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Daniel J. Mitchell is a top expert on tax reform and supply-side tax policy at
the Cato Institute. Mitchell is a strong advocate of a flat tax and international tax competition. Prior to joining Cato, Mitchell was a senior fellow with The Heritage Foundation, and an economist for Senator Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee. He also served on the 1988 Bush/Quayle transition team and was Director of Tax and Budget Policy for Citizens for a Sound Economy. His articles can be found in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor's Business Daily, and Washington Times. He is a frequent guest on radio and television and a popular speaker on the lecture circuit. Mitchell holds bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University.
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 20, 2013)
I was very pleased to report the other day that the people of France overwhelmingly favor spending cuts, even when they were asked a biased question that presupposed that... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 19, 2013)
I was a bit of a juvenile delinquent.
I semi-confessed that I may have set off fireworks in a stairwell at my high school.
And I’ve... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 18, 2013)
I have to start this post with a big caveat. I’m not a fan of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The international bureaucracy is... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 17, 2013)
I’m in Europe as part of a six-nation speaking tour, participating in the Free Market Road Show.
My first speech was this week in Greece, which is infamous for a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 16, 2013)
Here’s another entry for our UK vs US Government Stupidity Contest. Or perhaps it belongs in the great-moments-in-government-waste category.
The spendaholics in... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 15, 2013)
I like to think I’m a reasonably savvy observer of public opinion and international economics, but every so often I’m stunned by some bit of data.
Several... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 14, 2013)
Are there any fact checkers at the New York Times?
Since they’ve allowed some glaring mistakes by Paul Krugman (see here and here), I guess the answer is... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 13, 2013)
I’ve been peppered with all sorts of questions about immigration this week. Many of them deal with the Heritage Foundation study, including the “dynamic... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 12, 2013)
I’ve written many times about how investors, entrepreneurs, small business owners and other successful people migrate from high-tax states to low-tax... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 11, 2013)
I’m happy to bash the IRS, but I usually try to explain that our anger should be focused on the politicians who created the corrupt, 74,000-page tax code.
But... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 10, 2013)
When I was becaming interested in public policy, I thought Jimmy Carter was the epitome of a bad President. But as I began to learn economics, I realized that Richard... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 09, 2013)
The most recent jobs report from the Labor Department contains both good news and the bad news.
If you’re a glass-half-full person, you’ll want to focus on... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 08, 2013)
I’m either a total optimist or a glutton for punishment. I recently explained the benefits of “tax havens” for the unfriendly readers of the New York... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 07, 2013)
I’ve cited some remarkable examples of Orwellian language abuse.
The World Bank published a study of national tax systems and countries with higher tax... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 06, 2013)
I’m conflicted. More and more people get lured into some form of government dependency every year, and this suggests Americans eventually will adopt a ... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 05, 2013)
I can say with great confidence that government bureaucrats are overpaid compared to people in the productive sector of the economy.
Why am I sure that this is true,... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 04, 2013)
National defense is one of the few legitimate functions of the federal government, but that doesn’t mean the military should get a blank check to spend unlimited... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 03, 2013)
I often argue that we need to preserve tax competition and tax havens in order to limit the greed of the political class.
Without some sort of external constraint,... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 02, 2013)
President Bush imposed a so-called stimulus plan in 2008 and President Obama imposed an even bigger “stimulus” in 2009. Based upon the economy’s performance over the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (May 01, 2013)
I’ve made the point before that the United States foolishly imposes the highest corporate tax rate of all developed nations.
But that obviously means it is... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 30, 2013)
Here’s a new edition of my “you be the judge” series.
These are posts designed to explore some of the more challenging aspects of a pro-libertarian... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 28, 2013)
I last shared political jokes from the late-night talk shows in late February, so let’s rectify that oversight.
Here are my favorites, courtesy of the folks at... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 27, 2013)
Since I just left Monaco and am now in Geneva, this is an appropriate time to extol the virtues of so-called tax havens.
But I don’t merely say nice things about... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 26, 2013)
I get upset by a lot of what happens in the corridors of power, but two things really irk me.
First, I hate it when the rich and powerful use the coercive power of... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 25, 2013)
So we’ve now learned that the Boston Marathon terrorists were welfare bums. Why am I not surprised?
Heck, it was only a couple of days ago that I announced the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 24, 2013)
It’s a challenge to be a libertarian in Washington because you have to swim against the tide.
The vast majority of people in town are looking for excuses to... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 23, 2013)
I expressed pessimism a few days ago about the possibility of replacing the corrupt internal revenue code with a flat tax. Either now or in the future.
But... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 22, 2013)
I’ve received several variations of this question since starting my “Question of the Week” series. Having never studied the terrorism issue, I’ve... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 21, 2013)
I’m not a very exciting guy. It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m perusing the Budget and Economic Outlook from the Congressional Budget Office.
But... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 20, 2013)
I just saw a headline that made me think that libertarian fantasies somehow had turned into reality.
As you can see, 24 IRS employees were just arrested for stealing.... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 19, 2013)
Art Laffer has a guaranteed spot in the liberty hall of fame because he popularized the common-sense notion that you can’t make any assumptions about tax rates and... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 18, 2013)
In recent months, I’ve displayed uncharacteristic levels of optimism on issues ranging from Obamacare to the Laffer Curve.
But this doesn’t mean I’m... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 17, 2013)
I’m very leery of corporate tax reform, largely because I don’t think there are enough genuine loopholes on the business side of the tax code to finance a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 16, 2013)
Remember the Spending Quiz from 2010, which asked people to guess whether absurd examples of government waste were true or false?
Well, we have a new video on... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 15, 2013)
Did Cyprus become an economic basket case because it is a tax haven, as some leftists have implied?
Did it get in trouble because the government overspent, which... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 14, 2013)
Barack Obama has stated that he wants to be like Reagan, at least in the sense of wanting to be a transformational figure.
But almost certainly he has failed.
Yes,... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 13, 2013)
When I think of the disability program, I think of the bum who is collecting a check so he can be an “adult baby” and indulge his fetish of wearing diapers.... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 12, 2013)
If you include all the appendices, there are thousands of pages in the President’s new budget.
But the first thing I do every year is find the table showing how... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 11, 2013)
I’m going to make an assertion that seems utterly absurd.
The enactment of Obamacare may have been good news.
Before sending a team of medical attendants to cart me off to... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 10, 2013)
When the monthly job numbers are released, most people focus on the unemployment rate.
On many occasions, I’ve cited that number, usually to point out that the unemployment... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 09, 2013)
Whether they’re banning bake sales, federalizing school lunch menus, or criminalizing Big Gulps, the nanny-staters feel they have some special wisdom that gives them the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 08, 2013)
Using data stolen from service providers in the Cook Islands and the British Virgin Islands, the Washington Post published a supposed exposé of Americans who do... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 07, 2013)
Young people voted for Obama in overwhelming numbers, but the question is why?
As I explain in this interview for Blaze TV, they are being hurt by his... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 06, 2013)
Statists are in a tough position. For years, they’ve been saying the United States should be more like Europe.
And, as shown in these very funny cartoons by... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 05, 2013)
It’s been more than three weeks since I targeted French fiscal policy for abuse and more than one week since I wrote something negative about the French fiscal system.
I... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 04, 2013)
One of the great things about federalism, above and beyond the fact that it both constrains the power of governments and is faithful to the Constitution, is that is turns... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 03, 2013)
I’ve never been a big Shakespeare fan, but that may need to change. It seems the Bard of Avon may be the world’s first libertarian.
Some of you are probably shaking your... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 02, 2013)
It’s both difficult and easy to be a libertarian.
It’s difficult because the corrupt Washington establishment of politicians, lobbyists, bureaucrats, and interest groups... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Apr 01, 2013)
Folks, the pendulum is swinging in the right direction.
In recent weeks, I’ve shared a bunch of examples to support my hypothesis that libertarians,... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 31, 2013)
I’ve posted some horrifying examples about what happens when you put politicians and bureaucrats in charge of health care.
The story that makes every guy wince... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 30, 2013)
Time for some well-intentioned humor targeting our political masters.
These are the men and women who spend their time screwing us and wasting our money.
We already have... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 29, 2013)
Sometimes I myopically focus on fiscal policy, implying that the key to prosperity is small government.
But I’ll freely admit that growth if maximized when you have small... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 28, 2013)
If I live to be 100 years old, I suspect I’ll still be futilely trying to educate politicians that there’s not a simplistic linear relationship between tax rates and tax... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 27, 2013)
In recent months, people have asked me why I’m acting all giddy and optimistic. Am I hooked on cocaine? Have I fallen in love? Did I inherit several million dollars?
These... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 26, 2013)
Taxpayers all across America send lots of money to Washington, DC, in part because we’re supposed to believe that redistribution is a legitimate and desirable function of the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 25, 2013)
I’m not a fan of the International Monetary Fund. It galls me that a bunch of bureaucrats enjoy opulent lifestyles at our expense, and don’t even have to pay... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 24, 2013)
I’ve been very critical of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Most recently, I criticized the Paris-based bureaucracy for making the rather... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 23, 2013)
I’m not a big fan of the German government. Angela Merkel has a disturbing desire to impose fiscal and political union on the European continent. And even the supposedly free... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 22, 2013)
I’m a sucker for a good flowchart because they either can help to simplify analysis or they can show how something is very complex.
Some of my favorites include:
This... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 21, 2013)
In a presumably futile effort to change their minds by learning how they think, I periodically try to figure out the left-wing mind.
Why, for instance, do some people... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 20, 2013)
The food stamp program seems to be a breeding ground of waste, fraud, and abuse. Some of the horror stories I’ve shared include:
Using food stamps to buy luxury coffee at... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 19, 2013)
It doesn’t create a lot of confidence in Europe that tiny little Cyprus, with a GDP less than Vermont, is now causing immense turmoil.
Though to be more accurate, events in... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 18, 2013)
Regular readers know that I’m a big advocate of the Laffer Curve, which is the common-sense notion that higher tax rates will cause people to change their behavior... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 17, 2013)
It can be very frustrating to work at the Cato Institute and fight for small government.
Consider what’s happened the past couple of days.
Congressman Paul... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 16, 2013)
I’ve reached the point where I can’t even get agitated any more.
The anti-gun ideology in government schools has led to so many stupid incidents that all I can do is shake... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 15, 2013)
Two months ago exactly, I appeared on TV to talk about the concept of eliminating the personal and corporate income tax in Louisiana.
Now Governor Jindal has unveiled a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 14, 2013)
As a general rule, it’s not right to take pleasure at the misfortune of others.
But I think we’re allowed an exception to that Schadenfreude rule when the “others” are... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 13, 2013)
Sigh. Even when they’re sort of doing the right thing, Republicans are incapable of using the right argument.
Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, has unveiled... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 12, 2013)
I believe in the First Amendment, so I would never support legislation to restrict political speech or curtail the ability of people to petition the government.
That being... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 11, 2013)
I’ve spent a lot of time debunking class-warfare tax policy, and I’ve certainly explained ’til I’m blue in the face that big government facilitates a pernicious form of... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 10, 2013)
I weep for my country. We are becoming pathetic fools and total wimps.
Consider these jaw-dropping examples of behavior by adults who work in government schools. I... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 09, 2013)
Here are three common-sense principles.
Higher taxes are misguided. They undermine prosperity and finance bigger government.
Bailouts also are misguided. They facilitate... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 08, 2013)
Should the federal government make life more difficult for low-skilled workers?
I hope everyone will emphatically say “NO!”
Heck, most people understandably will think... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 07, 2013)
Triggered by an appearance on Canadian TV, I asked yesterday why we should believe anti-sequester Keynesians. They want us to think that a very modest reduction in the growth... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 06, 2013)
In this appearance on Canadian TV, I debunk anti-sequester hysteria, pointing out that “automatic budget cuts” merely restrain government so that it grows $2.4 trillion... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 05, 2013)
The statist agenda of ever-growing government requires more money going to Washington, which is why I think that proponents of limited government should do everything they... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 04, 2013)
If you asked me that question 30 years ago, I would have said Jeff MacNelly without hesitation.
Not that I was exposed to many options in the pre-Internet dark ages,... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 03, 2013)
Good ol’ Uncle Joe.
Given his chief role as national laughingstock, the Vice President attracts plenty of abuse. I like this caption contest, which led to a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 02, 2013)
When I first read this story in the Washington Post about supposedly under-appreciated federal bureaucrats, I was tempted to focus on the sentence referring to “the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Mar 01, 2013)
If you’re an amoral person with political connections, it’s possible to make a lot of money.
Warren Buffett lined his pockets by making a government-subsidized investment in... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 28, 2013)
I’m normally not a fan of the media, but every so often you find examples of real journalism. Here are some powerful, well-done stories from local TV stations.
Exposing... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 27, 2013)
Even though it changed the terms of the political debate, thus giving them a majority in the 2010 elections, many in the Republican establishment deeply resent the Tea Party.... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 26, 2013)
Sigh. I feel like a modern-day Sisyphus. Except I’m not pushing a rock up a hill, only to then watch it roll back down.
I have a far more frustrating job. I have to read the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 25, 2013)
I shared a couple of amusing sequester cartoons the other day, and I’ve previously written about the absurdity of anti-sequester hysteria in Washington when all it... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 24, 2013)
What government spends the most on health care?
Is it Canada or the United Kingdom, which are famous (or, if these stories are any indication, infamous would be a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 23, 2013)
All statists want much bigger government, but not all of them are honest about how to finance a Greek-sized welfare state.
The President, for instance, wants us to believe... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 22, 2013)
Notwithstanding hysterical rhetoric from the White House, the bureaucracies, and the various pro-spending lobbies in Washington, the sequester does not mean “vicious” or... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 21, 2013)
I’m a proponent of a pro-growth and non-corrupt tax code.
I mostly write and talk about the flat tax, though I’d be happy to instead accept a national sales tax if we could... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 20, 2013)
As you can see here and here, I’m a huge fan of Ronald Reagan.
But it’s not just that the Gipper had good rhetoric. He also did a decent job of restraining spending and he... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 19, 2013)
I did a video several years ago on the link between big government and big corruption, and I periodically revisit the issue by citing disgusting examples of sleaze and... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 18, 2013)
Writing for the New York Times, Paul Krugman has a new column promoting more government spending and additional government regulation. That’s a dog-bites-man... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 17, 2013)
As an economist with a boring personality (sorry to be redundant), I sometimes focus on numbers. And when contemplating the cost of regulation and red tape, there are some... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 16, 2013)
Every so often, you get a “teaching moment” in Washington, and we now have an excellent opportunity to educate lawmakers about the “offshore” world because President Obama’s... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 15, 2013)
Late last year, I shared a very powerful article by an admitted liberal who concluded that gun control was impractical and illogical.
Now I want to share a New York Times... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 14, 2013)
The value-added tax is a pernicious levy.
It’s basically a hidden form of national sales tax, imposed every time a transaction occurs at any stage of the production... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 13, 2013)
In early January, I shared a “libertarian purity test” based on 64 questions.
I was a bit disappointed that I only scored a 94 out of a possible 160, but my excuse is that... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 12, 2013)
I’ve been pointing out the differences between California stagnation and Texas prosperity for quite some time.
And since California voters approved a new 13.3 percent top... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 11, 2013)
I’ve shared some very powerful videos that help explain why we should respect and celebrate the individual right to keep and bear arms.
Ted Nugent talking... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 10, 2013)
I’m a huge fan of so-called tax havens. I’ve been working for more than 10 years to protect and promote the values of tax competition, fiscal sovereignty, and... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 09, 2013)
I just finished up a trip to London.
In previous posts, I’ve expressed pessimism about the future of the United Kingdom, largely because all political parties have a statist... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 08, 2013)
Remember Julia, the mythical moocher created by the Obama campaign to show the joys of government dependency? As illustrated by this Ramirez cartoon, Julia symbolizes the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 07, 2013)
When speaking about the difference between the private sector and the government, I sometimes emphasize that mistakes and errors are inevitable, and that the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 06, 2013)
Regular readers may remember last year when I shared some remarkably silly data from the “Happy Planet Index,” which supposedly showed the United States ranked below very... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 05, 2013)
Those of you old enough to remember the Cold War may remember something called the Brezhnev Doctrine. This was the rule concocted by the Soviet tyrants that basically said a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 04, 2013)
A reader from New York has a follow-up question for me.
Referencing a “Question of the Week” from last month, in which I expressed guarded optimism that America could be... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 03, 2013)
I’m not a big gun owner and I’m not part of the gun culture. So why, then, do I frequently post about the issue of gun control?
Mostly because I believe in freedom and the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 02, 2013)
I almost feel sorry for the Obama Administration’s spin doctors. Every month, they probably wait for the unemployment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Feb 01, 2013)
Fighting against statism in Washington is a lot like trying to swim upstream. It seems that everything (how to measure spending cuts, how to estimate tax revenue, etc) is... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 31, 2013)
I’m at Hillsdale College in Michigan for a conference on taxation. The event is called “The Federal Income Tax: A Centenary Consideration,” though I would have called it... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 30, 2013)
As a public finance economist, I normally focus on big-picture arguments against excessive government.
If the public sector is too large, for instance, that undermines... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 29, 2013)
Much to the horror of various interest groups, it appears that there will be a “sequester” on March 1.
This means an automatic reduction in spending authority for selected... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 28, 2013)
Back in 2010, I shared a remarkable graph comparing the predictions of economists to what actually happened.
Not surprisingly, the two lines don’t exactly overlap, which... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 27, 2013)
I periodically share public opinion data, either because I’m encouraged by the results or because I think that the research helps show how to frame issues.
Examples include... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 26, 2013)
The welfare state creates some amazingly pathetic and disgusting individuals.
In the battle of the bums, we’ve had the spectacle of “Diaper Man” vs “Footless Hans.”
In the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 25, 2013)
What’s more realistic: A unicorn, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or a successful government program?
This isn’t a trick question. Even though I’ve presented both... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 24, 2013)
Just like in the United States, politicians in the United Kingdom use the deceptive practice of “baseline budgeting” as part of fiscal policy.
This means the politicians can... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 23, 2013)
I’ve already condemned the foolish people of California for approving a referendum to raise the state’s top tax rate to 13.3 percent.
This impulsive and misguided exercise... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 22, 2013)
Texas is in much better shape than California. Taxes are lower, in part because Texas has no state income tax.
No wonder the Lone Star State is growing faster and creating... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 21, 2013)
I’ve had fun documenting and comparing examples of government stupidity in both the United States and United Kingdom, and today’s story clearly belongs on those lists.
... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 20, 2013)
It appears that my contest between the United States and United Kingdom for the most inane government policy how has to be augmented by a new contest between Maryland and... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 19, 2013)
In an ideal world, Congress would not raise the debt limit.
This would force – automatically and immediately – a balanced budget. More important, it would produce a... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 18, 2013)
How do you define a terrible team? No, this isn’t going to be a joke about Notre Dame foolishly thinking it could match up against a team from the Southeastern Conference in... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 17, 2013)
Economists may not agree on much, but we all agree that economic output is a function of capital and labor. Ask a Keynesian, a Marxist, an Austrian, a monetarist, or any... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 16, 2013)
Obama imposed a big tax hike last year.
But I’m not talking about the fiscal cliff and the President’s class-warfare trophy of higher tax rates on those evil rich people.... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 15, 2013)
I’m a big fan of the flat tax as a way of neutering the punitive and convoluted internal revenue code in Washington.
But I’m even more aggressive at the state level.
That’s... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 14, 2013)
I have a serious question for readers. What’s worse, bailouts for government or bailouts for the private sector?
Yes, both are bad, but is it worse to bail out a bankrupt... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 13, 2013)
I’ve frequently commented on Europe’s fiscal mess and argued that excessive government spending is responsible for both the sovereign debt crisis and the economic stagnation... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 12, 2013)
During the Obamacare debate, Paul Krugman told us we could ignore stories about what was happening across the ocean, writing that “In Britain, the government itself runs the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 11, 2013)
I’m not a big fan of the Internal Revenue Service, though I try to make sure that politicians get much of the blame for America’s convoluted, punitive, and unfair tax... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 10, 2013)
I’ve always been a big fan of Economic Freedom of the World because it provides a balanced and neutral measure of which nations do best in providing free markets and small... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 09, 2013)
The most-viewed post in the history of this blog is the “riding in the wagon” cartoon, but the post that has received the highest number of star-ratings is my video on class... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 08, 2013)
There’s a debate among policy wonks about whether a no-tax-hike policy is an effective way of restraining the burden of government spending.
At the risk of over-simplifying,... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 07, 2013)
Since I’m an out-of-the-closet libertarian, it goes without saying that I’m not favorably disposed to government intervention. As far as I’m concerned, Washington’s an... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 06, 2013)
Three years ago, I put together a “Moocher Index” that measured the degree to which non-poor people in a state were benefiting from redistribution programs.
As you can see... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 05, 2013)
Our number one fiscal problem is an excessive burden of government spending. A big part of the solution is entitlement reform.
Our number two fiscal problem is a punitive... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 04, 2013)
I’ve never watched Meet the Press, so I obviously didn’t see David Gregory’s pathetic attempt to play gotcha by unveiling a magazine while interviewing someone from the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 03, 2013)
Washington is filled with debate and discussion about the economic burden of the federal income tax, which collected $1.13 trillion in FY2012 ($1.37 trillion if you include... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 02, 2013)
I’m not sure I could pick out a significant victory for human freedom in 2012.
Maybe I’m missing something, but the only good policy that’s even worth mentioning was the... more
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Daniel J. Mitchell (Jan 01, 2013)
There’s no official agreement, so everything you read here may turn out to be nonsense, but it appears that the misfits in Washington have reached a deal on the fiscal... more