by Dan Mitchell | Jun 14, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
I’ve done a handful of TV debates on Social Security, including the time I said that I wished Republicans had a secret plan for personal retirement accounts. So I thought I was well prepared for this duel with a defender of the status quo on Fox Business Network. I...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 10, 2013 | Blogs, Economics
I’m in Vienna, Austria, for the annual European Resource Bank meeting. I had the pleasure last night of listening to Jose Pinera speak about economic reform in Chile, particularly the system of personal retirement accounts. He shared a chart that conclusively shows...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 22, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
One reason I’m so bullish on Australia is that the nation has a privatized Social Security system called “Superannuation,” with workers setting aside 9 percent of their income in personal retirement accounts (rising to 12 percent by 2020). Established almost 30 years...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 20, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
This is a tough question. I obviously want comprehensive reform of all entitlement programs, so selecting just one is a bit of a challenge. Sort of like being asked to pick your favorite kid. Would I reform Social Security? That’s a logical choice. It’s the biggest...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 4, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Washington is filled with debate and discussion about the economic burden of the federal income tax, which collected $1.13 trillion in FY2012 ($1.37 trillion if you include the corporate income tax). Yet politicians rarely consider the economic impact of payroll...