Both sides of the aisle in Congress have made much of the potential for preventive medicine. The thinking is that if doctors catch an illness early, it can be treated at less cost. In his speech to Congress on health care, President Obama said that under his plan, “companies will be required to cover, with […]
The Myth of Fed Independence
The decibel levels of the arguments about the independence of the Federal Reserve have been growing in Washington. One camp says the Fed needs to be more accountable, another camp says an independent Fed should oversee the financial system, and yet another small group says the status quo is fine. It is obvious to most […]
Audit the Fed-H.R. 1207
The Fed is tasked with keeping America fully employed as well as keeping inflation low. When employment is sagging, the Fed lowers interest rates. When inflation roars, the Fed raises interest rates. The problem is that the two tasks oppose one another. This is a broken system. For evidence, look at my chart. As oil […]
Obama Adviser Wants to Ban Hunting
Over the weekend, Anthony “Van” Jones stepped down from his position as Special Advisor (a.k.a. czar) for green jobs. But on Thursday, the Senate voted to confirm the appointment of someone equally radical, Harvard Law professor Cass Sunstein. Mr. Sunstein is an opponent of one of America’s finest traditions, hunting. In his essay “The Rights […]
M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System
Speed and flexibility Stryker is a family of armored trooptransport vehicles for the U.S. Army. Strykers provide unprecedented speed and flexibility in getting infantry to the fight, under armor, in urban or open environments. The Mobile Gun System configuration carries a General Dynamics 105mm tank cannon (same gun tube as the one found on the […]
Cut Unconstitutional Spending
This week, billionaire and Barack Obama supporter Warren Buffet came out against the growing budget deficit. Meanwhile, the Obama administration raised its projection of the deficit for the next 10 years to $9 trillion from $7.14 trillion. The Obama administration wants to spend $3.6 trillion in 2010 alone. On August 3, in the Library of […]
Government Spending is Devastating Capitalism
A quick look at my chart of federal spending as a percentage of GDP shows that the free market in the United States is ailing. The percent of our economic activity by government has risen above 24%. The rapid increase shows no signs of ebbing. What does this mean for capitalism? Rather than competing for […]
What Would You Tell Your Governor?
This weekend, as Tift Merrit and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot jammed away at the Newport Folk Festival, I attended the annual meeting of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition (RISC, pronounced risk) about a mile away on Goat Island at the Hyatt Regency hotel. RISC is a grassroots taxpayer advocacy group that aims to improve the quality […]
Waiting for the Dough
On February 17, President Obama signed into law H.R. 1, a bill containing $787 billion tax dollars to be dispersed throughout the country to “stimulate” the economy. Today, $67 billion of the stimulus money has been spent. $24.3 billion went to Health and Human Services to shore up flagging state balance sheets. The Department of […]
The Better Way is the Cheaper Way
Of the 45.7 million people in the country that are supposedly starved of any available health insurance, 17.6 million have a family income of over $50,000 a year, plenty to afford health care if they want it. Of the remaining 28.1 million, 14.1 million are already eligible for Medicaid or SCHIPP, but simply aren’t enrolling. […]
