Obama and Infrastructure
The President is continuing his push for the federal government to go deeper into debt in order to fund infrastructure projects. While nobody disputes that the country has infrastructure needs, the precarious nature of federal and state finances indicate that policymakers need to starting thinking outside the box. Specifically, policymakers should be looking to make it [...]
Government Efficiency
I recently criticized the idea that policymakers should focus their attention on making government more “efficient.” Instead, I argued that policymakers should focus their reform efforts on reducing government’s size. Government efficiency proponents make the mistake of viewing the cost of government in the same light as the cost of operating a private business. However, [...]
Ron Paul on Federal Stimulus spending
Is federal government stimulus the answer to our declining economy? Texas Congressman Ron Paul discusses why government spending can’t reverse our anemic economy. Government does not create wealth or create value, this is done in the private sector by companies and individuals who take raw materials then assemble a product to create something more valuable [...]
Colossal Ignorance
This post is inspired by the continual misunderstanding of the “General Welfare” clause of the U.S. Constitution. This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the Constitution. Most statists think this phrase gives the Federal Government carte blanche to spend money on anything that may be good for anyone in the U.S. Stating it [...]
California Dreamin’ (on someone else’s dime)
This past Friday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called for the federal government to bail out the taxpayers of his state to the tune of some $6.9 billion. The request comes amid efforts to close a $19.9 billion gap in his proposed $82.9 billion 2010-2011 fiscal budget. We hear daily news stories of governors all over [...]
Constitution be damned?
That’s just the political reality we face today, writes John Tamny: Throughout this decade, under Presidents Bush and Obama, economic “stimulus” packages have similarly been foisted on the U.S. economy by a federal government possessing nothing not already taxed or borrowed from the private sector. Nothing in the Constitution mentions “economic growth” as one of [...]
