Among the foremost threats to individual freedom in America is the abusive and oftentimes lawless behavior…
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More Legal Shenanigans from the Biden Administration’s Department of Education

Among the foremost threats to individual freedom in America is the abusive and oftentimes lawless behavior of federal administrative agencies, whose vast armies of overpaid bureaucrats remain unaccountable for their excesses.

Among the most familiar examples of that bureaucratic abuse is the Department of Education (DOE).  Recall, for instance, the United States Supreme Court’s humiliating rebuke last year of the Biden DOE’s effort to shift hundreds of billions of dollars of student debt from the people who actually owed them onto the backs of American taxpayers.

Even now, despite that rebuke, the Biden DOE launched an alternative scheme last month in an end-around effort to achieve that same result.

Well, the Biden DOE is now attempting to shift tens of millions of dollars of…[more]

March 19, 2024 • 08:35 AM

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Taxes & Economy
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1 Biden's Tax Plan That Puts America Last

I am often asked if President Joe Biden is intentionally trying to dismantle the American economy with his imbecilic energy, climate change, crime, border, inflation and debt policies. But I've always believed these policies are driven by a badly mistaken ideology – not malice. Then I watched Biden's State of the Union speech. When…

2 Biden's Corporate Tax Hike: Populism Versus Economic Literacy

In the latest volley of policy proposals that seem more rooted in populist rhetoric than economic knowledge, President Joe Biden's budget plan to hike the corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28% strikes me as particularly misguided. This move, ostensibly aimed at ensuring a "fair share" of contributions from corporate America, is a glaring…

3 On the Economy: Biden Needs to Go Back and Take Remedial Math

It's a good thing President Joe Biden wasn't strapped to a polygraph while giving his State of the Union speech on Thursday, because his results would have come back about as clean as O.J. Simpson's. That was especially true when he recited a lot of tall tales – and some whoppers – while touting his administration's…

4 “Bidenomics” - U.S. Falls to Record Low in Annual Index of Economic Freedom

The interrelationship between economic freedom and societal prosperity across the expanse of human history remains self-evident to reasonable minds.   It’s nevertheless invaluable to possess a tool to objectively measure economic freedom and quantify its causal relationship with societal prosperity.   That’s precisely…

5 A New Fiscal Commission Must Heed the Lesson of '97

The Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee made news recently by announcing that if his party is serious about changing the fiscal path we are on, they'll have to consider raising taxes. Politics is about compromise, so the chairman is right. Every side must give a little. However, "putting taxes on the table" is not as simple…

6 Nostalgia Versus Numbers: Challenging America's Economic Pessimism

America is celebrated for its economic dynamism and ample and generously paid employment opportunities. It's a nation that attracts immigrants from around the world. Yet Americans are bummed, and have been for a while. They believe that life was better 40 years ago. And maybe it was on some fronts, but not economically. Surveys repeatedly demonstrate…

7 What Biden Bull Market?

President Joe Biden is boasting about the recent stock market rally. He's right that stocks have been on a tear for the last 14 months. The S&P 500 hit 5,000 for the first time in history. That's up from 500 some 30 years ago.  Even with all our problems, the United States is the unrivaled alpha male nation. The dollar is the only currency…

8 Why Keep Worrying About Debt? Speculation Versus Reality

Over the years, I've offered many explanations about why the trajectory of the national debt is deeply troubling. At this point, though, my worry isn't rooted in a dogmatic adherence to the principles of a balanced budget. Nor does it come from my desire for a smaller government. Instead, I'm alarmed by politicians' unwillingness to look at the numbers…

9 Biden Economy Slowing, Not Accelerating

“Most Homes for Sale in 2023 Were Not Affordable for a Typical U.S. Household.”   That was a Christmas Eve headline from none other than National Public Radio (NPR).   As 2023 ended, the Biden Administration’s peculiar effort to gaslight American voters into believing that economic conditions were flourishing…

10 The Tyranny of the Phillips Curve

Repeat after me, class: Growth does NOT cause inflation. Write it on the blackboard 100 times. For decades, the economics profession has been trying to tell us all just the opposite. They keep shoveling out the dumbest economic concept of all time: the Phillips Curve. This was the lame-brained "theory" by neo-Keynesian economists of the…

11 America, France, and the Free Market

It's fashionable to claim that the free-market ideas of Nobel-laureate economist Milton Friedman have failed the country, and that it's time for new policies. Campaigning in 2020, Joe Biden declared that "Milton Friedman isn't running the show anymore." More recently, New York Times columnist David Leonhardt noted that people like Friedman…

12 Dems Have Now Officially Rejected President John F. Kennedy's Legacy

There's a political cartoon going around that shows John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy sitting on a couch watching a speech by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The two hold their palms to their heads and moan that their legacy is being twisted and ruined.  This has the situation completely backward. It isn't RFK Jr. who is rejecting the Kennedy brothers…

13 Will New York Politicians Tax Wall Street Out of Existence?

Let's face it. Anyone who works in, or just visits, the Wall Street area of Manhattan can't deny the aura of power and money isn't what it was 20, 30 or 50 years ago.  The vibrancy, the financial dominance, the gusto seems to have gone missing – so have many of the Gordon Gekko high rollers. Today, Wall Street is less crowded.…

14 Here's One Way to Demand Rational Government

In a world where economic decisions are mostly driven by short-term goals and political pressures, the need for a long-term, evidence-based approach is more pressing than at any time in memory. Enter the Copenhagen Consensus – a beacon of analytical clarity conceived by Danish intellectual Bjorn Lomborg. It aims to reshape global discourse…

15 Bidenomics 2023: Inflation Down, Prices Up

The government announced Tuesday that the Consumer Price Index rose 3.2% in October from the same time last year. That is less than the 3.7% prices rose in September, leading to a lot of commentary about "good news" on inflation. "Today we saw more progress bringing down inflation while maintaining one of the strongest job markets in…

16 Congress Can Redeem Itself by Calling for Help

There's much talk today about the need for a fiscal commission. The House Budget Committee held a hearing about it a few weeks ago. Pundits are Substacking about whether using the approach to put federal finances on a sustainable path is a good or a bad idea. And according to a recent polling, voters support the idea of a commission. Great. But that…

17 Federal Reserve: Bidenomics Disproportionately Hurting Minorities

As Joe Biden’s perplexed supporters struggle to grasp his increasingly grim reelection prospects, they should digest a new Federal Reserve report exposing how Biden’s policies have disproportionately punished a core constituency:  minority voters.   As it is, Biden possesses no margin for electoral error.  In the 2020…

18 It’s Official: Biden Just Doubled the Deficit in 2023

It’s official:  Joe Biden is the new deficit king.   When even CNN and The New York Times lead with headlines of “Federal Deficit Effectively Doubled in 2023,” it’s obvious that Biden’s 2024 reelection prospects just entered more treacherous waters.   Throughout his presidency, Biden has relished…

19 No Populists in Sight in the World of Politics

In the grand ballroom of American politics, Democrats have long waltzed to the melody of progressivism while ridiculing Republicans' preference for outdated tax-cut tunes. Ironically, they don't want to pay for their style of big government with higher taxes on ordinary Americans, which their expansionary ambitions would require. Instead, they loudly…

20 America's Top National Security Threat Is Our Runaway Debt

After spending $6 trillion on social welfare and a Green New Deal spending spree and running our national debt up to $33 trillion, President Joe Biden is asking to whip out the federal credit card yet again for $100 billion more in military assistance for Ukraine and Israel and "humanitarian" aid. Yes, it certainly is a dangerous world,…

21 The Cult of 'Forever Low' Interest Rates Had to End Sometime

Countless financial soothsayers and Wall Street wizards were once members of a curious cult. Their doctrine? The unshakable belief that interest rates had managed to find something resembling the fabled Fountain of Youth, leaving their numbers eternally low and never rising. The "Forever Low" brigade dismissed those of us who argued that…

22 Are Ordinary Americans Buying 'Bidenomics'?

As election season approaches, Democrats are touting the economic results of Biden administration policies aimed at improving the lives of working Americans and creating a more equitable economy. But ordinary Americans aren't feeling the so-called success of "Bidenomics." Superficially, the economy looks solid. As measured by real GDP, it…

23 Maybe a Temporary Government Lockdown Is Necessary. The Alternative May Be Worse.

What's worse? When politicians shut down the government, or when they lock down businesses, stores, schools, churches and restaurants – and nearly all private commerce in America? If you haven't heard, the media and congressional Democrats are near cardiac arrest over the prospect of a government shutdown later this year. They may…

24 China's Economy Is Struggling. Still Want to Emulate it?

China's economy is struggling post-COVID-19. Growth is slower than expected, demographic trends are negative, youth unemployment is high, overbuilding has created a housing crisis and government indebtedness is ballooning. These are only a few of the symptoms ailing the country, and things could get worse. Did any of the Americans who not long ago…

25 Bidenomics: Inflation Hitting Working Classes Hardest

Joe Biden regularly insists that “Bidenomics” means building an economy “from the bottom up and the middle out.”   In a cruel irony, however, it’s actually high inflation and now rising interest rates that are hitting Americans from the bottom up and the middle out.   To understand why, consider the…

26 Politicians Make a Mockery Out of 'Emergency' Spending

Remember how, mere months ago, the debt-ceiling deal struck between Democrats and Republicans to avoid a government shutdown was touted as "an historic first step toward shifting government back toward common sense and conservatism?" The hope was that the spending caps in the deal would actually constrain spending. Well, it took less than…

27 'Bidenomics' Has Been a Disaster

After 40 years of "trickle-down economics," President Joe Biden says, "Bidenomics is just another way of saying restoring the American Dream." It's not often that a politician openly pledges to bring the country back to a time of crippling inflation, high energy prices and stifling interest rates. But this president is doing his…

28 CBO: Biden’s 2023 Deficit Soars 131%

Ten months into the 2023 fiscal year, a new budget deficit report is grim enough to make Joe Biden almost welcome discussion of his role in his son Hunter’s unseemly business activities.   This week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its official monthly budget report, and the deficit has more than doubled…

29 After the U.S. Credit Downgrade, Let's Talk About a Radical Budgetary Change

Fitch Ratings just downgraded the U.S. government's credit rating due in part to Congress's erosion in governance. Indeed, year after year, we see the same political theater unfold: last-minute deals, deficits and, all too often, the passage of gigantic omnibus spending bills without proper scrutiny, along with repeated debt-ceiling fights and threats…

30 Should We Blame the Budget Players or the Game?

It's common knowledge among budget experts that the budget process is "broken." Anyone who regularly reads this column knows about debt limits, government shutdowns, out-of-control spending and borrowing ... the list goes on. Well, part of the problem is that almost 50 years since the last budget process reform, it needs a serious update.…

 
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Notable Quote   
 
"Americans do not trust several major U.S. institutions, including the national news media.The recently released Center Square Voters' Voice poll found that 43% of Americans say the media is trustworthy, compared with 54% who said it is not trustworthy.Younger people were more likely to trust the media, with 47% of those ages 18-34 saying they trust it and 46% saying the opposite.The numbers steadily…[more]
 
 
— Casey Harper, The Center Square
 
Liberty Poll   

Do you believe the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately reject the new Biden administration automobile emissions rule as beyond the scope of administrative agency authority?