by Dan Mitchell | Jan 3, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
The goal of fiscal policy should be limited government and that means complying with the Golden Rule of spending restraint. When countries control the disease of excessive spending, that also seems to be the only effective way of reducing...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 26, 2024 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
Scandinavian nations are not socialist, at least if we’re using the technical definition (government ownership, central planning, and price controls). But those countries do have big welfare states. And that means stifling tax burdens. And those harsh taxes...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 22, 2024 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
Yesterday’s column looked at which states had the biggest unfunded liabilities for bureaucrat pensions, with Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Kentucky being the worst of the worst. Today, courtesy of the good work of Geoffrey Lawrence, Jordan Campbell...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 20, 2024 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, States
During Trump’s first term, he was a big spender. He even wound up increasing domestic spending at a faster rate than Barack Obama. What can we expect in a second term? A week after the election, as part of my “Second Edition of Trump” series, I speculated...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 13, 2024 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
Big government and socialism are bad for prosperity, but are such policies nonetheless popular? Do people want a bigger welfare state? This great video from the Fraser Institute provides the answers (if you’re pressed for time, start watching at 4:15). And if you...
