This article appeared on The Hill‘s Congress Blog

This article appeared on The Daily Caller.

I’ve been banging the drum for years about Washington being a racket for the benefit of politicians, cronyists, bureaucrats, contractors, lobbyists, interest groups, and other insiders. I’ve written about horrific examples of bloated spending that line the pockets of the well connected. I’ve shared disgusting examples of Democrat sleaze and Republican sleaze. I’ve exposed rampant corruption with insiders getting rich at our expense. I’ve […]

I periodically try to explain that there’s a big difference between being pro-market and pro-business. Simply stated, policy makers shouldn’t try to penalize businesses with taxes,mandates, and regulations. But neither should politicians seek to subsidize businesses. That’s why I’m against bailouts, subsidies, and other distortions that provide special favors for politically connected companies. I have nothing against companies earning money, to be sure, but […]

The Export-Import Bank is noxiously corrupt example of crony capitalism. It never should have been created. But that’s something we could say about most government programs. So the real question is how to reverse the damage. If we reform a big program such as Medicare, you can’t end it overnight. You have to deal with the reality that […]

I periodically comment about government corruption, often in the context of trying to make the general point that shrinking the size and scope of the public sector is the most effective way of reducing sleaze in Washington. Now let’s get specific. I’ve already cited Obamacare, the tax code, and theExport-Import Bank as facilitators of corruption. Let’s augment that list by […]

I thought TARP was the sleaziest-ever example of cronyism and corruption in Washington. The Wall Street bailout rewarded politically well-connected companies, encouraged moral hazard, and ripped off taxpayers. Heck, it was so bad that it makes the sleaze at the Export-Import Bank seem almost angelic by comparison. But I may have to reassess my views. One of the provisions of Obamacare allows […]