by Dan Mitchell | Sep 27, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Government Spending
I’m a big believer that real-world examples can teach us about the benefits of good fiscal policy (think Hong Kong, Estonia, Canada, and the U.S. under Reagan and Clinton) and the costs of bad fiscal policy (France, Cyprus, Greece, and the U.S. under Bush and Obama)....
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 11, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Europe, Government Spending
Libertarians tend to like – or at least have a grudging respect for – the underground economy. For instance, even if we’re personally very straight-laced, we don’t like government prohibitions against gambling, drugs, and prostitution. This is why we’re not upset when...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 18, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Taxation
I wrote the other day that Americans, regardless of all the bad policy we get from Washington, should be thankful we’re not stuck in a hellhole like Venezuela. But we also should be happy we’re not Europeans. This is a point I’ve made before, usually accompanied by...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 12, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe
As part of my “great moments” in government series, I periodically share stories about really foolish regulations and really wasteful spending. And sometimes I’ll even have a story that combines dumb regulation and boondoggle spending. For instance, you won’t believe...
by Dan Mitchell | May 21, 2014 | Blogs, Europe
While I mostly focus on bad government policy in the United States, I also think we can learn lessons from what’s happening in other nations. In some cases, I share positive stories, such as the success of privatized Social Security in Australia, nationwide school...
