Daniel J. Mitchell is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, the free-market, Washington D.C. think tank. His articles are cross-posted on his blog, by agreement.
How strong is the Trump economy, and who to credit?
Because he’s all over the map, it’s not easy to assign an overall grade to Trump’s economic policy (especially since it’s an open question whether Trump is trying to liberalize trade or restrict it). if you’re fair, you admit that some of Trump’s policies -- like tax cuts -- are helping the economy and some are hurting the economy -- such as on spending. It's a mixed bag, but we should focus on economic freedom
- 28 August 2018
EU's Juncker celebrates Marxist totalitarianism
The ideology Marx gave rise to killed tens of millions of innocents. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, illustrates his own moral blindness and the bankruptcy of the EU itself as he celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. Thank goodness Britain will soon be rid of this awful institution
- 30 April 2018
Free markets out-perform “State-Led Capitalism”
Many on the Left have been forced to accept that capitalism is the best route to prosperity in general and the alleviation of poverty in particular. But they still don't understand that genuinely free markets and smaller states perform better than big government interventionism on both prosperity and poverty
- 22 April 2018
Elites vs People? Good globalism vs bad globalism
Globalism means different things to different people. Good globalism is about expanding trade and shared experiences. Bad globalism is about increasing the power of corrupt institutions like the UN. We need to be clear that free trade is the way to go, and the big government UN route is a cause of poverty and disenchantment
- 14 March 2018Corbyn's World: The horror of Venezuelan socialism
Jeremy Corbyn's sympathies with dictatorial socialists worldwide are well known. It still makes one step back in horror when one recognises the terrible social oppression that Corbyn's heroes have caused. The shocking reality of socialism in Venezuela offers a sobering illustration
- 15 February 2018
US View: UK has a stronger Brexit hand than it thinks
The EU is terrified that an independent UK will become more market-friendly and thus put competitive pressure on its member states. It is also horrified at losing EU contributions. Theresa May needs to understand she has the upper hand, and stop behaving like a weakling against Eurocrats who genuinely have a lot to fear
- 1 February 2018
Lessons from India's private school revolution
Private schooling in India has achieved astonishing growth. And guess what. When you use market forces rather than rely on the state juggernaut you get better educational results, happier students and parents, and, wait for it, it's less costly. What's not to like?
- 24 January 2018
Mapping the world Donald Trump style
Donald Trump lends himself to satire like no other American president before him. But sometimes never a truer word is spoken than in jest. Do these three humorous maps of Donald Trump's world say something that goes beyond a joke?
- 17 January 2018
The good, the bad, and the ugly in 2018
Proper welfare reform in the US and the collapse of the regime in Venezuala are much to be hoped for in 2018. To be feared are a bad Brexit, due to EU intransigence, a Chinese bubble, and much else. It all depends on whether free markets and common sense win the day
- 2 January 2018
The tragedy of misrule in Zimbabwe
Mugabe's statist misrule has brought tragedy to a country that should be booming. At the very least, Zimbabwe should copy the neighboring nation of Botswana. Ideally, it could go farther and become the Chile or Estonia of Africa
- 24 November 2017
A century of terror: Communism continues to kill
North Korea wins the prize for practicing the purest remaining form of communism. But that’s not a prize worth winning. Unless the goal is horrific poverty and suffering. But the apologists are still with us, and they're not just on the Left
- 20 November 2017
A century of evil: Communism's 100 million dead
The staggering death toll -- perhaps as much as 100 million -- attributable to communist mass murderers continues to be downplayed in the West by shabby Left-wing pseudo-intellectuals with too much influence in our media, politics, and universities. A century after the Russian Revolution we should salute the victims, and name and shame the apologists
- 3 November 2017
The dismal record of George W. Bush
Never get hung up on labels. The economy suffers just as much if a Republican expands the burden of government as it does when the same thing happens under a Democrat. Bush was a Republican but some Democrats performed better. His record is frankly dismal
- 26 October 2017
US economist: Britain's post-Brexit path to prosperity
The EU is terrified that Britain will become a low tax, business friendly haven after Brexit. But that is exactly what Britain can now become, and it will ensure a stellar future outside the confines of the failing Brussels behemoth
- 28 September 2017
Demographic doom and the welfare state
Simply stated, redistribution programs only work if there is a sufficiently large supply of new taxpayers to finance promised handouts. Even Europe's most efficiently run welfare states face the crucial question: Where have all the children gone?
- 26 September 2017
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