Government Spending
Business & Economics
Opinion: The Crisis That Went to Waste
(Jan. 26) “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” That’s what White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in November 2008 to justify the incoming administration’s bold policy proposals including, especially, health care reform. In one sense, Emanuel was right. Generally speaking, in times of ...
Business & Economics
What’s keeping state in sorry shape
SACRAMENTO Technically speaking, it’s not hard to figure out how to solve California’s permanent fiscal crisis if you just ignore the political mountains that would have to be moved to implement the fixes. A few good starting points: imposing a strict spending limit on legislators, reducing pension benefits ...
Business & Economics
Now You Should Be Really Fiscally Afraid in California
If you really want to be scared, you need to listen to the types of people who are now sounding the alarm bells. Im a libertarian, and its not a surprise to hear me warn about the ill effects of government spending. But listen to what former California Assembly Speaker ...
Business & Economics
Policies Should Promote Wealth Creation
What causes poverty? That’s what North Carolina’s “Poverty Reduction and Economic Recovery Commission” — which met again last week — claims to be investigating. Specifically, the law that created the commission declares “an understanding of the causes and effects of poverty are critical in the reduction of poverty and economic ...
Commentary
A Choice Between the President and the Future
Despite the truly historic events listed above, U.S. deficits from President Washington through the election of President Obama averaged only 1 percent of GDP. Since President Obamas election, they have averaged 10 percent of GDP and they are on the rise. President Obama and the Democratic Congress racked up ...
Business & Economics
Deflation delusion
Commentary: We’re in the midst of moderate stagflation NASHVILLE, Tenn. (MarketWatch) — The federal government recently reported that consumer prices had risen in November for the fourth straight month, thanks largely to big jumps in the price of gasoline and oil. Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve and many commentators have dismissed ...
Commentary
Bending the Cost-Curve and the Truth
In July, the Washington Post wrote, “From the start, President Obama has been firm. . . . He told us flatly that he won’t accept a bill that doesn’t ‘bend the curve’ on rising health-care costs.” Furthermore, “Any reform, he has said, must be ‘deficit-neutral.’” Just over three months later, ...
Agriculture
Pork, water policy don’t mix
SACRAMENTO – Advocates for government “solutions” for everything from health care to education argue that some aspects of life are just so darn complicated that only a centralized authority with taxing and spending power can handle such matters. Yet whenever we look at those areas of life dominated by the ...
Commentary
No Free Lunch: The True Cost of ObamaCare
Far from providing “affordable” care for everyone, as President Obama has promised,1 the main health care proposals working their way through Congress would in fact come at a painful price – higher insurance premiums, more and higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower wages, a reduced standard of living and an erosion ...
Commentary
The Weak Spots in the Baucus Bill
The Baucus bill is vulnerable in several immediately apparent ways: It would reduce Americans’ liberty by requiring them to buy health insurance and fining them if they don’t. It would ruin private insurance by requiring insurers to cover all comers at the same premium. In doing so, it would thereby ...
Opinion: The Crisis That Went to Waste
(Jan. 26) “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” That’s what White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in November 2008 to justify the incoming administration’s bold policy proposals including, especially, health care reform. In one sense, Emanuel was right. Generally speaking, in times of ...
What’s keeping state in sorry shape
SACRAMENTO Technically speaking, it’s not hard to figure out how to solve California’s permanent fiscal crisis if you just ignore the political mountains that would have to be moved to implement the fixes. A few good starting points: imposing a strict spending limit on legislators, reducing pension benefits ...
Now You Should Be Really Fiscally Afraid in California
If you really want to be scared, you need to listen to the types of people who are now sounding the alarm bells. Im a libertarian, and its not a surprise to hear me warn about the ill effects of government spending. But listen to what former California Assembly Speaker ...
Policies Should Promote Wealth Creation
What causes poverty? That’s what North Carolina’s “Poverty Reduction and Economic Recovery Commission” — which met again last week — claims to be investigating. Specifically, the law that created the commission declares “an understanding of the causes and effects of poverty are critical in the reduction of poverty and economic ...
A Choice Between the President and the Future
Despite the truly historic events listed above, U.S. deficits from President Washington through the election of President Obama averaged only 1 percent of GDP. Since President Obamas election, they have averaged 10 percent of GDP and they are on the rise. President Obama and the Democratic Congress racked up ...
Deflation delusion
Commentary: We’re in the midst of moderate stagflation NASHVILLE, Tenn. (MarketWatch) — The federal government recently reported that consumer prices had risen in November for the fourth straight month, thanks largely to big jumps in the price of gasoline and oil. Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve and many commentators have dismissed ...
Bending the Cost-Curve and the Truth
In July, the Washington Post wrote, “From the start, President Obama has been firm. . . . He told us flatly that he won’t accept a bill that doesn’t ‘bend the curve’ on rising health-care costs.” Furthermore, “Any reform, he has said, must be ‘deficit-neutral.’” Just over three months later, ...
Pork, water policy don’t mix
SACRAMENTO – Advocates for government “solutions” for everything from health care to education argue that some aspects of life are just so darn complicated that only a centralized authority with taxing and spending power can handle such matters. Yet whenever we look at those areas of life dominated by the ...
No Free Lunch: The True Cost of ObamaCare
Far from providing “affordable” care for everyone, as President Obama has promised,1 the main health care proposals working their way through Congress would in fact come at a painful price – higher insurance premiums, more and higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower wages, a reduced standard of living and an erosion ...
The Weak Spots in the Baucus Bill
The Baucus bill is vulnerable in several immediately apparent ways: It would reduce Americans’ liberty by requiring them to buy health insurance and fining them if they don’t. It would ruin private insurance by requiring insurers to cover all comers at the same premium. In doing so, it would thereby ...
