Brazil Has Concocted a “Right” to Beauty

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 3, 2023 | Uncategorized

I’m a strong believer in rights, assuming they are defined properly (i.e., they don’t require trampling on the rights of others). Unfortunately, many politicians assert people have “rights” that can only be fulfilled by exploiting others...

The Welfare State’s Damaging Impact on Europe, Part I

by Dan Mitchell | Jul 18, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements

At the risk of being repetitive, I’ve been arguing (and arguing, and arguing) that the United States should not turn its medium-sized welfare state into a European-style, large-sized welfare state. Simply stated, that’s a route...

This Is What Happens When People Think Government Solves Problems

by Dan Mitchell | Jul 10, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements

Ronald Reagan has many famous quotes, including “government is the problem” and “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Channeling Reagan’s wisdom, I have repeatedly shared examples...

It Makes No Sense to Copy European Fiscal Policy

by Dan Mitchell | Jun 22, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements

The big fiscal debate in the United States is whether the United States should become a European-style welfare state, which is something that automatically will happen over the next few decades in the absence of genuine entitlement reform. Some...

The Sleazy Combination of Big Business and Big Government

by Dan Mitchell | Jun 16, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs

I gladly defend profits. I even defend profits for big companies. But I usually include an all-important caveat that profits are only good if earned in a competitive marketplace. At the risk of understatement, I get angry when big companies...