by Dan Mitchell | May 27, 2015 | Blogs, Economics
Over the years, I’ve had many arguments about economic policy with my statist friends. I put them into three categories. The completely unreasonable statists blindly assert, notwithstanding all the evidence around the world, that bigger government and more...
by Dan Mitchell | May 26, 2015 | Blogs, Economics
When I write about columns in the New York Times, I’m normally pointing out silly examples of bias or exposing absurd mistakes. But every so often, there’s an insightful piece that is worth sharing rather than worth mocking. And that’s the case with a column by Claire...
by Dan Mitchell | May 24, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Education, Health Care
What’s the most effective way of screwing up a sector of the economy? Since I’m a fiscal policy economist, I’m tempted to say that bad tax policy is the fastest way of causing damage. And France might be my top example. But other forms of government intervention also...
by Dan Mitchell | May 22, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Immigration, Society
I can understand why immigration reform is so contentious since it touches on all sorts of hot-button issues, such as jobs, politics, national identity, and the welfare state. But I don’t understand why there’s a controversy just because Governor Walker of Wisconsin...
by Dan Mitchell | May 21, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation, Welfare and Entitlements
The American Enterprise Institute has published a comprehensive budgetary plan entitled, “Tax and spending reform for fiscal stability and economic growth.” Authored by Joseph Antos, Andrew G. Biggs, Alex Brill, and Alan D. Viard, all of whom I know and admire, this...