by Dan Mitchell | Sep 18, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation
New Jersey is a tragic example of state veering in the wrong direction. Back in the 1960s, it was basically like New Hampshire, with no income tax and no sales tax. State politicians then told voters in the mid-1960s that a sales tax was needed, in part to reduce...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 10, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
With the election less than two months away, there’s a lot of discussion and debate about Trump’s performance. I put together a report card last year showing that his economic policies have been a mixed bag, with good grades on tax and regulation, but bad grades...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 25, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs
Milton Friedman was one of the the 20th century’s greatest defenders of capitalism and individual freedom. He had marvelous insights on issues such as fiscal policy, Sweden, tax competition, and other people’s money, but one of my favorite Friedman quotes is about the...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 18, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs
Politicians and interest groups periodically fan the flames of temporary panic to push for misguided policy. We’ve already seen three big examples this century. The so-called PATRIOT Act was enacted in the feverish aftermath of 9-11, but many of its provisions simply...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 10, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
Compared to most of the world, Japan is a rich country. But it’s important to understand that Japan became rich when the burden of government was very small and there was no welfare state. Indeed, as recently as 1970, Japan’s fiscal policy was rated by Economic...
