by Dan Mitchell | Jan 7, 2017 | Blogs, Economics
For the next four years, I suspect I’m going to suffer a lot of whiplash as I yank myself back and forth, acting as both a critic and supporter of Donald Trump’s policy. This happened a lot during the campaign, as Trump would say very good things one day and then say...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 5, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
It’s time to channel the wisdom of Frederic Bastiat. There are many well-meaning people who understandably want to help workers by protecting them from bad outcomes such as pay reductions, layoffs, and discrimination. My normal response is to remind them that the best...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 15, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
I’ve argued before that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) should be the top target of those seeking to shut down useless and counterproductive parts of the federal government. And if President-Elect Trump’s choice for HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, is...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 8, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs
I have a very consistent view of victimless crimes. I don’t approve of drugs and I’ve never used drugs, but I think the social harm of prohibition is greater than the social harm of legalization. I don’t particularly like alcohol and I am almost a teetotaler, but I’m...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 26, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
Last year, I explained the theoretical argument against antitrust laws, pointing out that monopoly power generally exists only when government intervenes. There’s monopoly power when government takes over a sector of the economy (i.e., air traffic control, Postal...
