The United Stated Declaration of Independence states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I have been talking lately with a lot of Americans who don’t believe …
Unjust Laws
In 1748, Montesquieu noted “Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.” In 1957, Ayn Rand wrote “There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it …
Government Paper Pushers Are Paid More than You
Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute devoted the time and and effort to analyze salary and benefits information published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is the kind of reporting we don’t get from the mass media, because it requires critical thinking. Chris’s results are depressing, if not surprising: “In 2008, federal worker compensation …
Employee Free Choice Act
The “Employee Free Choice Act” is another weasel-worded bit of newspeak from the Obama administration and their sycophants in the U.S. Congress. As per usual, the act contains a lot of provisions written in language that seems specifically designed to obfuscate it’s true meaning. But one thing about this bill is clear — it is …
Effective Federal Tax Rates
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has published an interesting document titled Historical Effective Federal Tax Rates: 1979 to 2005. This is a fascinating document, because it breaks down taxes by who pays them. It shows us, for example, that the lowest earning quintile (20%) of taxpayers pay only .8% of all Federal taxes. On the …
Doing Business Internationally
The WorldBank’s Doing Business Rankings are a useful tool for the citizens of 183 nations to judge the efficiency and effectiveness of their governments. Looking at the list, the most striking thing is how clear it is that the nations with governments which do not interfere with business enjoy the most economic success. Singapore, New …