequestration Being a Big Defeat for Lobbyists
I believe in the First Amendment, so I would never support legislation to restrict political speech or curtail the ability of people to petition the government. That being said, I despise the corrupt Washington game of obtaining unearned wealth thanks to the sleazy…
As Humorously Explained by Henry Payne, the World Amazingly Didn’t End When Uncle Sam Got Put on a Sequester Diet
When I last checked, Henry Payne was winning the bronze medal in the contest to identify the best political cartoonist. You can see why by checking out this cartoon about Washington’s reaction to sequestration, which (gasp!) slightly slows the growth of the federal…
Inequality, Redistribution, and Class Warfare
I’ve spent a lot of time debunking class-warfare tax policy, and I’ve certainly explained ’til I’m blue in the face that big government facilitates a pernicious form of corruption that enriches powerful and well-connected insiders. But I haven’t spent much time…
The IMF, Higher Taxes, and Mitchell’s Law
Here are three common-sense principles. Higher taxes are misguided. They undermine prosperity and finance bigger government. Bailouts also are misguided. They facilitate corruption and encourage moral hazard. And international bureaucracies are misguided. They promote…
OECD Moves to Undo Taxpayer Gains
Thanks to tax competition and beginning with the cuts under Reagan and Thatcher, global tax rates have declined over the last several decades. In order to remain economically competitive, politicians have had to refrain from the excessive fleecing of taxpayers and…
Minimum Wage, Maximum Foolishness
Should the federal government make life more difficult for low-skilled workers? I hope everyone will emphatically say “NO!” Heck, most people understandably will think you’re crazy for even asking such a preposterous question. But some of those people will also think…