TAX POLITIX
The Politics of Taxes
Low Interest Rates, High Stock Market
Did you even notice that whenever the economy issues bad results (a weak jobs report, etc.), the stock market goes UP? Logic would seemingly have it be the opposite. If the economy was weak, one would assume the stock market would respond negatively. But that's not really the case. For years, I couldn't understand it -- how stupid could the market be? Why would the market do well? And why is it so important for interest rates to stay low? I think I have figured it out. Low rates are not good...
Deplorable Pneumonia?
We've all seen the video which raises new questions about the health status of Hillary Clinton. I've largely left these questions alone because I try to avoid reckless speculation. However, the video does raise some new questions: The Hillary press team was largely silent for 90 minutes after the video. Later, it emerged that Hillary was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday. "But just after 5 p.m., a campaign official said Mrs. Clinton’s physician, Dr. Lisa R. Bardack, had examined the candidate...
We Remember
Government Employees Outnumber Manufacturing Employees
Data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that government employees in the United States outnumber manufacturing employees by 9,932,000, according to data released today. CNS news has the highlights: Federal, state and local government employed 22,213,000 people in August, while the manufacturing sector employed 12,281,000. The BLS has published seasonally-adjusted month-by-month employment data for both government and manufacturing going back to 1939. For half a century—from...
Voting Rights and Responsibilities
What happens when the government uses its power to give money from one group of people to another group of people? It’s happening. It’s not supposed to happen. See, in our Constitution, the government has the right do things -- limited things -- in order to safeguard the rights of the people. Our Constitution relates to individual rights; it’s not a document on democracy. Unfortunately, these lines are becoming more blurred all the time. Maybe democracy as a system of government by itself...
Weak Business Investment a Result of Unrelenting, Anti-Business Policies
Earlier in the month, Steven Russolillo correctly reported on weak business investment as a key reason for poor economic growth. However, it was incredibly frustrating that as an economic writer, Russolillo, could actually suggest this was a surprising phenomenon. It’s not surprising. In fact, it’s downright predictable. The Obama Administration has been steadily undermining businesses for years and this is the fallout of their policies. Even though Russolillo should have known this, he could...
Musings For And Against Trump
My good friend Don Boudreaux recently wondered aloud about the possibility of a Trump presidency, where he writes, "I can understand and appreciate why some people believe that Donald Trump would be a less-dangerous president than would Hillary Clinton. (Although I no longer hold that view, I once did. And I concede that my current reckoning of the relative risks might be mistaken.) But I cannot understand why any sensible person believes that a Pres. Trump would serve any good purpose (beyond...
Randy Holcombe on Black Lives Matter
Randy Holcombe wrote an eloquent essay last month on the subject of "Black Lives Matter." It's a worthwhile piece to reproduce in its entirety. "My initial reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement, like many old white guys, was that All Lives Matter. But recent events have changed my thinking on this. My old thinking: Racial discrimination is a reality, but race is just one of many personal characteristics on which people discriminate. Good-looking people tend to be favored over ugly...
A Nickel For Your Competitor
Massachusetts launched a new (modest) fee within the transportation industry with the stated attempt at modernization. But this isn't that at all. It is a nickel taken for every transaction from one group of companies, and the proceeds will benefit another group of companies -- their own competitors. This new fee is imposed on "transportation network companies, or TNCs, such as Uber, Lyft, and Fasten. When Governor Charlie Baker signed a law earlier this month regulating TNCs, it included a...
WSJ: Dems Excuse Obamacare Again, Blame Aetna
This is an excellent editorial piece from the Wall Street Journal discussing the surprise announcement that Aetna, one of the leading insurers in this country, was withdrawing from the vast majority of Obamacare exchanges. But instead of sitting up and seriously considering this massive defection as a wake-up call (unlike all the previous failures), the Democrats want to blame Aetna itself in order to safeguard the narrative that Obamacare is working perfectly well. I have reproduced the piece...
TAX
Tips
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.