A lot of guests for this appearance, but I think I got a fair share of airtime. More important, I explained why it is not a good thing for Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve to let the inflation genie out of the bottle. Monetary policy is one area where I always try…
Daily Analysis
Barack Obama and Harry Reid Are AWOL in the Fight for Fiscal Responsibility
In the past 10 years, the burden of federal spending has skyrocketed, more than doubling from$1.86 trillion in 2001 to an estimated $3.82 this year. President Bush deserves a lot of the blame thanks to the no-bureaucrat-left-behind bill that bloated the Department of…
Latest News on a Government Shutdown, Including a Debate with Robert Reich on CNBC
In this discussion on Larry Kudlow’s show, I reiterate the central point from my National Review article and explain that the government shutdown in 1995 led to real fiscal restraint. If that was a loss for the GOP, I hope they lose again this year. But will this…
Victory in Wisconsin?!?
Kudos to Governor Walker of Wisconsin. Republicans rarely have the intelligence or the fortitude to win battles that reduce the burden of government, but it appears that he is on the verge of prevailing in his effort to limit special privileges for government workers….
The Moochers Fight Back
The fiscal fight on Capitol Hill has triggered a firestorm of lobbying, as greedy special interests are squealing about a potential loss of handouts. This USA Today story focuses on funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Planned Parenthood, both of…
GOP Congressman Gives Good Speech against New Government-Mandated Toxic Lightbulbs
Regular readers of this blog already know (see here, here, and here) that I’m not a big fan of the new “CFL” light bulbs that we will be forced to use in a couple of years. In a more entertaining fashion, here’s a video from a few years ago, featuring a Republican…
Poetic (and Smelly) Justice for San Francisco
Since I believe in federalism and decentralization, I tend to be somewhat tolerant of stupid decisions by local governments – particularly when those choices are made thousands of miles away and I don’t have to deal with the consequences. With this in mind, I find it…
Republicans Are Right to Cut the IRS Budget
One of my many frustrations of working in Washington is dealing with perpetual-motion-machine assertions. The classic example is Keynesian economics, which is based on the notion that you magically create additional economic activity by having the government spend…
The TSA’s Keystone Cops Strike Again
My New Year’s Resolution was to stop making fun of the Transportation Security Administration. Not because I changed my mind about the bureaucracy and its level of (in)competence, but rather because I felt as if I was taking candy from a baby. Kicking the TSA is just…
How Appropriate: Politicians and Statists Celebrate Charles Ponzi’s Birthday by Demanding No Changes to Social Security
Yesterday was the 129th anniversary of Charles Ponzi’s birthday. Normal people don’t celebrate the birth of con artists, but a tediously left-wing columnist at the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson, must be a big admirer of Charles Ponzi, because he seems very happy…