Whenever I find a story that involves a thorny issue of right vs wrong, I like to see what readers think. Indeed, this has become a semi-regular feature of this blog. I’ve cited some tough cases in previous posts, dealing with difficult topics such as vigilante…
Daily Analysis
An Amazing Indictment of Obamanomics – Banks that Don’t Want Deposits
I’ve commented on the failure of Obamanomics, with special focus on how both banks and corporations are sitting on money because the investment climate is so grim. Not exactly flattering to the White House. Using Minneapolis Federal Reserve data, I’ve compared the…
Is the USA or UK Home to the World’s Most Disgusting Welfare Bum?
Last week, I wrote about an utterly reprehensible welfare mom in the United Kingdom who had the gall to blame the government when one of her 11 kids was arrested for rioting. Surely, I thought, she was the perfect symbol of the moral depravity caused by welfare state…
Which Group Is More Despicable, French Politicians or French Rich People?
I enjoy mocking the French every so often, including posts about the nation’s absurd fiscal policy, its protesting government workers, its oddball laws against meanness, its penchant for high taxes, and its shallow attempts to redefine success. Sometimes, I even…
New CBO Numbers Confirm – Once Again – that Modest Spending Restraint Can Balance the Budget
The Congressional Budget Office has just released the update to its Economic and Budget Outlook. There are several things from this new report that probably deserve commentary, including a new estimate that unemployment will “remain above 8 percent until 2014.” This…
Is Obama Really Going to Propose another Keynesian Stimulus?
ust last week, I made fun of Paul Krugman after he publicly said that a fake threat from invading aliens would be good for the economy since the earth would waste a bunch of money on pointless defense outlays. Yesterday, there were rumors that Krugman stated that it…
Are We Obligated to Obey Unjust Laws?
After World War II, some Germans tried to defend venal behavior by claiming that they were “just following orders” from their government. Governments in America have never done anything nearly as awful as the Nazis, but there certainly are some very unpleasant…
It’s Wrong to Steal…Even When the Government Does It Using Asset Forfeiture
As a grumpy libertarian, I routinely get agitated about taxes, spending, and regulation. As far as I’m concerned, much of government is a racket that uses coercion to reward interest groups with unearned wealth. But there are degrees of evil. So if you asked me to…
Republicans in Glass Houses Should Be Careful When Throwing Stones at Obama
Congressman Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, has a rather persuasive column in the Washington Post about the negative impact of President Obama’s big-government agenda. … the Obama administration’s anti-business, hyper-regulatory, pro-tax agenda has fueled…
FATCA Law is Self-Destructing Fiscal Protectionism
I recently co-authored with Dan Mitchell an article in the Swiss magazine Schweizer Monat explaining the many problems with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), and the schizophrenic nature of US tax policy in general. The key points: The rationale behind…