Morning Bell: The Fiscal Cliff and Beyond
In Washington, there is one issue on everyone’s minds: the “fiscal cliff.” With time running out before a massive tax hike strikes on January 1,… Read More
The Sergei Magnitsky Act and Human Rights
Senators Ben Cardin (D–MD) and Jon Kyl (R–AZ) have joined together to sponsor a modern piece of human rights legislation, the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of… Read More
What Are Economists Really Saying About Tax Rate Increases?
On Friday, Representative Pete Sessions (R–TX) and House Speaker John Boehner (R–OH) ran afoul of Glenn Kessler’s “Fact Checker” blog regarding a study of President… Read More
Report: France Needs Shock Therapy to Jolt Its Economy Back to Life
C’est la vie. Such is life in the French Republic, where unemployment is high, growth is low, and government is big. Since the global recession… Read More
EconomyNews
Mr. Speaker and Mr. President: The Way to Save the American Dream
The day after the election, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) called on President Obama to join in a bipartisan effort to cut federal… Read More
Russia Trade Bill Provides Opportunity for Bipartisanship
Elected officials will face many contentious issues affecting economic and foreign policy during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress and heading into 2013. However, one… Read More
Government Waives Destructive Jones Act for 12 Days—Why Not Longer?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the federal government recently waived the Jones Act for 12 days to allow oil tankers to deliver fuel to… Read More
Morning Bell: Unemployment Rate Inches Back Up
The October jobs report essentially agrees with the rest of the current data on the economy—the economy is growing slowly, too slowly to bring down… Read More
The Smiths Go to Washington – and Spend Too Much
Meet the fictitious Smith family, whose budget woes bear a striking resemblance to those of the federal government. As this new video released by the… Read More
Morning Bell: Administration Ignores Law, Delays Exposing New Regulations
After three years of hyper-regulation, the Obama Administration has noticeably slowed its rulemaking in recent months. A variety of major rules have been parked in… Read More
Sugar Prices Not So Sweet This Halloween
It’s Halloween, and people have been stocking up on their candy supplies. What most Americans don’t know is that sugar in the United States is… Read More
What’s Scary: Federal Spending Per Household
On this Halloween, ghastly, ghoulish garb and haunted houses aren’t the only sources of spookiness in Washington. Americans across the country have cause for alarm,… Read More
U.S.–Panama Free Trade Agreement Coming into Force—Five Years Later
On October 31, nearly five years after being signed by both nations, a free trade agreement between the United States and Panama will finally be… Read More
U.S. Drops Out of Top 10 in Latest Legatum Prosperity Index
In an unprecedented fall, the U.S. dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in the 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index that was published… Read More
Is a Tax Cut Always a Good Thing?
According to Friday’s Washington Post, the Administration is considering a new, short-term tax cut. Should conservatives cheer? As a matter of principle, there are at… Read More
New Georgian PM: Promote Economic Freedom, Not the Statism You Learned in Russia
Former AC Milan star Kakha Kaladze is more than comfortable on the soccer pitch, where he played for 10 years as one of the club’s… Read More
Tales of the Red Tape #37: NLRB Wrongs Property Rights
One might reasonably assume that a legal corporation on American soil—in this case, Marriott—would have the right to decide when and where off-duty employees can… Read More
Arab Spring Protests Underscore Urgent Need for Economic Reforms
In Monday’s foreign policy debate, Governor Mitt Romney briefly mentioned the importance of economic reform in addressing some of the problems associated with the eruption… Read More
Debate on Trade: It Isn’t Just About How Many Cases You Bring to the WTO
Trade policy with China was again front and center in last night’s presidential debate, with President Obama defending his Administration’s trade policies. In particular, the… Read More
California Union Members Demand Transparency from Union Bosses
Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have launched a protest against their own union in California over waste and corruption. They rallied outside… Read More
D.C. Taxis Fight Uber with Proposed Licensing Requirements
In January, the Washington Taxicab Commission welcomed Uber, a smartphone-based car service, to the District with a sting operation. The charge: operating without a chauffer’s… Read More
Wal-Mart Delivers a Lesson to Antitrust Prosecutors
Wal-Mart made headlines last week for launching same-day delivery service in direct competition with Amazon.com. This new retail rivalry between the big boys—brick-and-mortar versus virtual—provides… Read More
EconomyNews
Will Stay-at-Home Moms Be Allowed Credit Cards Again?
Much has been discussed on the “war on women” this presidential debate season, and yet we haven’t heard much about those rules made in Washington… Read More
Wells Fargo Mortgage Suit: Using Existing Powers to Confront Housing Problems
Last week, Wells Fargo, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, was sued by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan for allegedly defrauding the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)…. Read More
Sequestration: Spending Cuts Needed, but Get the Policies Right
Tonight’s presidential debate is a good opportunity for President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney to tell the nation what they would do about our spending… Read More
Tales of the Red Tape #36: USDA Lays a Regulatory Egg
The Obama Administration fervently opposes state laws requiring voter identification to cast a ballot. But it is insisting that the nation’s farmers prove the identity… Read More
Vice Presidential Debate: True/False Quiz on Taxes and Entitlements
Taxes and entitlements were two important domestic policy topics discussed during the debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Representative Paul Ryan. Among the many… Read More
What Caused Drop in Unemployment Insurance Claims?
The news that new Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims dropped sharply to 339,000 last week has raised eyebrows—and aroused suspicion the Department of Labor had massaged… Read More
Able-Bodied People Defrauding Social Security Disability Program
After shimmying up trees and doing away with storm debris, the obviously able-bodied tree trimmer asked his customer, “Could you make the check out to… Read More
Bloomberg and Obama Misrepresent Tax Hikes on Small Business
In the recent presidential debate, President Obama said that only 3 percent of small businesses would pay higher rates under his plan to increase the… Read More
