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The Manhattan Institute’s Heather Mac Donald exposes a journalist’s questionable premises [3].
The Fraser Institute’s Mark Milke shares sensible thoughts on the unsustainability of the welfare state [4]; here are some key ‘grafs:
For the record, the fault for the ramped-up public debt cannot be placed on “too low” taxes. A variety of countries with widely differing tax levels all continued to borrow massively over that period.
For example, since 1995, and as a percentage of its economy, Greece’s total tax take has been about one-eighth to one-fifth higher than the United States (depending on the year). But high-tax Greece put itself into more debt as did the (relatively) low-tax U.S. Or consider the UK; its tax rates rose steadily since 1995 but so too its red ink problem.
In other words, the assumption that higher tax revenues will save a country from its spending and borrowing addiction is mistaken. That’s not any more likely than a modest raise for a consumer maxed out on her credit cards whose real problem is overspending.
Jonah Goldberg sensibly warns against the Cult of Expertise [7].
Here’s the Washington Examiner‘s David Freddoso on the lunacy of government-promoted “green jobs [8].” (HT Adam Bitely)
Richard Rahn riffs on Vito Tanzi’s new book [9] – a book [10] that I knew nothing of until now, but have just put on my reading list.
Finally, speaking of books that I want to read, Nick Schulz reviews [11], in today’s Wall Street Journal, Sonia Arrison’s 100+ [12].