by Dan Mitchell | May 11, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
America has a giant long-run problem largely caused by poorly designed entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. So when I wrote last month about proposals by some Democrats to expand Social Security, I was less than enthusiastic....
by Dan Mitchell | May 9, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Taxation
I wrote just yesterday about new evidence showing that decentralized government is more efficient. Part of the reason is because local governments are easier for voters to monitor and more likely to reflect the actual preferences of residents. Another reason is tax...
by Dan Mitchell | May 8, 2015 | Blogs, Economics
In early November of last year, I shared some remarkable data from a groundbreaking study published by the European Central Bank (ECB). The study looking at public sector efficiency (PSE) in developed nations and found that “big governments spend a lot more and...
by Dan Mitchell | May 7, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Crime, Economics, Society, Welfare and Entitlements
Let’s revisit the issue of urban unrest, with special attention to the challenges for both entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens. While potential police misconduct may serve as a trigger for riots, the powder keg is already in place because of decades of bad government...
by Dan Mitchell | May 6, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
I’ve openly stated that there are tax-hiking budget deals that theoretically would be attractive. But notice that “theoretically” is part of that sentence. That’s because in the real world, tax hikes have a poisonous effect on fiscal policy. Instead of being the...
