Jobs Bill Actually Expands the Welfare State
Today the U.S. House of Representatives will take up a new “jobs” bill, HR4849, that includes a $2.5 billion provision to expand the size of… Read More
Today the U.S. House of Representatives will take up a new “jobs” bill, HR4849, that includes a $2.5 billion provision to expand the size of… Read More
America’s current predicament is that it borrows money from countries or individuals to finance many of its expensive obligations, including financing the $862 billion stimulus… Read More
At 1,336 pages, the Dodd financial services regulation bill proposal, which the Senate Banking Committee will begin to consider today, includes language that could create… Read More
Yesterday, former Reagan administration economic adviser Arthur Laffer stopped by the Heritage Foundation for a lecture titled, “Return to Prosperity: How America Can Regain Its Economic Superpower Status”. Laffer popularized what has become to be known as the “Laffer Curve” which helped demonstrate that increased taxation can be counterproductive in the long-term as it leaves citizens with less resources and depresses economic growth.
After his speech, Laffer sat down for an “In the Green Room” segment where he discussed the roots of the financial crisis, how President Bush and Obama have mishandled the problem, and what to expect in 2010 and 2011.
Senator Chris Dodd’s monstrous 1336-page financial reform draft includes a whopping 217 pages devoted to “improving” over-the-counter derivatives markets. Dodd the derivatives section may be… Read More
The execution last week of a senior economics official in the North Korean government over a botched currency reform reminds us of that no parody… Read More
The United States has set itself on a path of unsustainable debt levels with little political prospect to implement the policy mix that will turn… Read More
There’s more going on in Washington this week than health care reform. Giving up on efforts to get a bipartisan deal on financial regulation, Senate… Read More
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still cannot determine what caused the unintended acceleration of a Toyota Prius last week in which a police… Read More
In an attempt to solve the nation’s current economic woes, legislators remain fixated on a single solution: federal stimulus spending. This is the wrong solution,… Read More
After the panel, Professor Zywicki, a Senior Scholar of the Mercatus Center and contributor to the popular legal blog The Volokh Conspiracy, sat down with us for an “In the Green Room” segment. We talked about the problems we face if Congress enacts the CFPA, the real causes behind our current financial crisis, and what principles should undergird real financial regulatory reform.
Remember how public anger over the federal debt reaching new sky-high levels last year drove lawmakers into a flurry of discussions about budget controls? Responding… Read More
The Tax Foundation recently released its annual report on the number of tax returns filed that have no tax liability, and the study shows a… Read More
Toyota has seen better months than February when the automaker recalled millions of vehicles amidst a sticky pedal and unintended acceleration problem that led to… Read More
The final details of the financial regulatory reform bill being negotiated by Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Bob Corker (R-TN) are still being hammered out,… Read More
There is no entity with closer ties to the Obama administration than the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). According to the White House visitor logs… Read More
Yesterday the Senate beat back an amendment offered by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to the tax extenders bill that would have continued for another six… Read More
Last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of the president’s 2011 budget submission to Congress. This report hasn’t gotten nearly the attention… Read More
While legislators finalize yet another round of stimulus spending, they should self-impose a time-out to assess the ineffectiveness of the last two years of government-directed… Read More
In a retaliatory response to the U.S. government’s unwillingness to eliminate domestic cotton subsidies, Brazil has announced higher tariffs on over 100 American goods ranging… Read More
The stock market reacted favorably this morning when it was announced that the number of people on payrolls fell by 36,000 in February, better than… Read More
So President Obama wants to slap a tax on banks, but should you really care? Absolutely. Those taxes are going to wind up costing YOU… Read More
The February report showed that, although the labor market is still treading water, there is room for optimism. After all, almost every industry except for… Read More
President Obama announced a renewed focus on jobs in his State of the Union address. His budget stated (PDF) “it is critical that we take steps… Read More
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, took to the floor yesterday to protest an effort led by Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and… Read More
DC lawmakers tried to sugarcoat the five cent per bag tax on store bought items, calling it a fee rather than a tax. The tax… Read More
Today marks the seventh year that we have published the Index of Dependence on Government. And, for seven years running, our Index shows growing dependence…. Read More
In his State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama proposed “a modest fee” on banks that “would pay back the taxpayers who rescued them… Read More
Federal spending is out of control. Even President Obama knows it. To really stop the madness, Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Mike Pence (R-IN), and John… Read More
Tomorrow, the European Union will unveil its Europe 2020 strategy, designed to make Europe the most competitive, dynamic, knowledge-based economy by 2020. If the slogan… Read More
