by Dan Mitchell | Aug 20, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Waste, Welfare and Entitlements
Since I primarily work on fiscal policy, I normally look at the budgetary impact of entitlement programs. And the numbers are very grim. But I’m also an economist, so I periodically comment on how government intervention undermines the efficient functioning of...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 4, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Health Care, Welfare and Entitlements
When government suppresses the free market and takes over the healthcare sector, you get some really odd results. Consider these stories from Sweden: A man sewing up his own leg after getting frustrated with a long wait. The government denying a wheelchair to a...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 1, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
I had a very bad lunch today. But not because of what I ate. My lunch was unpleasant because I moderated anoontime panel on Capitol Hill featuring Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and my Cato colleague Chris Edwards. And I should hasten to add that they were splendid...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 19, 2014 | Blogs, Taxation
Last month, I nailed Bill and Hillary Clinton for their gross hypocrisy on the death tax. But that’s just one example. Today, we’re going to experience a festival of statist hypocrisy. We have six different nauseating examples of political elitists wanting...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 15, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Health Care
Let’s enjoy some semi-good news today. We’ve discussed many times why Obamacare is bad news, whether we’re looking at it from the perspective of the healthcare system, taxpayers, or workers. But it could be worse. Writing in the Washington Post, Robert Samuelson...