Middle-Class and Poor People Shouldn’t Subsidize the Mortgages of Rich People

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 17, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs

I don’t like coercive redistribution. But I really hate redistribution from ordinary people to rich and powerful vested interests, and I even developed an “ethical bleeding heart” rule to express my disdain for this approach. Especially since programs that...

Almost All Nations Are Heading for Collapse, but Greece Is Special (in a Bad Way)

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 1, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs

I wrote yesterday that the United Kingdom is doomed because there isn’t a political party with the vision or courage to restrain the welfare state. At various points, I’ve also expressed pessimism about the future of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and even...

A Primer on the Flat Tax and Fundamental Tax Reform

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 12, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Taxation

In previous posts, I put together tutorials on the Laffer Curve, tax competition, and the economics of government spending. Today, we’re going to look at the issue of tax reform. The focus will be the flat tax, but this analysis applies equally to national sales tax...

Obamacare’s Corrupt Conception, Sleazy Gestation, and Tawdry Birth

by Dan Mitchell | Jul 2, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Health Care

One of my very first blog posts was about the link between big government and big corruption. For the rest of my life, I can now cite the Obamacare travesty as an example. Here’s some of what Tim Carney wrote for the Washington Examiner. Chief Justice John Roberts’...

New York Times Columnist Bumps into Reality, Learns Nothing

by Dan Mitchell | Apr 22, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs

The pro-statism crowd routinely argues that we need more government. Every so often, though, one of them inadvertently stumbles on the truth. But they then refuse to draw the logical conclusion. For instance. One of President Obama’s health appointees noted that...