The Basket Case Sometimes Known as Japan

by Dan Mitchell | Jan 16, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Keynesian, Taxation

Good fiscal policy doesn’t require heavy lifting. Governments simply need to limit the burden of government spending. The key variable is making sure spending doesn’t consume ever-larger shares of economic output. In other words, follow Mitchell’s Golden Rule. It’s...

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...

A Picture Says a Thousand Words: President Obama’s Dismal Failure on Jobs

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 8, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Keynesian

If it wasn’t for the fact that so many people are suffering and being seduced into empty lives of government dependency (symbolized by Julia, the world’s most disappointing daughter), I might feel sorry for President Obama. He promised unemployment would never climb...

We Don’t Need an Investor-in-Chief

by Brian Garst | Jun 26, 2011 | Blogs, Capital Gains, Economics, Keynesian, Taxation

How was anything ever invented before government started “investing” in new technologies? One wonders these things, given the seriousness with which Keynesians seem to believe that if they don’t choose the economic winners and then throw large sums of money at them –...