by Dan Mitchell | Mar 4, 2019 | Big Government, Blogs, Privacy
I’ve written repeatedly about how anti-money laundering (AML) laws are pointless, expensive, intrusive, discriminatory, and ineffective. And they especially hurt poor people according to the World Bank. That’s a miserable track record, even by government standards....
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 31, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Trade
One of my annual traditions is to share the “best and worst news” for each year. I started in 2013, and continued in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Looking back, 2016 clearly was the best year, though entirely because of things that happened overseas (the Brits vote for...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 19, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Regulations
I wrote back in 2011 about a bizarre plan in California to regulate babysitting. You may be thinking that’s no big deal because California is…well…California. But other governments also want to control private child care decisions. The latest example is from the...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 12, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Regulations
As a fiscal policy wonk, I’ve come across depressing examples of counterproductive tax provisions (health benefits exclusion, ethanol credits) and spending programs (the entire HUD budget, OECD subsidies). But the folks who work on regulatory policy may get exposed to...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 23, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
California is like France. Both are wonderful places to visit. They’re also great places to live if you’re part of the elite. But neither is the ideal option for ordinary people who want upward mobility. Back in 2016, I shared Census Bureau data showing that income...
