Since I’ve spent the past 25 years analyzing government, I’m used to spectacular levels of waste and incompetence. Examples of pork such as “$27 light bulbs” and the “turtle tunnel” barely cause me to raise an eyebrow. It takes something really amazing to grab my…
Daily Analysis
Four Reasons Why Big Government Is Bad Government
A new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity gives four reasons why big government is bad fiscal policy. I particularly like the explanation of how government spending undermines growth by diverting labor and capital from the productive sector of the…
The Best Super Bowl Commercial of 2011
I don’t know if this commercial was broadcast nationally, but I saw it in northern Virginia. A very smart, anti-politician message. The worst commercial (this is a no-brainer) was from Chrysler. Not because the advertising was bad, but because the company is mooching…
The Super Bowl of Taxation
The Wall Street Journal uses the clash between the Steelers and Packers as an opportunity to make a much-need point about taxes. Because of Pennsylvania’s flat tax, Ben Roethlisberger keeps a greater percentage of his salary than Aaron Rodgers, who gets raped by…
Happy 100th Birthday to Ronald Reagan
On the 30th anniversary of his inauguration, I posted a bunch of videos that captured Ronald Reagan’s greatness, but I think we need only one for the 100th anniversary of his birth. This video illustrates Reagan’s superior understanding of fiscal policy. He points out…
The Federal Bureaucracy: Even More Bloated When You Count the “Shadow” Workforce
Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute has put together a very depressing column for National Review. To put it bluntly, he exposes the true size of the federal workforce, which has 5.5 hidden employees for every official bureaucrat. Officially, as of…
Two Recent TSA Decisions Will Make Flying a More Miserable Experience in the Future
I’m sick of the TSA and haven’t written about that incompetent bureaucracy since posting a mock press release early last month. But after enduring the slowest-moving line in recorded history at the Miami Airport yesterday, motivation is no longer a problem. So it was…
Global Warming Protest!
Al Gore really knows how to get a good turnout.
Great Moments in Government: The Fight against…umm…errr…Breaking Wind
I’m not really sure what to say about the politicians in Malawi. Is this really a serious problem in the country? Will there be a new government agency to enforce the rule? How do they identify perpetrators if there is…um…no accompanying sound? On the other hand, this…
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Government-Subsidized Happiness in Brazil
One of the many great things about America’s Founding Fathers is that the Declaration of Independence refers to “unalienable rights” including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But there’s not even a suggestion that it is the job of government to provide…