I’ve written several times about the sometimes-deadly shortcomings of government-run healthcare in the United Kingdom (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), so I like to think I’m relatively immune to being surprised. But this story from the…
Daily Analysis
Obama’s Failure on Jobs: Four Damning Charts
President Obama may have a buddy-buddy relationship with big labor, but he’s no friend to ordinary workers. Here are four damning pieces of evidence. 1. The unemployment rate remains above 9 percent according to the Labor Department data released on Friday. This is…
The Role of Unions in a Free Society
Labor Day is a good opportunity to consider whether unions help or hurt ordinary workers in America. The answer is yes and no, depending on circumstances, but that’s actually the wrong question. The real issue, at least from a public policy perspective, is whether…
Are Tax Havens Moral or Immoral?
Being the world’s self-appointed defender of so-called tax havens has led to some rather bizarre episodes. The bureaucrats at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development threatened to have me thrown in a Mexican jail for the horrible crime of standing in…
Great Moments in Government Stupidity
Do you want drunk truck drivers barreling down the highway? Probably not, but the government does. That’s a bit of hyperbole, but it’s not an unreasonable interpretation of a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is upset that a…
Governor Jon Huntsman, Tax Reform, and Sloppy (Biased?) Coverage from the New York Times
I haven’t said much about the 2012 election, largely because this blog tries to avoid politics and instead focuses on how public policy can promote or (all too often) restrict liberty. But every so often, I feel compelled to pontificate – usually because someone is…
Disaster Keynesianism Follows in Irene’s Wake
Disaster Keynesianism is the moniker I’ve given to the belief that destruction from natural disaster promotes prosperity. It is the logical extension of standard Keynesianism, which holds that any government spending is a boost to growth, and the various voodoo…
Crazy California Politicians Want to Regulate Babysitting
I’ve had several reasons to mock California in the past couple of years (see here, here, here, and here). But I never thought state politicians would be crazy enough to impose harsh regulations on babysitting. Filling out a time card for your babysitter sounds absurd,…
Prostitute Parking Meters! What Will the Germans Tax Next?
In a perverse way (pun intended), I admire German politicians for their creativity. They will figure out ways to tax just about anything. Their latest scheme is a plan that requires streetwalkers to put money in parking meters in exchange for a slip of paper that…
Let’s Send Obama to the Vatican for an Economics Lesson
I’m normally disappointed when religious figures comment on economics, particularly since they often turn the individual call to charity into a blank check for government-coerced redistribution. This runs contrary to individual choice, free will, and morality. So I’m…