Is Tim Geithner Secretary of the Treasury or the Environmental Protection Agency? His testimony in the past two days before Congress would seem to leave the question in some doubt. For instance, yesterday : ... the Treasury secretary acknowledged that consumers could face higher electric bills becau...

It’s Fix the Tax Code Friday! This week, the focus has been on California and the possibility that they could legalize marijuana, primarily so that it could be taxed. Of course, this made me think about the tax consequences of taxing other illegal activities such as prostitution. While it is t...

at Doublethink: In recent years, American conservatism has morphed from a smoke-filled room of martini-swilling adults into nothing short of a nursery. The Right, once known for its emphasis on individual accomplishment and personal responsibility, once a haven for those keen on adults making their ...

Scranton is great, but New York is like Scranton on acid. No, on speed. Nah. On steroids. - Michael Scott, The Office The sleepy little town in the hills of Pennsylvania just got a hefty dose of publicity - the unwelcome kind. Known primarily as the fictional home Dunder Mifflin, the floundering pap...

[edited 1/30/09 to correct payroll tax description] The right-leaning think tanks and commentators have long claimed that the long-term solution that will guarantee a viable U.S. economy involves two things--tax cuts and entitlement cuts.    Look at the Cato Insti...

Suppose you believe that Canada (or the US, or wherever), needs a more expansionary fiscal policy now. If so, answer these questions: 1. Would you also recommend a more expansionary fiscal policy at some future time, if Canada ever found itself in the same situation as it is now? 2. If so, why would...

One of the things that concerns me about the new administration is the danger that the powers that be (received wisdom, the way we've always done things, money talking) will ultimately mean that the administration elected on a promise of change will continue down the same route as always. ...

Written by James Crumley If conservative leaders want to know what is wrong with the limited government movement in America, they should talk to my cousin Mary. Mary is mad. Really mad. Jumping up and down, yelling, red in the face angry. She’s mad about spending. She’s mad about the bai...

With the government now debating the release of the second half of the TARP funds, perhaps now is as good a time as any to look at how successfully spent the first $350 Billion dollars were. The evidence is not very favorable. What I can say without reservation is that the TARP spending prevented la...

The Treasury Department TARP/Bailout plan has been an utter disaster. It has been mishandled from day one — poorly planned, poorly executed. Both Hank Paulson and Congress for passing such a shoddy piece of legislation should be ashamed of themselves for their horrific judgment and egregious f...