by Dan Mitchell | May 29, 2022 | Big Government, Blogs
Everyone likes the idea of “state capacity,” at least when it means competent, honest government rather than dysfunctional, corrupt government. But the consensus disappears when some folks argue that you achieve this goal by making government bigger. It’s...
by Dan Mitchell | May 24, 2022 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Monetary Policy, Welfare and Entitlements
Earlier this year, I pointed out that President Biden should not be blamed for rising prices. There has been inflation, of course, but the Federal Reserve deserves the blame. More specifically, America’s central bank responded to the coronavirus...
by Dan Mitchell | May 13, 2022 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation, VAT
As part of my (reality-based) opposition to a value-added tax, I testified to the Ways & Means Committee back in 2011. My primary argument against the VAT is that it would enable a bigger burden of government spending. I frequently share this chart, for...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 26, 2022 | Big Government, Blogs
Back in 2012, I endorsed a wretched socialist, Francois Hollande, to be president of France. I knew he was terrible, but the supposedly right-wing incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, also was a proponent of dirigisme. As I wrote at the time, “it’s always better to...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 25, 2022 | Big Government, Blogs
I’m in the United Kingdom for the Free Market Road Show and had planned on writing today about the awful economic policies of Boris Johnson, the supposedly Conservative Prime Minister. Yes, he produced an acceptable Brexit, but otherwise...
