News
WSJ | GOP Deficit Plan Irks Conservatives
Conservatives on Tuesday took aim at House Speaker John Boehner's deficit-reduction proposal in the fiscal cliff talks, a dispute that was aggravated by Mr. Boehner's decision to remove some conservatives from prized committees.
Bloomberg | Obama Lesson on Debt Talks Is Standing Firm on Tax Rates
President Barack Obama is hardening his stance in his first post-election confrontation with Republicans, declaring he will make no deal on the country’s fiscal future unless congressional leaders first accept tax-rate increases on top earners.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | The Budget Baseline Con
If the fiscal cliff talks make Lindsay Lohan look like a productive member of society, perhaps it's because President Obama and John Boehner are playing by the dysfunctional Beltway rules. The rules work if you like bigger government, but Republicans need a new strategy, which starts by exposing the rigged game of "baseline budgeting."
Washington Times | Obama’s fiscal-cliff Christmas
Who is trying to push the United States off the “fiscal cliff”? Many left-wing commentators predictably have placed the blame squarely on the Republicans. Yet a much stronger case can be made that the fault lies with President Obama.
Real Clear Markets | Bad Boy Cities and States Test Fiscal Limits
Illinois' reputation as the incorrigible outlaw of state finance has continued to grow throughout the fall. In mid-October, a fiscal study group co-chaired by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker issued a stinging assessment of the state's finances which argued that Illinois is effectively insolvent.
WSJ | How to Get a Budget Deal Instead of the Cliff
In case you're wondering, a typical U.S. recession pushes the unemployment rate up more than three percentage points. Even small recessions raise it more than two points. If we fall into another recession in early 2013, while we are still digging out from "the big one," the unemployment rate will begin its climb from a base near 8%.
Town Hall | Fiscal Cliff Notes
Amid all the political and media hoopla about the "fiscal cliff" crisis, there are a few facts that are worth noting.
Blogs
CATO | Exposing Washington’s Dishonest Budget Math
In these John Stossel and Judge Napolitano interviews, for instance, I explain that the crooks in DC have created a system that allows them to claim they’re cutting the budget when the burden of government spending actually is rising.
