by Dan Mitchell | Oct 27, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics
When I gave speeches during Obama’s time in office, especially to audiences with a lot of Republicans, I sometimes asked a rhetorical question about whether they approved of presidents who increased spending, bailed out big companies, expanded the power of the...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 23, 2017 | Blogs, Free Market
Most politicians are feckless creatures driven by their insecurities to say anything and everything in hopes of getting elected. And, once in power, they will do or say anything and everything in hopes of getting reelected. “Public choice” theory explains how these...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 18, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs
A few days ago, using several methodologies, I calculated how fast government spending increased during the presidencies of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. One of my big...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 17, 2017 | Blogs, Economics, Socialism
Back in 2015, I mocked Venezuelan socialism because it led to shortages of just about every product. Including toilet paper. But maybe that doesn’t matter. After all, if people don’t have anything to eat, they probably don’t have much need to visit the bathroom....
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 9, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
There are some core functions of government, even in a libertarian world. The most prominent examples are national defense by the central government and public safety at the state/local level. So how do we make sure those functions are handled competently? I’ve...
