When President Richard Nixon collided with the Watergate scandal, he was a very unpopular man. The nation at the time was suffering one of the worst recessions in history and one of the highest inflation rates, too. So Watergate sunk Dick Nixon, but for good measure, the economy sunk him even more.

Apart from criminal prosecution, the best way to strip the power of politics and corruption from the IRS is to initiate broad-based, pro-growth tax reform and simplification. It's the complexity of the tax code that nurtures the corruptness of the IRS.

There can be only one reason for the stalled-out approval process for conservative groups. The IRS was trying to put them out of business. Thus far, there’s not one wit of contradictory evidence

The GOP must reclaim the growth-and-optimism message of Reagan and Kemp. Immigration reform is part of that message.

The bad news is that the U.S. continues to fall further behind its own long-term trends for jobs and economic growth. And lately, hours worked -- a key labor measure -- have begun to fall.

I still think falling gold is a good thing. And whatever the short-term turbulence, a more subdued price for gold (and commodities) bodes well for the future economy.

With some tweaking of eligibility requirements, a true economic-growth budget would lower food-stamp enrollment, unemployment compensation, disability benefits, and other forms of welfare-dependency spending that plague the country.

Mrs. Thatcher famously said, “The trouble with socialists is that they always run out of other people’s money.” That dictum really stands the test of time, doesn’t it? Running out of other people’s money? Today?

Larry interviews Jimmy Kemp, the son of Jack Kemp, about his father's legacy.

Real GDP was a miniscule 0.4 percent at an annual rate for last year’s fourth quarter, up from an earlier estimate of 0.1 percent. Perhaps more to the point, the year-on-year GDP change is only 1.7 percent, less than the 2 percent average growth of the Obama recovery, which is still the weakest in modern times going back to 1947.

It’s worth noting that a mild economic upturn is in the cards, perhaps driving real GDP toward 3 percent. Lower jobless claims, stronger housing numbers, and a rebound in the index of leading indicators confirm the better economic trend.

Sometimes you have to search for it, or read it in the fine print. But I believe the political economy is getting better, not worse.

However you calculate the sequester spending cuts, and however uneven they may be, the reality is that the sequester at least moves the ball in the right direction. I maintain that by reducing the government spending share of GDP, the sequester is pro-growth.

Looking at the sequester in it's true light, it’s clear that it won’t result in economic Armageddon. In fact, I’ll make the case that any spending relief is actually pro-growth.

While President Obama quotes John F. Kennedy, he doesn’t draw the dots to Kennedy’s supply-side tax reforms. He does mention the phrase “tax reform,” but he’s not talking about lowering rates across the board while broadening the base to reduce deductions.

To suggest that this is inflationary is a complete fantasy. It is aimed at stopping deflation. Over the past three years, nominal GDP in Japan has been roughly flat. In other words, total spending for the economy has been nil.

Yesterday's report of a 0.1 percent GDP decline for the fourth quarter came as a surprise to most forecasters. But it actually masks considerable strength in the private economy.

The story of the last quarter of the 20th century was of the absolute breakdown and end of the collectivist model. Collectivism was thrown into the dustbin of history by the weight of its own failure. Until Obama fished it out.

Republicans can persuade the public about bold spending cuts. They can make it their key message and central marketing strategy. If they don’t, they risk losing the House in 2014.

The real problem is that Lew is a left-liberal Obama spear-carrier, whose very appointment signals a sharp confrontation with the Republican House.