Debunking Myth after Myth in Financial Times Column by Former Clinton White House Economist

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 20, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation

Even though I have remarked on many occasions that the burden of government was reduced during the Clinton years, that doesn’t mean Bill Clinton was in favor of smaller government. And it definitely doesn’t mean that his appointees believed in economic liberty....

An Invaluable Economic History Lesson from Thomas Sowell: Politicians Should Only “Do Something” If that Means Doing Less

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 12, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Keynesian

The great Ronald Reagan famously said (and I am paraphrasing, since I do not remember the exact phrase) that the most dangerous words in the English language were “I am from Washington and I am here to help you.” Those are very wise words, especially when we think of...

Almost All Nations Are Heading for Collapse, but Greece Is Special (in a Bad Way)

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 1, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs

I wrote yesterday that the United Kingdom is doomed because there isn’t a political party with the vision or courage to restrain the welfare state. At various points, I’ve also expressed pessimism about the future of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and even...

Spending Cuts and Tax Cuts Should Be an All-of-the-Above Option, Not an Either-Or Choice

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 31, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation

I’m in Slovenia where I just finished indoctrinating educating a bunch of students on the importance of Mitchell’s Golden Rule as a means of restraining the burden of government spending. And I emphasized that the fiscal problem in Europe is the size of government,...

It’s Simple to Balance the Budget with Modest Spending Restraint

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 23, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation

Now that new numbers have been released by the Congressional Budget Office, it’s time once again for me to show how easy it is to balance the budget with modest spending restraint (though please remember our goal should be smaller government, not fiscal balance). I...