by Dan Mitchell | May 2, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Keynesian
President Bush imposed a so-called stimulus plan in 2008 and President Obama imposed an even bigger “stimulus” in 2009. Based upon the economy’s performance over the past five-plus years, those plans didn’t work. Japan has spent the past 20-plus years imposing one...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 28, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
For those who haven’t followed this issue, Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart wrote an influential paper in 2010 arguing that government debt above 90 percent of GDP was associated with weaker economic performance. It turns out that the Rogoff and Reinhart made a...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 26, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Tax Havens, Taxation
Since I just left Monaco and am now in Geneva, this is an appropriate time to extol the virtues of so-called tax havens. But I don’t merely say nice things about low-tax jurisdictions when I’m in friendly environments. I believe in swinging my sword in the...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 25, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
The fiscal policy debate often drives me crazy because far too many people focus on deficits. The Keynesians argue that deficits are good for growth and this leads them to support more government spending. The “austerity” crowd at places such as the International...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 21, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics
I’m not a very exciting guy. It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m perusing the Budget and Economic Outlook from the Congressional Budget Office. But sometimes it pays to be a nerd because I just found an interesting tidbit of information. Here’s what CBO says about the...