by Dan Mitchell | Jul 29, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
In the spirit of the budget battle, readers have to eat their peas (i.e., endure my analysis) before getting to the dessert menu of jokes from the late-night comics. The big news today is that Speaker Boehner had to cancel a vote on his “Budget Control Act” last...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 28, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
In an ideal world, GOPers would hold firm and not pass any debt limit until Democrats agreed to enact something like the Ryan plan/Cut-Cap-Balance. But I’ve never thought that was a realistic strategy. When we got to the drop-dead point, Obama would have Geithner or...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 26, 2011 | Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation, VAT
I testified before the House Ways & Means Committee earlier today. As always, my trip inside the belly of the beast was an interesting adventure. The tax-writing committee was holding a hearing on the value-added tax. I was on a panel with five other witnesses,...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 25, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
As a Washington policy wonk somewhat involved in the current debt-limit fight, I will confess that it is very frustrating that the White House has never produced a deficit-reduction plan. I’d much prefer a spending-restraint plan, of course, but I’m flummoxed that...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 22, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation
There are rumors that Obama may do a bit Clinton-era triangulation and agree to a GOP-friendly increase in the debt limit. That means no tax increases and as much as $3 trillion of so-called spending cuts. I’m skeptical, and even if it happens, I suspect that most of...
