Politicians love politics, but they don’t always love business. They come to D.C. high on the ideological hog, but when it comes time to solve the pressing economic issues of the day, they employ the brightest minds that never worked in the industries they cover. I mostly associate with academics, and there is a similar … Continue reading
Category Archives: Politics
Obama the Central Planner
By Logan Albright A number of recent announcements from the White House continue to emphasize the fact that Barack Obama simply doesn’t understand how a market economy functions. Undaunted by the Solyndra fiasco and similar failures, the president persists in his belief that it is both appropriate and wise to use government resources to prop … Continue reading
Economy / Fiscal policy / Politics / Tax
Avoiding the end-of-year “fiscal cliff”
By Will Portman The U.S. needs deficit reduction, but there’s such thing as too much of a good thing — or, in the case of the end-of-year “fiscal cliff” the country is approaching, implementing too much of a good thing much too quickly. In the absence of congressional action, a slew of tax increases and spending … Continue reading
Why I Believe Neither Obama nor Romney Deserves the “Hispanic Vote”
As my esteemed colleague, Marlena Papavartis, and I have stated various times in our blogs: there is no single monolithic “Hispanic vote.” Political pundits and politicians, however, often fail to understand this basic concept. This past weekend was no different, with President Barack Obama telling Univision that he would attempt to “tackle immigration policy in … Continue reading
Every Woman is Valuable
Hilary Rosen has been in the news recently because she said Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann Romney, had “never worked a day in her life” because she chose to be a stay at home mother.[1] Choosing to stay home and raise a family might not bring in the financial or status gain as a paid career, … Continue reading
Swiss-tested, Keynes-approved: Switzerland’s debt brake as a model for the U.S.
By Will Portman Critics of a balanced budget amendment (BBA), such as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), argue that a BBA would “mandate perverse actions in the face of recessions” and thus “aggravate recessions.” And they’ve got a point — at least about a BBA that would mandate that the budget be balanced … Continue reading
Weekly Graphic: Government Spending – 40 Year Comparison
Data from CBO 2012. All numbers are in FY 2005 dollars adjusted for inflation. © Joseph Chrisman Continue reading
Economy / Fiscal policy / Healthcare / Politics / Tax
Occupy entitlements! And the tax code!
By Will Portman The Occupy movement has brought income inequality to the forefront of the national political discussion over the past year, even if both the movement and the issue have faded in recent months. Occupy protestors are concerned about the growing wealth gap in the U.S., pointing to studies like the recent Congressional Budget Office … Continue reading
Mexico: 3 months away from the election of Enrique Peña Nieto
Mexico’s Presidential Election is less than two months away, and it appears that Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) will be the winner. Peña Nieto is a young, charismatic former Mexico State governor. His competition for the Mexican presidency is Josefina Vásquez Mota of the National Action Party (PAN) and Andres Manuel … Continue reading
Economy / Foreign Policy / Other / Politics
For Israel, Nuclear Iran Not Biggest Concern
All we hear from Israel is everything Iran. Netanyahu, in a fiery speech, said in relation to Iran: “as Prime Minister of Israel, I will never let my people live under the shadow of annihilation.” Israelis have lots of important issues on their plate. In Israel there are numerous social cleavages and economic issues that … Continue reading
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