More than Two-to-One Support for Personal Retirement Accounts

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 14, 2010 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements

I am pleasantly shocked to see that a healthy majority of respondents favor partial privatization of Social Security. I knew support was reasonably strong several years ago, but I feared that the financial crisis would have made Americans more leery of financial...

Chile’s Private Social Security System a Big Success

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 25, 2010 | Welfare and Entitlements

Unlike the United States and most European nations, Chile does not face a long-term Social Security crisis. This is because lawmakers shifted to a system of personal accounts almost 30 years ago. As a result, Chile’s economy is much stronger, the financial system is...

“I Wish Republicans Had a Secret Plan for Personal Accounts”

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 19, 2010 | Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements

Here’s my debate on Larry Kudlow’s show about Social Security personal retirement accounts.

The Private Sector Always Does a Better Job than Government

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 15, 2010 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Free Market, Government Waste

Using road management as an example, John Stossel explains that government does a worse job than the private sector, even at things that theoretically are a government responsibility. Part of this is because of the profit motive, to be sure, but a big reason is...

Budget Deficits Force Local Governments to Do the Right Thing for the Wrong Reason

by Dan Mitchell | Jul 26, 2010 | Blogs, Taxation

There are legitimate reasons for local governments to own land, but surely it doesn’t make sense for them to hold on to surplus acreage. Better to get that land back in private hands, where it will be used for some productive purpose. This is why the downturn does...