I sometimes assert that the greatest enemies of freedom in Washington are mortgage payments and tuition bills. When people give me a blank stare, I say that I’m joking, but I use the opportunity to explain that the desire for easy wealth (and the lifestyle it enables)…
Daily Analysis
How to Fix the Entitlement Problem
One of my presentations at CPAC addressed America’s long-term entitlement crisis. I was part of a panel organized by the National Taxpayers Union, and I discussed how to solve the long-run fiscal problems caused by Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The lighting…
As Wisconsin Goes, so Goes the Nation
After dozens of posts about overpaid government employees, I’m sick of writing about the topic. But what’s happening in Wisconsin is critically important in the fight for long-run fiscal sanity, so I’m reluctantly wading back into this fight. Simply stated,…
Senator Toomey’s Legislation Would Protect Financial Markets During a Debt Limit Showdown
There will be several pivotal fiscal policy battles this year and the fight over the debt limit may be the most crucial. This is a “must-pass” piece of legislation, so it will be a rare opportunity for fiscal conservatives in the House to impose some much-needed…
Time to Get Rid of the Corporate Income Tax?
Here’s a video arguing for the abolition of the corporate income tax. The visuals are good and it touches on key issues such as competitiveness. I do have one complaint about the video, though it is merely a sin of omission. There is not enough attention paid to the…
Great Moments in Human Rights: Creating an Entitlement for Free Soccer Broadcasts in Europe
Forget the Magna Carta and the Constitution. Don’t pay attention to the end of slavery. Ignore the defeat of the Nazis or the collapse of the Soviet Empire. If you want a real victory for humanity, European courts have ruled that people have the right to free soccer…
Beware of Greeks Accepting Gifts
On rare occasions, I dream about being a politician or high-level international bureaucrat. Not because I want to be a moocher (please put me out of my misery if that ever happens), but because I periodically read about some sleazy interest group making petulant…
Obama’s Budget Means the Burden of Government Spending Will be $2 Trillion Higher in Ten Years
Fiscal policy wonks (like me, I’m forced to admit) sometimes miss the forest because we focus too much on individual trees. So while I think my posts on the spending and revenue sides of Obama’s new budget contained lots of useful information, I didn’t pay any…
England’s Slow-Motion Death Panels
I’ve commented before about the sub-par government-run healthcare system in the United Kingdom, including patients dying of malnutrition, patients suffering needless pain and discomfort, and patients dying from poor care (additional examples at this link). I’ve even…
Deconstructing the Revenue Side of Obama’s Budget
I looked yesterday at the spending side of Obama’s budget and found some good news and bad news. The good news was the absence of any big new initiative to expand the burden of government. That’s a welcome relief since the past couple of years have featured budget…