by Dan Mitchell | Feb 2, 2026 | Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
Today’s column features a very depressing chart from a report published last year by the Congressional Budget Office and it shows that poor people now get about three-fourths of their “income” from handouts. That’s far different from the data in 1979, when poor people...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 28, 2026 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation, Welfare and Entitlements
Every year or so, I share data showing that a European-sized welfare state requires massive tax increases on lower-income and middle-class household. Let’s add another to the list. Here’s a chart comparing tax burdens on middle-class Americans and middle-class people...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 14, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
I have a five-part series (here, here, here, here, and here) explaining that demographic decline will lead to fiscal crisis. The main takeaway is that entitlement programs are a ticking time bomb, and I castigate politicians who want...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 22, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
In 2018, I shared a visual that I referred to as the western world’s “most depressing chart.” It showed how the welfare state exploded in size after World War II and is now an enormous fiscal burden. This has been bad news for taxpayers, of course, but...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 25, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
Hong Kong used to be a role model for good economic policy, but China’s crackdown has had a negative effect, so Singapore is now considered the jurisdiction with the most economic freedom. But I also like to cite Taiwan, which is a top-20...
