Fiscal Policy
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When the President Does It, It’s Not Illegal
“Governments can find ways to serve their constituents (i.e. the taxpayers) better for the price they charge, they can lower their prices, or they can collude with others in the industry to keep prices high and quality low. Unlike businesses, however, when governments choose the third option, they are celebrated as heroes.” ~ David Hebert
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Understanding the Covid-19 Recession
“National debt ballooned together with the Fed’s balance sheet even before the pandemic hit, and once it did we’ve been spending with unprecedented recklessness for relief, recovery, and even supposed infrastructure expansion. Spending this wealth that has yet to be created guarantees, not just future inflation, but a future recession.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Bureaucracy as Infrastructure
“Earmarks for special interests from both parties make it easier to get bipartisan support in Congress, but with wasteful spending spiraling out of control, it’s hard to see that as an advantage.”~ Robert F. Mulligan
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The 50 States Suffered Differentially During the Lockdowns and Pandemic
“In the aggregate, government spending at all levels (federal, state, and local) had a mildly negative 0.3% effect on the economy. The bottom line is that the private sector actually did a better overall job in most states than governments in terms of managing state and local economic progress.” ~ Gregory van Kipnis
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The Adverse Economic Consequences of “Basic Income”
“Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a referendum for basic income back in 2016. Further, Joe Biden expressed skepticism about the idea back in 2017, but he obviously has had a change of heart, given his current support for big, per-child handouts.” ~ Daniel J. Mitchell
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Tax Havens, or Government Cartels?
“The intergovernmental competition offers one of the few avenues of escape from the oppressive coercion of government. Intergovernmental competition is one of the safeguards of liberty, and that safeguard is under attack by President Biden, Secretary Yellen, and the G-7.” ~ Randall G. Holcombe
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Pandemic Emergency Spending Riddled With Fraud
“We already knew that the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a bigger burden of government, and none of us should be surprised that we also wound up with record levels of waste. Remember, ‘more government’ is not the answer to any sensible question. At some point, we will run out of ‘other people’s money.'” ~ Daniel…
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The Horrors of Hyperinflation
“Governments have few universally accepted goals. National defense, protection of property, and stability of the unit of account are arguably the three most important because all else rides on them. Hyperinflation destroys all three, so any serious risk of hyperinflation is simply unacceptable from a policy standpoint.” ~ Robert E. Wright
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New Leak of Taxpayer Info Is (More) Evidence of IRS Corruption
“What’s especially disgusting is that the Biden Administration wants to reward IRS corruption with giant budget increases, bolstered by utterly fraudulent numbers. Needless to say, that would be a terrible idea, and sadly, Republicans in the past have been sympathetic to expanding the size of the tax bureaucracy.” ~ Daniel J. Mitchell
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Inflation Is a Dangerous Way to Get Rid of Debt Burdens
“The United States is in dangerous waters if it becomes ‘general wisdom’ and ‘popular opinion’ among public policy analysts and politicians that governments can spend all they want, in any amount, by just running huge annual budget deficits and expanding the national debt because it can all be made to go away through a magician’s…
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•
When the President Does It, It’s Not Illegal
“Governments can find ways to serve their constituents (i.e. the taxpayers) better for the price they charge, they can lower their prices, or they can collude with others in the industry to keep prices high and quality low. Unlike businesses, however, when governments choose the third option, they are celebrated as heroes.” ~ David Hebert
-
•
Understanding the Covid-19 Recession
“National debt ballooned together with the Fed’s balance sheet even before the pandemic hit, and once it did we’ve been spending with unprecedented recklessness for relief, recovery, and even supposed infrastructure expansion. Spending this wealth that has yet to be created guarantees, not just future inflation, but a future recession.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Bureaucracy as Infrastructure
“Earmarks for special interests from both parties make it easier to get bipartisan support in Congress, but with wasteful spending spiraling out of control, it’s hard to see that as an advantage.”~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
The 50 States Suffered Differentially During the Lockdowns and Pandemic
“In the aggregate, government spending at all levels (federal, state, and local) had a mildly negative 0.3% effect on the economy. The bottom line is that the private sector actually did a better overall job in most states than governments in terms of managing state and local economic progress.” ~ Gregory van Kipnis
-
•
The Adverse Economic Consequences of “Basic Income”
“Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a referendum for basic income back in 2016. Further, Joe Biden expressed skepticism about the idea back in 2017, but he obviously has had a change of heart, given his current support for big, per-child handouts.” ~ Daniel J. Mitchell
-
•
Tax Havens, or Government Cartels?
“The intergovernmental competition offers one of the few avenues of escape from the oppressive coercion of government. Intergovernmental competition is one of the safeguards of liberty, and that safeguard is under attack by President Biden, Secretary Yellen, and the G-7.” ~ Randall G. Holcombe
-
•
Pandemic Emergency Spending Riddled With Fraud
“We already knew that the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a bigger burden of government, and none of us should be surprised that we also wound up with record levels of waste. Remember, ‘more government’ is not the answer to any sensible question. At some point, we will run out of ‘other people’s money.'” ~ Daniel…
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•
The Horrors of Hyperinflation
“Governments have few universally accepted goals. National defense, protection of property, and stability of the unit of account are arguably the three most important because all else rides on them. Hyperinflation destroys all three, so any serious risk of hyperinflation is simply unacceptable from a policy standpoint.” ~ Robert E. Wright
-
•
New Leak of Taxpayer Info Is (More) Evidence of IRS Corruption
“What’s especially disgusting is that the Biden Administration wants to reward IRS corruption with giant budget increases, bolstered by utterly fraudulent numbers. Needless to say, that would be a terrible idea, and sadly, Republicans in the past have been sympathetic to expanding the size of the tax bureaucracy.” ~ Daniel J. Mitchell
-
•
Inflation Is a Dangerous Way to Get Rid of Debt Burdens
“The United States is in dangerous waters if it becomes ‘general wisdom’ and ‘popular opinion’ among public policy analysts and politicians that governments can spend all they want, in any amount, by just running huge annual budget deficits and expanding the national debt because it can all be made to go away through a magician’s…