by Dan Mitchell | Nov 3, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
Last year, I reported on a study from the Small Business Administration that estimated that federal regulation costs the economy a staggering $1.75 trillion every year. But that number is so large that it’s hard to understand what it actually means, so let’s look at...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 28, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Financial Privacy, Regulations, Taxation
Earlier this year, President Obama’s IRS proposed a regulation that would force banks in America to report any interest they pay to accounts owned by non-resident aliens (that’s the technical term for foreigners who don’t live in the U.S.). What made this regulation...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 23, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Regulations
Have you ever tried to run in waist-high water? It’s not easy, but it’s a useful exercise if you want to experience what it’s like to comply with government rules, regulation, paperwork, and red tape. Especially if you want to understand why it’s getting harder for...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 8, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
I recently posted four charts eviscerating Obama’s record on jobs. My Cato colleague, Caleb Brown, has a good complement to those charts. He’s put together a short video looking at how government spending and regulation undermine job creation. Caleb says he will be...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 1, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Regulations
I’ve had several reasons to mock California in the past couple of years (see here, here, here, and here). But I never thought state politicians would be crazy enough to impose harsh regulations on babysitting. Filling out a time card for your babysitter sounds absurd,...