Last August, I shared a fascinating map from the Tax Foundation. It showed which states have chased away taxable income and which ones have attracted more taxpayers (along with their taxable income). In other words, what are the “Golden Geese” doing with their money?…
Daily Analysis
Another Edition of “Great Moments in State and Local Government”
I’ve been asked whether I’m a hypocrite because I support decentralization while at the same time being critical of state and local governments. I don’t think there’s any inconsistency in my position. Here’s some of what I wrote last July. I’m…
Sweden, Spending Restraint, and the Benefits of Obeying Fiscal Policy’s Golden Rule
When I first started working on fiscal policy in the 1980s, I never thought I would consider Sweden any sort of role model. It was the quintessential cradle-to-grave welfare state, much loved on the left as an example for America to follow. But Sweden suffered a…
New Mercatus Fiscal Ranking Shows the Real New Jersey Scandal
If you’re a libertarian, you generally don’t act and think like other people. Most folks, when they heard about Governor Christie’s bridge-closing scandal, focused on the potential political ramifications. But not me. My immediate reaction was to think that the…
From France to California, Holiday Gloom from the Tax Police
It’s time to extinguish any lingering Christmas cheer. Today’s topic is over-bearing and tyrannical tax administration. To be more specific, we’re going to look at the extent to which taxpayers are mistreated during the process of collecting revenue. Yes, the amount…
The Amazing Adventures of Super Bureaucrat!
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no it’s Super Bureaucrat! Actually, look to New Jersey, because you’re going to see a taxpayer ripoff that will get your blood boiling. Depending on your perspective, this may be worse than the toll collector on the New…
More Good News in the Battle to Preserve Second Amendment Freedoms
Like all advocates of freedom, I normally despair about the future. Whether we’re measuring the ever-growing burden of government or the erosion of key forms of social capital such as self-reliance and the work ethic, it seems that the world is heading in the wrong…
New York City Is About to Become New France
We know that countries suffer when taxes get too high, in part because investors, entrepreneurs, and other successful taxpayers escape to jurisdiction with less oppressive fiscal regimes. France is a glaring example. On steroids. We know that states also suffer when…
Two Huge Victories in Colorado for the Second Amendment
Back in 2012, I reported on some academic research showing that Democrats lost about 25 seats in the 2010 mid-term elections because of support for Obamacare. But it’s not just big-government entitlement programs that are politically unpopular. Bill Clinton admitted…
Federalism Is Good Policy and Good Politics
It’s a challenge to be a libertarian in Washington because you have to swim against the tide. The vast majority of people in town are looking for excuses to spend money and amass power, and a small band of us are trying to convince them that the federal government…