Taxes and Spending

Hal Varian's math text has been the bane of economics graduate students for many years. Now he is calling for higher oil taxes. 

The Social Security Commissioner sent out a letter revealing what the system will eventually pay. Gregory Bresiger is not pleased.

As usual, the rich are taking a beating this election season. But Lew Rockwell argues that they are the foundation of prosperity and a most precious asset.

The Gore message is fairly simple: he promises a vast and costless increase in government benefits to everyone who will vote for him.  

Mark Thornton explains why he won't sign a statement endorsing Bush's economic plan.

Once we accept that government has a legitimate role in divvying out economic favors among its citizens, on what basis do we make moral distinctions among competing demands?

Bill Anderson explains why politicians treat budget surpluses as their own personal reward, and wouldn't think of giving the money back from whence it came.  

The most devastating effects of taxation--as with  robbery, burglary, and other forms of
confiscation--are the ones we can't see. 

Consider the relative tax bite affecting rich and poor: it is the people earning the highest income who pay the bills from government. 

The American founders struggled for liberty against grasping government officials. But the despotism of their day was nothing compared with our own.