When major changes occur, especially if they’re bad, people generally will try to understand what happened so they can avoid similar bad events in the future. This is why, when we’re looking at major economic events, it’s critical to realize that narratives matter. For instance, generation after generation of American students were taught that the […]

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 […]

Numerous arguments have been made here in opposition to re-authorization of the Export-Import bank. But perhaps the most fundamental is that America ought to lead by example when it comes to belief in the free market. We should not be exporting support for cronyism to the world. Unsure about whether the Export-Import bank is an […]

I actually have a perverse fondness for Bill Clinton. This is both because we got better policy while he was President (whether he deserves credit is a separate question) and because he single-handedly generated a lot of quality political humor. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a typical politician. And the same is true for his wife. Indeed, […]

The Export-Import bank is a favorite of big business. It’s also been defended by some misguided free market folk. But it’s bad for jobs and, as this video from the newly launched Daily Signal shows, an exercise in cronyism. CF&P is part of a large coalition calling on Congress to let the Export-Import bank expire. […]

A coalition of 30 free market and taxpayer advocacy organizations is calling for the end of the export-import bank. CF&P joined the Americans for Prosperity-led coalition in signing a letter that explains how the Export-Import Bank distorts markets and harms Americans. Full text of the letter: Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of our groups […]

No matter how much I pontificate about Washington corruption, there’s no way I can get across the true extent of the DC establishment’s self-serving behavior. Washington is rich because government is big and the beneficiaries of this system are enjoying their status as America’s new gilded class. It’s even gotten to the point where children and other family members also put […]

The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death,” but the same can’t be said of Washington, DC. The bureaucrats, lobbyists, politicians, contractors, insiders, cronyists, and influence peddlers have rigged the system so that they get rich by diverting money from people in the productive sector of the economy. How bad is the disconnect between Washington and […]

Imagine you’re a statist and you want to raise your kids to have the same spiteful and envious mindset. What’s the best approach? Well, sending your children to a government schoolis an obvious first step. But kids sometimes rebel against big-government orthodoxy, so perhaps you want to take additional measures such as a visit to their school from President […]