Clik here to view.
Europe: Doubling Down on Statism
One would think that Europeans might finally be realizing that an ever-growing welfare state and an ever-rising tax burden are a form of economic suicide. The most obvious bit of evidence is to look at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
While Greece Implodes, France Corrodes and Spain Erodes
For understandable reasons, the fiscal mess in Greece has dominated the European economic headlines. But there are other developments that deserve attention. Amazingly, some politicians think Europe’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Supranational Eurozone Government: Bad for Europe, Really Bad for Germany
If you want to pinpoint the leading source of bad economic policy proposals, I would understand if someone suggested the Obama Administration. But looking to Europe might be even more accurate. For...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Get Washington Out of the Business of Redistributing – and Wasting –...
I’ve argued (repeatedly) that we should abolish the Department of Transportation and allow states to make decisions on how to fund and whether to fund transportation projects. As an interim measure to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Katrina, Flint, and the Practical Case for Federalism
Remember the cluster-you-know-what in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina? Corrupt and incompetent politicians in both the city and at the state level acted passively, assuming that Uncle Sam...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nine Key Takeaways from Brexit
What an amazing vote. The people of the United Kingdom defied the supposed experts, rejected a fear-based campaign by advocates of the status quo, and declared their independence from the European...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Was 1356 the Greatest Year in European History?
Back in 2012, I wrote a detailed article explaining that Europe became rich in part because Europe didn’t exist. The geographic landmass of Europe existed, of course, but the continent was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Three Sensible Rules to Guide the Trump Administration’s Infrastructure...
During the election, Donald Trump promised a big package of infrastructure spending, twice as much new spending as Hillary Clinton was proposing. During his victory speech the night of the election, he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Secession, Federalism, and National Comity (Plus more Intentional and...
The concept of secession (part of a jurisdiction breaking away to become independent) has a bad reputation in the United States because it is linked to the reprehensible institution of slavery. But, as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Centralization and the Decline of Europe
The famous French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand supposedly said that a weakness of the Bourbon monarchs was that they learned nothing and forgot nothing. If so, the genetic descendants of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Best Trump Budget Cuts, Part III: The Fake Cuts to Meals on Wheels Should...
The annual budget for our bloated and sclerotic federal government consumes about $4 trillion of America’s economic output, yet President Trump so far has not proposed to reduce that overall spending...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Minimum Wage Laws, Jobs, and the Sobering Impact of Decentralization
The real world is like a cold shower for our friends on the left. Everywhere they look, there is evidence that jurisdictions with free markets and small government outperform places with big welfare...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Academic Studies Confirm that More Money for Politicians = More Corruption
When I argue against tax increases, I generally rely on two compelling points. Higher taxes will undermine prosperity by penalizing productive behavior. More money for politicians will trigger more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Helpful Solution to Italy’s Budget Standoff with the European Commission
I’ve warned many times that Italy is the next Greece. Simply stated, there’s a perfect storm of bad news. Government is far too big, debt is too high, and the economy is too sclerotic. I’ve always...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Ways to Accelerate the Economic Decline of Europe
There’s a very strong economic argument for Brexit which is partly based on an independent United Kingdom having more leeway to adopt pro-market policies. This case for Brexit is also based – indeed,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The European Union and Economic Performance
Thanks to the glorious miracle of capitalism, I’m writing this column 36,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. I’m on my way back from Europe, where I ground through about a dozen presentations as part of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Socialism: A Track Record of Failure
What’s socialism? Is it the centrally planned economies of Cuba and North Korea? Or the kleptocracies of Zimbabwe and Venezuela? How about the interventionist welfare states of Greece, Italy, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A History Lesson: Comparing Socialist East Germany vs Capitalist West Germany
Donald Trump is an incoherent mix of good policies and bad policies. Some of his potential 2020 opponents, by contrast, are coherent but crazy. And economic craziness exists in other nations as well....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Brexit Day
Today is Brexit Day. As of 6:00 P.M. EST (Midnight in Brussels), the United Kingdom no longer will be a member of the European Union. This is definitely good news in the long run since the U.K. will...
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.
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.
OECD Research Acknowledges Big Benefits from Federalism
Largely because of my support for jurisdictional competition, I’m a big fan of federalism. Simply stated, our liberties are better protected when there’s decentralization since politicians are less...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tweeting the Obvious: The Department of Education Has a Failing Grade
I’ve already shared a “Tweet of the Year” for 2022, as well the “Most Enjoyable Tweet” of the year. I’m going to call this the “Most Obvious Revelation Tweet” since it reaches a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Defending Disney’s Self-Rule
Like any practical libertarian, I prefer decentralization (Switzerland is a great role model). My default view is that it is better for things such as roads and schools to be handled at the local...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Everything You Need to Know about Federal Handouts for State and Local...
Ideally, the federal government should be limited to the functions specified by the Founders in Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution. If we are to have any hope of getting back to that system, it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fiscal Fights with Friends: Centralization Is the Wrong Way to Fix Medicaid
I’ve previously explained the difference between entitlement spending and discretionary spending. I have also explained that entitlements are the main reason the United States faces a very grim fiscal...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Applause for Globalization, not Global Governance
If globalism means free trade and peaceful interaction among peoples, sign me up. I’m a big supporter. But if globalism means international bureaucracies working to increase the power of governments...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Libertarian Quandary in Canada
There’s much to admire about public policy in Canada, including good policies today (private air traffic control and no department of education) and good policies in the past (rigorous spending...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Debating the European Union
Most Americans pay little or no attention to the European Union and its various bureaucratic and political arms in Brussels. But that’s unwise. What happens in Europe can have an impact on policy in...
View Article
