Whitewater, Wisconsin is divided between two congressional districts, one of which is served by Rep. Paul Ryan. The online Washington Examiner has a brief opinion piece called, “Paul Ryan’s Free-Market Populism.” The article mentions an essay that Ryan recently wrote for Forbes in which he decried the tendency of large corporations to seek government handouts…
Economy
Economy
Wisconsin: An Over-Taxed State
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin’s a smaller state, but she ranks in the top ten in property taxes, along with states with troubled economies like Illinois and California. The Wisconsin State Journal, in a story posted this afternoon, entitled, “Wisconsin ninth in median property taxes,” notes that “Wisconsin’s median real estate tax paid for 2008 was $2,963…” compared “…to…
Economy
The Overwhelming Case for Free Trade
by JOHN ADAMS •
In the post immediately before this one, I posted an editorial cartoon from Lisa Benson criticizing the federal administration’s decision to impose a tariff on Chinese tires. It’s a foolish decision — the tires are made more inexpensively than alternatives, and save consumers money. The case for free trade — free and unrestricted markets across…
Economy, Free Markets, Libertarians, Planning
Reason.tv: Government Providing ‘Country Roads to Serfdom’
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s video Thursday at FREE WHITEWATER, and here’s a video from Reason.tv’s Rough Cut blog, about the failure of government spending to improve conditions for West Virginia. Here’s a description accompanying the video: For decades, West Virginia has looked to the government to solve their economic problems, only to find themselves falling further behind. Today,…
Economy, Free Markets, Libertarians
From Reason.tv: Bjorn Lomborg — What’s the Best Way to Live with Global Warming?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Reason.tv, there’s an interview with Bjorn Lomborg, asking, What’s the Best Way to Live with Global Warming? Here’s a description of the interview: What’s the best way for humanity to reduce suffering from man-made global warming? No individual has been a stronger voice for rational cost-benefit analysis on this issue than Bjorn Lomborg,…
Economy, Free Markets, Uncategorized
Machan: The Problems Are Not Due to Capitalism
by JOHN ADAMS •
Professor of economics Tibor Machan writes that opponents of free markets are wrong to blame capitalism for the current recession. That blame-casting is proving short-lived: more Americans each day are rejecting government intervention in the economy, and embracing free markets in labor and capital as a foundation of a dynamic, prosperous, and tolerant society. Machan’s…
City, Economy
Grim Forecast (with Local Implications) from the Congressional Budget Office
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Congressional Budget Office yesterday issued its latest economic outline, as of August 2009, as a pdf document. The CBO forecasts have been respected, traditionally, as accurate, non-partisan forecasts. They estimate both annual federal deficits, overall public debt, and unemployment to continue to rise in the near term, with annual federal deficits (and thus overall…
Economy, Free Markets, Libertarians
“Eight Reasons Why Big Government Hurts Economic Growth”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Reason’s group video blog offers the first of two videos on economic and fiscal policy. Here’s the description accompanying the video: This Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation video analyzes how excessive government spending undermines economic performance. While acknowledging that a very modest level of government spending on things such as “public goods” can facilitate…
Economy, Free Markets
Jason DeSena Trennert: Remembering the Reagan Bull Market of August 1982 – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
How to assure prosperity for years to come? The way Reagan did in beginning in 1982: “The simple – yet difficult to achieve – strategy of getting government out of the way and turning the economy over to free enterprise set the stage for a period of tremendous economic growth and wealth creation.” See, Remembering…
Economy, Libertarians
TV from Reason.tv: California After Arnold
by JOHN ADAMS •
NBC used to bill its Thursday evening lineup, and other parts of its schedule, as “Must See TV.” In a time when broadcast television mattered far more than now, it was a successful branding effort. Here’s a recent video from a different source, libertarian Reason.tv — After Arnold: California Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Campbell on Fixing…
Economy, Uncategorized
NYT: France’s Stimulus Projects, Unlike in U.S., Were ‘Shovel Ready’
by JOHN ADAMS •
I have no confidence that France’s version of the stimulus will produce productive, long-term gains for France. America’s won’t do the same for America, either. At least France’s spending will actually take place timely to the supposed goal of simulating the economy now. Even a year from now, much of America’s spending may not be,…
City, Economy
Wisconsin State Journal: Municipalities Look to Furloughs to Fill Budget Gaps
by JOHN ADAMS •
The State Journal has a story on how cities in Dane County and beyond are considering furloughing workers to make up shortfalls, likely to be far worse come budget planning in the fall. Whitewater’s not mentioned, but is there’s little doubt that our local administration’s strategy of public spending, local government aegis, and marketing will…
Economy
Area’s unemployment rate tops state, keeps climbing — GazetteXtra
by JOHN ADAMS •
If anyone were so foolish that he or she doubted the seriousness of our economic condition, then grim statistics will sweep away all uncertainty. Nearby Janesville now has an unemployment rate of 13 percent, the highest in all Wisconsin. The story’s at the Gazette: http://gazettextra.com/news/2009/mar/26/areas-unemployment-rate-tops-state-keeps-climbing/
Economy
Keynesians — Still as Wrong as Ever!
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Cato’s website, there’s a post from Daniel J. Mitchell on how, despite the rush to spend and tax our way to prosperity, it’s clear Keynesian economics is, still, bad economics. Who, by the way, said we’re all Keynesians now? That’s right, the man who was wrong about almost everything — Richard Nixon. Goldwater…