Will Jim DeMint Filibuster Us into Default?
Wind your way past the debate on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, paid protesters carrying “Protect our Social Security and Medicare” placards, and sound bites from almost all talking heads. When you do, you will discover that some serious folks in Congress refuse to give up …Today, Read David Brooks
Read David Brooks today. Then forward the column to 10 friends. That is all.Will the "No New Taxes" Pledge Cause Financial Disaster?
The Cato Institute held a debate at the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss whether the Republican Party’s “No New Taxes” pledge is an effective tool for Conservatives’ ultimate goals of shrinking the federal government and restoring fiscal responsibility to Washington. Arguing that …Raising the Debt Ceiling is Inevitable
The debt ceiling will be raised, but will get higher by a horrendous amount. It fair to say that most people do not understand the intricacies and machinations of the “debt ceiling” debate underway in the U.S., involving the President, Congress, Republicans Democrats, with the rest of the …Kasich Cuts Costs With Prison Reforms
Gov. Tom Kasich’s prison reforms are a good example of how to be pragmatic in governance. The world is currently gripped in a push towards austerity. From the debt-ceiling debate, to the Eurozone crisis, to state shutdowns, it seems almost every governing body is forcing itself to make cuts. …
Newt Stays Sane on the Balanced Budget Amendment
Newt Gingrich's campaign may be struggling, but he is staking a surprisingly smart position on the Balanced Budget Amendment. As the debt ceiling talks drag on, many Republicans are suggesting a new condition for raising the amount that the federal government can borrow: the passage of a …
Why is There Opposition to Better Lightbulbs?
The fact that congress is promoting lightbulbs that consume less electricity is a cause for cheer. You don't buy electricity for the sake of having electricity. You buy it for the services that electricity provides – hot showers, cold drinks, bright lights, and a home that shelters you from the …
New Tool Makes the Cost of Tax Expenditures Clear
Information about how much revenue is lost through tax expenditures used to be hard to access, until recently. Many people believe that the deficit is large because of spending on expensive programs. This is why conservatives try to push for cuts in programs ranging from Medicare to the NPR, and …
Will Debt Crisis Wedge GOP Away From its Business Base?
Is Obama intentionally trying to make the Republicans appear maximally reckless and irresponsible? Isn't it conceivable that Obama's real end-game in these budget talks is to destroy Republican presidential fundraising for 2012 by goading congressional Republicans in 2011 into appearing maximally …GOP Stands by Brazilian Cotton Subsidies
As the Republicans in Congress continue to push President Obama to approve deep budget cuts as a condition for raising the debt ceiling, most of them refuse to repeal a program that seems like a clear case of wasteful spending. As the Republicans in Congress continue to push President Obama to …Will Contractors Sue After Default Day?
If contractors don't get paid after the debt ceiling is not raised, will they sue the federal government? What happens on the day after Aug 2 if the debt ceiling is not raised? Frum Forum this week contacted a number of government vendors and contractors who unanimously stated: they had no …Signs of Good News in the Recovery
The economy is currently very weak, but as I write in my column for The Week, there are some signs of good news. The economy is currently very weak, but as I write in my column for The Week , there are some signs of good news. It's been a summer of bad news: Bad job news, bad housing news, …