Bastiat accurately observed the government scam.
read more...Living large at taxpayer expense.
read more...Are red-light and speed cameras good or bad?
read more...Vermont’s abandonment of single-payer shows why federalism is such a good system.
read more...My colleagues Chris Edwards and Nicole Kaeding have just released the biannual Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors from the Cato Institute. The Report Card is on the Cato Institute’s most impressive publications sincedevelopments on the state level help illustrate the relationship between good fiscal policy and economic performance. The top scores were earned by Pat McCrory […]
read more...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 explains that two-dozen states have refused the lure of expanding Medicaid (the means-tested health care program) in exchange for “free” federal […]
read more...More than three years ago, I wrote that the Department of Transportation should be dismantled for the simple reason that we’ll get better roads at lower cost with the federalist approach of returning responsibility to state and local governments. I echoed those sentiments in this CNBC interview. Since there’s only an opportunity to exchange soundbites in these interviews, let […]
read more...As you can imagine, there’s a lot to choose from in the contest for the most spectacular waste of tax dollars. But the politicians in Oregon must really want the prize, because they managed to flush several hundred million dollars down a rat hole by putting together a state-run Obamacare website that has to be abandoned […]
read more...Last August, I shared a fascinating map from the Tax Foundation. It showed which states have chased away taxable income and which ones have attracted more taxpayers (along with their taxable income). In other words, what are the “Golden Geese” doing with their money? Well, the obvious and unsurprising answer is that they are escaping high-tax states and […]
read more...I’ve been asked whether I’m a hypocrite because I support decentralization while at the same time being critical of state and local governments. I don’t think there’s any inconsistency in my position. Here’s some of what I wrote last July. I’m a strong believer in federalism, but not because I think state and local governments are competent. Politicians […]
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