by Dan Mitchell | Sep 18, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Keynesian
Keynesian economics is like Freddie Krueger, constantly reappearing after logical people assumed it was dead. The fact that various stimulus schemes inevitably fail should be the death knell for the theory, which is basically the “perpetual motion machine” of...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 11, 2017 | Blogs, Economics
If tax policy was a religion, the Holy Trinity of reform would be very straightforward. Lower tax rates in order to encourage more productive behavior. Get rid of double taxation in order to enable saving and investment. End distorting preferences in order to reduce...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 9, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
There are some core functions of government, even in a libertarian world. The most prominent examples are national defense by the central government and public safety at the state/local level. So how do we make sure those functions are handled competently? I’ve...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 8, 2017 | Blogs, Economics, Free Market
Right after Obamacare was enacted in 2010, I wrote a column suggesting four principles that should guide and motivate supporters of free markets and limited government. As part of that article, I pointed out that Obamacare wasn’t a dramatic change. Instead, it was...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 5, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
I like France, in part because it’s a nice place to visit, but also because I’ve been able to use the country as an example of bad public policy. Its tax system is a nightmare, leading entrepreneurs to escape to other nations (hardly a surprise when tax rates can...
