by Dan Mitchell | Nov 13, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation, VAT
Sometimes the best way to help the cause of freedom is to stop a bad idea. And that’s why I’m vociferously opposed to a value-added tax. Here’s what I wrote today for National Review. I start by explaining that it’s a bad idea to give Washington a big new tax to...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 6, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
Three years ago, I shared a chart about the fiscal burden of the welfare state, calling it the picture that says a thousand word. It’s astounding, after all, that taxpayers spend so much money on means-tested programs and get such miserable results. Indeed, if we took...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 5, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Government Waste
Yesterday, I shared several stories that exposed the festering corruption of Washington. Today, let’s look at one issue that symbolizes the pervasive waste of Washington. Medicare is the federal government’s one-size-fits-all health program for the elderly. Because of...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 4, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs
I’ve explained, over and over and over again, that big government is the mother’s milk of corruption. Simply stated, a convoluted tax code, bloated budget, and regulatory morass create endless opportunities for well-connected insiders to obtain unearned and undeserved...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 3, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation, VAT
Some honest statists understand and acknowledge that you can’t have bigger government unless you target middle-income taxpayers. The New York Times endorsed higher taxes on the middle class in 2010. The then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer also gave a green light...