by Dan Mitchell | Aug 10, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation
While I disagree with statists, I sometimes admire their discipline. They are very good at staying “on message.” I am 100 percent confident, for instance, that they intend big tax hikes on the middle class, even though they would piously swear an oath to the contrary....
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 7, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
I like sequestration. Automatic budget cuts might not be the best way of reducing the burden of government spending, but a sequester is better than leaving the federal budget on autopilot. Particularly since the “cuts” are mostly just reductions in already-scheduled...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 9, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Laffer Curve, Taxation
I’m not a big fan of government conspiracy theories, largely because the people in Washington are too bloody incompetent to do anything effectively. Heck, sometimes they can’t even waste money properly even though they have lots of practice. But it recently crossed my...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 3, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
Back in April, I explained that I would accept a tax increase if “the net long-run effect is more freedom, liberty, and prosperity.” I even outlined several specific scenarios where that might occur, including giving the politicians more money in exchange for a flat...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 27, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Taxation
Being a libertarian, I’m used to disappointment. So when something actually goes according to plan, I get very happy. On that basis, I should be utterly and deliriously overjoyed about my endorsement of Francois Hollande to be President of France. I wanted him to...