Clik here to view.
Taxpayer-Subsidized Corruption in Europe
The Department of Agriculture should be abolished. Yesterday, if possible. It’s basically a welfare scam for politically connected farmers and it undermines the efficiency of America’s agriculture...
View ArticleClik here to view.
U.K. Election Week, Part II: Political Humor
I realize the prospect of a hard-core socialist government for the United Kingdom isn’t funny. Nor is it amusing to think that the political class could undo Brexit and leave the country trapped inside...
View ArticleClik here to view.
U.K. Election Week, Part III: Remembering Margaret Thatcher
For two simple reasons, I want Boris Johnson to win a clear majority tomorrow in the elections for the British Parliament. He’s not a lunatic socialist, like Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour...
View ArticleClik here to view.
U.K. Election Week, Part IV: A Final Edition of Brexit Humor (Hopefully)
Today’s election in the United Kingdom presumably will decide Brexit, more than three years after the British people voted to leave. If Boris Johnson wins, the government will honor the results of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
U.K. Election Week, Part V: A Tory Landslide for Brexit and Beyond
I was very surprised by the 2016 election in the United States, but I didn’t have a rooting interest, so I watched the results mostly for reasons of morbid curiosity. Because of my support for Brexit,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Great Moments in British Government
Technically, my coverage of U.K election week began last Monday with a look at Jeremy Corbyn’s radical statism, and ended yesterday with some analysis of Boris Johnson’s victory. But since I’m still in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Best and Worst of 2019
Time for my annual column highlighting the “Best” and “Worst” policy developments of the year, a tradition I sort of started in 2012 and definitely did in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. I’m...
View ArticleClik here to view.
European Tax Greed and American Tech Companies
There are many boring topics in tax policy, such as the debate between expensing and depreciation for business investment. International tax rules also put most people to sleep, but they’re nonetheless...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paternalism in the European Union
I’m not a big fan of paternalism because of my libertarian belief that people should be free to govern their own lives. That’s true even if they make choices that I think are foolish. Needless to say,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coronavirus Lessons from Europe
I wrote recently how government regulation and bureaucratic inefficiency are hindering an effective response to coronavirus in the United States. And I also wrote yesterday about one foolish response...
View ArticleClik here to view.
European Fiscal Crisis, Round 2?
I’m not an optimist about Europe’s economic future. Most nations have excessive welfare states and punitive taxes, which is hardly good news. You then have to consider demographic trends such as aging...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Eurobonds: A Further Threat to the Long-Run Viability of the European Union
Motivated in part by a sensible desire for free trade, six nations from Western Europe signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, thus creating the European Economic Community (EEC). Sort of a European version...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coronavirus and the Fiscal Future of the European Union
Libertarians and other supporters of limited government historically have mixed feelings about the European Union (and its various governmental manifestations). On the plus side, there are no trade...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using Coronavirus as an Excuse for More E.U. Centralization and Redistribution
I wrote earlier this month about coronavirus becoming an excuse for more bad public policy. American politicians certainly have been pushing all sorts of proposals for bigger government, showing that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Economic Consequences of Expanding Pay-as-You-Go Social Security Systems
Despite the fact that Social Security is an ever-increasing fiscal burden with a 75-year cash-flow deficit of nearly $45 trillion, many politicians in Washington have been trying to buy votes with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another Embrace of Dirigisme and Centralization by the European Union
In its early days, the European Union increased economic liberty since it largely existed as a free-trade pact for member nations. Unfortunately, it has subsequently shifted to a more statist approach,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When “Catching Up” Means Lower Income
My approach during the Trump years was very simple. If he did good things, I applauded.If he did bad things, I criticized. Other people, however, muted their views on policy because of their partisan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Double-Barreled Danger of Biden’s Plan to Expand the Welfare State
The United States has a big economic advantage over Europe in part because the burden of welfare spending is lower. This means fewer people trapped in government dependency in America. And it means a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biden’s Budget: Affordable Isn’t Sensible
A couple of days ago, I shared the most-recent data about “actual individual consumption” in nations that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. My goal was to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Lessons Can We Learn by Comparing U.S. and European Economic Performance?
I freely admit that I don’t like President Biden’s fiscal agenda in part because of my libertarianism. Simply stated, I’m instinctively skeptical when someone wants to expand government. But I’m also...
View Article
