Topic: Fiscal Policy

Fiscal Policy, International, Unemployment

Did Government Red Ink Make the US More Dynamic than Europe?

– April 1, 2024

“The new ‘reshuffling’ thesis of American recovery doesn’t make much sense on the evidence. It serves a convenient political purpose, helping to justify massive federal stimulus.” ~Jason Sorens

Fiscal Policy, Free Trade, Technology

Industrial Policy’s Short-Run Booms Risk Long-Term Failures

– March 28, 2024

“Small firms like GF will enjoy morsels, but legacy firms like Intel — who are already more immune to market shocks and decline — make subsidies into a buffet.” ~Ryan M. Yonk and Jacob Bruggeman

Fiscal Policy, Free Trade, Regulation

Red Alert: Biden’s Biggest Chips Act Expense Yet

– March 28, 2024

“When politicians resort to deficit spending to bankroll industrial ventures, they put upward pressure on interest rates by issuing more debt and competing with scarce private funds.” ~Vance Ginn

Crisis, Fiscal Policy, Taxation

Fiscal Federalism Turned Upside-Down

– March 25, 2024

“Federal spending spikes immediately after a recession or emergency, then lowers when the crisis subsides, but never down to pre-crisis levels.” ~Peter C. Earle and Thomas Savidge

Books, Economic Theory, Fiscal Policy

Congress Could Unload the Fed’s Weapon

– March 21, 2024

“If Congress could balance its budget, which hasn’t happened since 2001, it would remove a bullet the Fed could shoot at the economy.” ~Vance Ginn

Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy, Taxation

Young People Aren’t Nearly Angry Enough About Government Debt

– March 19, 2024

“We each owe more than $100,000 as a share of the national debt… Our earning years are subsidizing not our own economic coming-of-age, but retirement and medical benefits for people who navigated a less-challenging wealth-building landscape.” ~Laura Williams

Economic Growth, Fiscal Policy, Taxation

Unrealized Gains Tax is an Economic Fallacy

– March 15, 2024

“Taxing unrealized capital gains from property, stocks, and other assets is a bad idea. It undermines economic growth, stifles innovation, and infringes on personal liberty.” ~Vance Ginn

Fiscal Policy, Leadership, Philosophy

Heaps of Trouble

– March 14, 2024

“The reason sorites logic is so difficult to diffuse is that there is no obvious line or threshold to be established somewhere between the incremental steps that begin with a budget surplus and end with a budget consumed by interest payments.” ~Jimmy Alfonso Licon

Central Banking, Fiscal Policy, Inflation, Monetary Policy, Sound Money Project

Congress Overspends, but the Fed Inflates

– February 28, 2024

“At most, large deficits impelled the Fed to support the market for government debt by purchasing more debt than it should have. The central bank, not the fiscal authorities, is the residual determiner of aggregate demand.” ~Alexander W. Salter

Environmentalism, Fiscal Policy, Regulation

The Carbon Offset Dilemma

– February 27, 2024

“One really has to question the motives of climate activists who oppose the expansion of natural gas and nuclear power. Do they want to see realistic and sustainable environmental improvement or are they after some other kind of payout?” ~Paul Mueller

Economic Growth, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Aid, War and Peace

Realism, Restraint, and Prudence Needed in American Foreign Policy

– February 23, 2024

“The status quo American foreign policy — based on a desire for American global primacy — does not adequately promote American interests or prosperity, and in fact harms both.” ~Andrew Byers

Economic Growth, Fiscal Policy, Property Rights

Unleashing the Power of Free Markets

– February 23, 2024

“The granting of monopolies was being abused by the crown, and parliament determined to do something about it. Over time, it became obvious that granting monopolies had an adverse impact on the English economy.” ~Will Sellers