The Income Tax Turns 100 Years Old
The federal income tax is now a centenarian. On February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment to the Constitution was ratified. The revenue the income tax… Read More
Labor Department Incorrectly Calculates Davis–Bacon Wage Requirements
Should government agencies use the best information possible? For more than 80 years, the Labor Department has answered that question in the negative. The Davis–Bacon… Read More
Politicians Should Listen to Economists on Free Trade
On February 8, the government will release data for 2012 imports and exports. This annual release often ignites a debate about trade policy. But among… Read More
Mongolia: Advancing the Rule of Law Key to Economic Success
Mongolia continues to make strides toward economic freedom. The Economist recently predicted that Mongolia would have the second-fastest-growing economy in the world in 2013. Mongolia… Read More
Morning Bell: A Blow to Obama’s Imperial Presidency
President Obama has gone around Congress in as many ways as he can find. One way is by abusing the presidential power to make appointments… Read More
Time for More Accountability for Unions—and the Department of Labor
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigned on January 22. It would be beneficial if President Obama’s next Labor Secretary would do more to protect workers from… Read More
Don’t Gut Our Military: $150 Billion in Commonsense Proposals to Prevent Sequestration
Unless Congress acts, March 1 will trigger a $55 billion-per-year ($43 billion in 2013, as the fiscal cliff deal delayed the cuts for two months)… Read More
Chart of the Week: Union Membership Continues to Decline
Union membership fell by 400,000 to the lowest level since the 1930s, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced this past week. As a percentage of… Read More
Scholars Agree: High Tax Rates Do Harm Growth
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) stirred controversy last year when it released a study claiming that tax rates do not influence economic growth. Predictably, those… Read More
Tales of the Red Tape #38: OSHA Advances Worker Risk—and Not Much Else
If the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulated its own doings in the manner it does private business, the agency’s doors would surely be… Read More
Foreign Aid: There Are Many Ways Conservatives Can—and Should—Help the Poor
Daniel Hannan, a member of the European Parliament and one of Great Britain’s rising conservative political stars, reminds us that the fundamental error of the… Read More
EconomyNews
The Curious World of Jack Lew, Treasury Secretary Designate
President Obama has nominated White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew to succeed Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary. Lew could be in for some tough… Read More
Obama Picks a Prosecutor: Mary Jo White Appointed to Head SEC
President Obama, moving quickly to complete the lineup for his second-term regulatory team, nominated attorney Mary Jo White yesterday to chair the Securities and Exchange… Read More
Heritage in Focus: What IS the Debt Ceiling?
Research Coordinator Romina Boccia discusses the phrase “debt ceiling,” which the mainstream media have been focusing on for weeks, and how policymakers can improve our… Read More
Conversations with Conservatives: Congressmen Weigh in on Debt Ceiling Deal (VIDEO)
In advance of Wednesday’s vote on suspending the debt ceiling, six Republican congressmen joined The Heritage Foundation’s Bloggers Briefing to discuss conservative viewpoints on the… Read More
Phil Mickelson and His Tax Bogey
Professional golfer Phil Mickelson, one of California’s many but dwindling wealthy, apparently carded a bogey when he intimated over the weekend that the near 60… Read More
CFPB Servicing Rules Are Excessive and Unauthorized
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has imposed yet more regulation on the mortgage market, as required by the Dodd–Frank statute. The latest set of… Read More
Chile’s Strong Economy: A Case of Positive Policy and Freedom
Chile continues to lead Latin America in 2013 in both economic growth and economic freedom. These positive outcomes reflect well on the solid policy choices… Read More
Morning Bell: It’s Time to Balance the Budget
Today, the House will vote on a proposal that would suspend the debt ceiling until May 19, buying a bit more time for the overarching… Read More
Debt Limit: Talk of Tax Increases Distracts from Spending Problem
In response to President Obama’s press conference last week, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D–MD) claimed, “Clearly we need additional [spending] cuts. But…revenues have not… Read More
Chart of the Week: Each American’s Share of Debt Is Skyrocketing
As the nation pushes into another debt ceiling debate, an AP-GfK poll released last week found that 39 percent of Americans think any debt ceiling… Read More
Will Debt Ceiling Baby Step Lead Toward a Balanced Budget?
The debt ceiling is bearing down on Washington. As with most such momentous occasions, plenty of partisan potshots have been exchanged, like this whopper from… Read More
The United States of Argentina?
Is President Obama channeling Juan Perón? The President does seem to have a few things in common with the political descendants of the late Argentine… Read More
Financial Freedom: The Solution to Ailing India Economy
India’s consumers might have been jealous of King Midas’s touch. The country’s historical affinity for gold has reached new extremes thanks to a weak economy,… Read More
Effective Marginal Tax Rates: A Growing Discussion
Did you notice how your paycheck shrank in January? The expiration of temporary payroll tax cuts boosted marginal tax rates about two percentage points for… Read More
VIDEO: Dick DeVos on Unions and Michigan’s New Right-to-Work Law
Late last year, while conservatives were still coming to terms with the re-election of President Obama, something remarkable happened in Michigan. A state that is… Read More
Morning Bell: Don’t Raise Debt Ceiling Without Balancing the Budget
All across America, families are balancing their budgets and even paying off debt. Since the financial panic of 2008, personal debt has fallen as Americans… Read More
Sandy Relief: Final Vote on Pork Package Set to Go
Despite all the handwringing, it appears that President Barack Obama will get what he wanted in his excessive $60.4 billion request related to Hurricane Sandy…. Read More
EconomyNews
Global GDP: U.S. Adds, China Subtracts
China’s 2012 official economic numbers are due out at the end of this week and I, among others, will gently suggest that they aren’t particularly… Read More
Morning Bell: “Default” Is a Red Herring in Debt Ceiling Debate
Yesterday, President Obama accused his opposition in Congress of threatening to “default” on America’s loans in order to make a political point. I am not… Read More
