Taxes and Spending

Nordic countries prospered in spite of the Scandinavian model, not because of it.

Because conservatives are only nominally less statist than today’s progressives, socialist policies that would have sounded outrageous to many Americans 100 years ago are now the baseline for the modern American political mind. Bernie Sanders is capitalizing on this reality.

In his new book By the People, Charles Murray claims that government has become tyrannical, and therefore people ought to disobey bad laws. But only some laws, Murray explains. Tax laws are just swell, as is the foreign-policy status quo.

International trade grasped headlines with Monday’s announcement that twelve governments have agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. While we should expect to see this celebrated in the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, it is unfortunate even libertarian organizations are praising the agreement.

Everywhere we look, governments are trying to enhance and extend their own power. So why are so many of those same governments eager to sign on to "free trade" agreements. It's because such agreements have nothing to do with free trade.

Whether its drug prices, crushing debt, or unemployment, government can always come up with someone else to blame. Fortunately though, in spite of the lackluster economy the Fed and the government seem committed to giving us, there's hope for a much better future.

The United Nations recently passed a resolution in which those who lend money to governments are denounced as "vultures" while the governments themselves are portrayed as hapless victims. This isn't exactly a complete and accurate picture of the situation.

With a Congress enamored of military spending and elective wars, there's no end in sight for the tax and spend policies that ensure bigger and more lavish treats and amenities for government contractors and military agencies alike.

The Pope is touring North America this week, promoting a variety of interventionist “solutions” to global warming, poverty, and more. But a far more powerful religious figure, Janet Yellen, continues to pull the levers of the global financial system.

Government has been meddling in health care for over 100 years, and the latest health care reform is just the latest effort that will result in more expensive health care.