by Dan Mitchell | May 10, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
All the talk of spending cuts in Washington is fictitious. Even the House Republican Study Committee budget allows spending to increase, on average, by 1.7 percent each year for the next decade. The Ryan budget, which critics deride for its “savage” cuts, allows...
by Dan Mitchell | May 10, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
I spoke yesterday at a press event put together by some of the Tea Party groups. Here’s what I said about the debt limit. I debunked the notion that a higher debt limit was needed to avoid default and explained that the problem is too much spending and that deficits...
by Dan Mitchell | May 7, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation, VAT
I recently took part in a symposium on “The Budget Deficit and U.S. Competitiveness.” Put together by the Council on Foreign Relations, five of us were asked to concisely explain our thoughts on the issue. Here’s some of what I wrote: Excessive government spending can...
by Dan Mitchell | May 5, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
Martin Feldstein’s on a roll, but not in a good way. Earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal, he advocated throwing in the towel on reforming Social Security into a system of personal retirement accounts. Today, in the New York Times, he endorses big tax...
by Dan Mitchell | May 4, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Laffer Curve, Taxation
As I have explained elsewhere, tax increases are a bad idea – unless you favor bigger government. And I’ve already added my two cents to the tax debate between Senator Coburn and Grover Norquist regarding the desirability of higher taxes. So it won’t surprise anyone...
