Guest Commentary Editor’s note: This article first appeared through the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Mich. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the Center … Continue reading
Economics & Political Systems
35 Years Ago: When Ford Snubbed Solzhenitsyn
Editor’s note: A lengthier version of this article first appeared in The American Spectator. It was 35 years ago that the conservative movement found itself in a defining moral struggle not with the liberal Left but with the establishment wing … Continue reading
Celebrating Economic Warfare
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article.
The Creator Principle
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article.
Taxing Transportation
Not long ago, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell toured the state to highlight its crisis in transportation funding. He called on the General Assembly to resolve the crisis this year. In May, the State Transportation Advisory Committee estimated that the state … Continue reading
Understanding “Austerity”
Editor’s Note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Thinker. A couple of years ago, the terms “too big to fail” and “bailout” were the trendy buzzwords. Currently, the “in” word seems to be “austerity.” On both sides … Continue reading
The Federal Reserve’s Historic Announcement
Guest Commentary Mark it down. At 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, the U.S. Federal Reserve made a historic announcement. It signaled that the central bank was going to “preserve the size of its balance sheet.” The announcement didn’t … Continue reading
Rethinking the Corporate Income Tax
It is hard to find anything positive to say about the corporate income (i.e., profits) tax. Economists across the ideological spectrum agree that the corporate profits tax is woefully inefficient: 1) It warps corporate decision making, inducing expenditures made only … Continue reading
Global Warming—The Big Picture: A Review of Brian Sussman’s “Climategate”
“Climategate: A Veteran Meteorologist Exposes the Global Warming Scam” By Brian Sussman | WND Books (April 22, 2010) | 240 pp. | List Price: $25.95Climategate is thorough, knowledgeable, timely, and very well written. I have been reading about global warming … Continue reading
Geithner Versus the Bush Tax Cuts
I’m now convinced that the Obama administration is placing its political agenda above policies that would contribute to the economic recovery that millions of Americans so desperately need. That agenda includes bringing more economic activity under government control, making more … Continue reading
Government Stimulus: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
The President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) has released its most recent quarterly report on the effects of President Obama’s stimulus plan. Not surprisingly, the CEA praises this monumental Keynesian scheme, crediting the stimulus for saving or creating 3.6 million … Continue reading
More Lessons from History: How Obamanomics May Play Out
The grand lesson of the 20th century is that Big Government retards economic progress. The evidence of this lesson goes beyond the socialist countries and their dramatic economic failures.
Three Neglected Economic Lessons from American History
In most, if not all, states, pupils must pass a course in American history to receive a high-school diploma. Unfortunately, when it comes to our country’s economic history, most students are poorly taught, perhaps wrongly taught. Mythology and error prevail … Continue reading
The Blood of the Tea Party
I’ve never participated in a Tea Party rally. My natural habitat is a classroom or behind a keyboard. That said, I’ve had a lot of contact with Tea Party people, and, of course, I hear the angry charges from those … Continue reading
Economic Information Worth Knowing
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the bewildering array of economic data, statistics, charts, and graphs floating around. Often, we economists can’t see the forest for the trees. It’s hard to figure out what is truly significant and what is … Continue reading
Exchange-Rate Mythology and Weak-Dollar Nonsense
If you read the financial press or listen to what politicians say, you have probably heard many times how important it is for the Chinese renminbi (yuan) to strengthen against the dollar. Indeed, it sometimes sounds as though a weaker … Continue reading
The Meaning of Progress
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Center for Vision & Values presented a seminar in April, 2010, on the development and influence of Progressivism, focusing especially on the Radical Progressivism of Obama and his friends. The root of the term progressive is, of … Continue reading
Reservations About a Balanced Budget Amendment
Calling for a balanced budget amendment has been a staple campaign issue for conservative Republicans for years. Undeniably, our nation is beset by fearful fiscal woes. However, a balanced budget amendment isn’t the answer. Let me emphasize that I endorse … Continue reading
America Needs Union Competition
I agree with President Obama that we need more labor unions. However, I disagree with his approach. Full disclosure: I have been a dues-payer to both the United Auto Workers and the National Education Association unions. My sympathies are heavily … Continue reading
Reflections on the Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The explosion that sank British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling vessel/platform in the Gulf of Mexico in April was an unmitigated disaster. The accident killed 11 workers and has caused massive environmental damage, the full extent of which may not become … Continue reading
