by Dan Mitchell | Dec 18, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
Like a lot of libertarians and small-government conservatives, I’m prone to pessimism. How can you be cheerful, after all, when you look at what’s been happening in our lifetimes. New entitlement programs, adopted by politicians from all parties, are further adding to...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 13, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
So what should libertarians, Reagan conservatives, and other advocates of smaller government think of the “cromnibus” spending bill? The answer depends on your benchmark. If you dislike insider deals, pork-barrel spending, and you think the federal government should...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 6, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
When people figure out ways to keep the money they earn in their own pockets, rather than having it confiscated by government, I’m almost always happy. That’s because governments tend to waste money (should any of us pay for corrupt pork-barrel spending?). And it’s...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 2, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
It’s time to puncture the myth that libertarians are congenitally dour and pessimistic. We’re going to look at some fiscal data that must be very depressing for President Obama and other advocates of big government. But that means this information must be very good...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 26, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
I generally focus on the profligate habits and abusive tactics of the federal government in Washington, but that doesn’t mean other levels of government are well behaved. In a column for the Washington Post, Catherine Rampell outlines some of the reprehensible ways...