Government Spending

Commentary

Bending the Cost-Curve and the Truth

In July, the Washington Post wrote, “From the start, President Obama has been firm. . . . He told us flatly that he won’t accept a bill that doesn’t ‘bend the curve’ on rising health-care costs.” Furthermore, “Any reform, he has said, must be ‘deficit-neutral.’” Just over three months later, ...
Agriculture

Pork, water policy don’t mix

SACRAMENTO – Advocates for government “solutions” for everything from health care to education argue that some aspects of life are just so darn complicated that only a centralized authority with taxing and spending power can handle such matters. Yet whenever we look at those areas of life dominated by the ...
Commentary

No Free Lunch: The True Cost of ObamaCare

Far from providing “affordable” care for everyone, as President Obama has promised,1 the main health care proposals working their way through Congress would in fact come at a painful price – higher insurance premiums, more and higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower wages, a reduced standard of living and an erosion ...
Commentary

The Weak Spots in the Baucus Bill

The Baucus bill is vulnerable in several immediately apparent ways: It would reduce Americans’ liberty by requiring them to buy health insurance and fining them if they don’t. It would ruin private insurance by requiring insurers to cover all comers at the same premium. In doing so, it would thereby ...
Commentary

Doctors Seven Times More Satisfied with Payments from Private Insurance as Medicare

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation, the survey’s results were promoted with a different headline than you see above. “Poll finds most doctors support public option,” said National Public Radio (NPR); “73% of doctors favor public option,” said Salon’s Steve Klingman. These headlines were encouraged by the RWJ ...
Commentary

Jesse Jackson on Health Reform!

According to Mr. Jackson, Medicare, the U.S. government’s single-payer system for seniors is the most popular health plan in the U.S. Well, if I was able to get taxpayers to pay 53% of my medical claims, I suppose I’d be satisfied too. Even so, 90% of Medicare beneficiaries have some ...
Commentary

Cochrane Threatens Austrians More Than Krugman Ever Did

This is a very short-sighted view. Just because someone gets in a fight with someone who we can’t stand–and I’ve criticized Krugman enough to have credibility on that score–doesn’t mean we should endorse any old arguments. There was quite a bit in Cochrane’s response that should alarm an Austrian economist, ...
Business & Economics

Even When Krugman’s Right, He’s Wrong

In other words, Krugman’s enemies–Eugene Fama and John Cochrane–use invalid arguments but reach a true conclusion, namely that big government deficits don’t help an economy in recession. So here’s Krugman’s opening paragraph: Brad DeLong is upset about the stuff coming out of Chicago these days — and understandably so. First ...
Business & Economics

The Reagan Revolution and Its Discontents

His presidency was better than expected, but worse than desired. Some years ago I had occasion to hear Sir Martin Gilbert, then in the midst of producing the official biography of Winston Churchill, discuss how he became interested in writing history. His answer was simple — curiosity. As a small ...
Agriculture

California as a Warning for America

Your current President is following the exact same path that has been followed by the State of California! If you don’t know, California is the 7th largest economy on the planet…and notice where they have landed…virtual bankruptcy. It is a long and educational read…but give it a try. Pretend you ...
Commentary

Bending the Cost-Curve and the Truth

In July, the Washington Post wrote, “From the start, President Obama has been firm. . . . He told us flatly that he won’t accept a bill that doesn’t ‘bend the curve’ on rising health-care costs.” Furthermore, “Any reform, he has said, must be ‘deficit-neutral.’” Just over three months later, ...
Agriculture

Pork, water policy don’t mix

SACRAMENTO – Advocates for government “solutions” for everything from health care to education argue that some aspects of life are just so darn complicated that only a centralized authority with taxing and spending power can handle such matters. Yet whenever we look at those areas of life dominated by the ...
Commentary

No Free Lunch: The True Cost of ObamaCare

Far from providing “affordable” care for everyone, as President Obama has promised,1 the main health care proposals working their way through Congress would in fact come at a painful price – higher insurance premiums, more and higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower wages, a reduced standard of living and an erosion ...
Commentary

The Weak Spots in the Baucus Bill

The Baucus bill is vulnerable in several immediately apparent ways: It would reduce Americans’ liberty by requiring them to buy health insurance and fining them if they don’t. It would ruin private insurance by requiring insurers to cover all comers at the same premium. In doing so, it would thereby ...
Commentary

Doctors Seven Times More Satisfied with Payments from Private Insurance as Medicare

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation, the survey’s results were promoted with a different headline than you see above. “Poll finds most doctors support public option,” said National Public Radio (NPR); “73% of doctors favor public option,” said Salon’s Steve Klingman. These headlines were encouraged by the RWJ ...
Commentary

Jesse Jackson on Health Reform!

According to Mr. Jackson, Medicare, the U.S. government’s single-payer system for seniors is the most popular health plan in the U.S. Well, if I was able to get taxpayers to pay 53% of my medical claims, I suppose I’d be satisfied too. Even so, 90% of Medicare beneficiaries have some ...
Commentary

Cochrane Threatens Austrians More Than Krugman Ever Did

This is a very short-sighted view. Just because someone gets in a fight with someone who we can’t stand–and I’ve criticized Krugman enough to have credibility on that score–doesn’t mean we should endorse any old arguments. There was quite a bit in Cochrane’s response that should alarm an Austrian economist, ...
Business & Economics

Even When Krugman’s Right, He’s Wrong

In other words, Krugman’s enemies–Eugene Fama and John Cochrane–use invalid arguments but reach a true conclusion, namely that big government deficits don’t help an economy in recession. So here’s Krugman’s opening paragraph: Brad DeLong is upset about the stuff coming out of Chicago these days — and understandably so. First ...
Business & Economics

The Reagan Revolution and Its Discontents

His presidency was better than expected, but worse than desired. Some years ago I had occasion to hear Sir Martin Gilbert, then in the midst of producing the official biography of Winston Churchill, discuss how he became interested in writing history. His answer was simple — curiosity. As a small ...
Agriculture

California as a Warning for America

Your current President is following the exact same path that has been followed by the State of California! If you don’t know, California is the 7th largest economy on the planet…and notice where they have landed…virtual bankruptcy. It is a long and educational read…but give it a try. Pretend you ...
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