Scott Hodge, President of Tax Foundation, offers the following thoughts on fairness in the tax system in the Spring, 2012 edition of Tax Watch. What Does It Mean to Have a “Fair” Tax Code? There has been a lot of media attention lately to the issue of inequality, with various reports purporting to show the [...]
Originally published in Tax Watch — Spring, 2012 – Bipartisan, Comprehensive Tax Reform Will Restore America’s Competitive Edge by Senator Ron Wyden What does this mean? It means that instead of investing in new jobs and innovation, U.S. businesses are investing time, energy and resources to avoid paying taxes. It means that instead of hiring [...]
Is it just coincidental that a majority of government leaders favor more spending to stimulate the economy while a majority of voters favor government austerity measures? Scott Rasmussen says no in this commentary from Rasmussen Reports.
Purchasers of electric cars get a $7500 federal tax credit. Manufacturers of electric cars and electric car components have received $5.5 billion in loan guarantees. Writing for American Enterprise Institute, University of Michigan economist Mark Perry says this makes no sense. Read more here.
Government regulations always have unintended consequences. Some cannot be anticipated. Others can be because many regulation create what economists call “moral hazards.” One such moral hazard is that “too big to fail” institutions under newly issued Dodd-Frank regulations will make riskier investments and get capital at below market rates because they and their investors know [...]
This comment from The Economist: “BARACK OBAMA accepted an award honouring his administration’s commitment to transparency on March 28th 2011. It was given by a coalition of open-government advocates. But the meeting was closed to reporters and photographers, and was not announced on the president’s public schedule. Occasionally life provides perfect metaphors.” Read more here.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, argues in The Guardian that the new “growth” agenda being pushed in Europe as an alternative to austerity will only lead to bigger problems down the road. Here is an excerpt: “The answer to austerity, however, is not what its opponents like President Barack Obama and [...]
The Obama Campaign is claiming that the alleged Obama spending binge never happened. As James Taranto reports, they reach that conclusion with some sleight of hand. Relying on the analysis of Rex Nutting for Market Watch (as illustrated in the chart below), they claim that under President Obama spending has increased by only 1.4% per [...]
Writing in yesterday’s New York Times, David Brooks puzzles over the Obama Campaign’s determined assault on private equity in general and Bain Capital in particular. As Brooks points out, equity capital is what revived American capitalism (and the American economy) from its 197s doldrums. Read Brooks’ commentary here.
A few weeks ago we posted reference to the firing of a Chronicle of Higher Education writer for having taken on the legitimacy of some scholarship that passes under heading of “black studies.” The critique didn’t meet the high standards of the Chronicle, said its editor. Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute had a [...]
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Alan Blinder, former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, argues that we need more stimulus now and deficit reduction later. and less austerity. In yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Edward Lazear, former chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers argues that what we have to fear is tax increases, not [...]
One thing on which most everyone agrees is that the political system, particularly in Washington, is broken. Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, writing in The Washington Post, think the challenge is big but that there are things we can do to reduce the partisanship. In this commentary they detail five things they think will not [...]
Cascade Policy Institute’s John Charles explains how TriMet is achieving insolvency, one step at a time. It’s a good thing they don’t operate boats, or they would be literally sinking.
Michael Barone writes in The Washington Examiner that with the exception of Greece, the much despised austerity in Europe has actually involved no budget cuts and in many cases modest budget increases. It’s all part of the now entrenched idea that anything less than the usual increase is in fact a cut. That sort of [...]
Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, reminds us of the meaning of fairness. Contrary to President Obama’s view that fairness can only be achieved through the redistribution of wealth, Brooks argues that what’s fair is getting what you have earned. It’s about merit, and reaping the rewards of equal opportunity, not having the [...]
The Obama campaign has put out a two minute television add depicting Bain Capital as a predatory company bent on destroying jobs for profit. Kimberly Strassel sets the record straight in today’s Wall Street Journal.
In today’s Oregonian, Charles Krauthammer says there are two arguments for gay marriage — empathy and rights. President Obama started with the case from empathy and moved quickly to rights. But he also says it should be up to the states. Krauthammer argues that he can’t have it both ways. If it’s a right, it [...]
Originally published in The Oregonian — May 17, 2012 – Primary 2012 aftermath: Lawyers and judges steal the show this election You know it’s an unusual election when the most interesting statewide races are those in which only lawyers and judges are running. Despite indications from a recent SurveyUSA poll, the magnitude of Ellen Rosenblum’s [...]
