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More Child Abuse at Government Schools
I’ve shared examples of brain-dead behavior by bureaucrats at the Transportation Security Agency. But the folks at the TSA may be paragons of wisdom and judgement compared to administrators at...
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Great Moments in British Government
Technically, my coverage of U.K election week began last Monday with a look at Jeremy Corbyn’s radical statism, and ended yesterday with some analysis of Boris Johnson’s victory. But since I’m still in...
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Government Mandates and Crummy Dishwashers
Four years ago, I wrote about how dishwashers don’t work very well because of foolish red tape from Washington. The clever folks at the Competitive Enterprise Institute put together a video on the...
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From San Francisco, another Great Moment in Local Government
Some people say that California is the worst-governed state (I would probably choose Illinois or New Jersey, but it’s a close race). And if you wanted to pick the worst-governed place in California,...
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The Most (Unintentionally) Accurate Tweet about Washington
Every so often, I’ll notice a tweet that has some remarkable characteristic. Best tweet about capitalism vs socialism. The most depressing tweet. Trump’s worst-ever tweet. The best-ever counter-tweet....
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A Genuine Quality-of-Life Achievement from the Trump Administration
Last year, I shared this video from the Competitive Enterprise Institute to help explain how government bureaucrats are making it harder for Americans to clean their plates, bowls, and silverware....
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Coronavirus and the Failure of Big Government, Part V
I wrote a four-part series last year about coronavirus and big government (here, here, here, and here), so it goes without saying that the first two lines of this tweet deserve some sort of accuracy...
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Statism in Five Images
As a wonk, I prefer serious criticisms of government that focus on excessive spending, punitive tax rates, and pointless red tape. But since I’ve never grown up, I also appreciate humor that mocks...
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Government Intervention and Unintended Consequences
Most people say the key feature of capitalism is competition. Hard to argue with that characterization, but I would go one step further and say that it is one of the consequences of competition –...
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Statism in Five Images
It’s been almost three months since I shared some satiric images about government. So let’s rectify that oversight with five new items. We’ll start with some very wise words from Forest Gump (not the...
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Great Moments in Foreign Government
Time to update our series on “great moments in foreign government.” We’ll start with Jersey. I wrote a few years ago about the (relatively) good tax laws in that British dependent territory off the...
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First-Hand Exposure to TSA Inefficiency and Incompetence
I’ve posted several videos about the Keystone Cops of airport security (see here, here, here, here, and here) and here’s another one to enjoy. Why am I motivated to mock the Transportation Security...
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Least Surprising Headline of All Time
Government spending, almost by definition, is wasteful. But it’s worth distinguishing between two types of waste. Money that is spent properly but inefficiently. Money that is diverted by crooks and...
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Summarizing the Mentality of Government in One Sentence
Back in 2014, I shared a meme with a motto that was perfect for Washington, DC. Today, let’s do something similar. But instead of a motto specifically for America’s unsavory capital, how about one...
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The Volcanic Version of Government-Subsidized Moral Hazard
I’ve written several times about federally subsidized flood insurance, mostly to complain that it is terrible policy. People are encouraged to build homes in low-lying areas, which then leads to...
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Government Inefficiency, Captured in a Headline
Way back in 2009, in the early days of writing this column, I shared an image that aptly summarizes the bad things that happen when politicians interfere with economic liberty. The simple message is...
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The Wrong Way to Legalize Drugs
In discussions about drug legalization, skeptics worry about addiction. I think that’s a legitimate concern, but the focus is too narrow. Yes, legalization may lead a few more people to get hooked on...
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Great Moments in Foreign Government
I have a series of columns analyzing “Great Moments in Foreign Government” to show that other countries have politicians and bureaucrats who are just as foolish as their American counterparts. I guess...
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Great Moments in Foreign Government: Wasted French Wine
When I write about bad French policy, I’m usually referring to fiscal problems such as excessive spending and onerous taxation. Such as a retirement system with full benefits available at an absurdly...
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China’s Bumbling Statists
Since I’ve been warning for more than a decade about weaknesses in China’s economy, I’m not surprised by the surge in stories about that nation’s grim economic outlook. The problem is statism. To be...
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Does Chicago Have America’s Worst Mayor?
Chicago has long been infamous for graft and corruption., but it had a reputation for at least being functional. That’s not the case today. The city already is ranked in the bottom 10 for economic...
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Everything You Need to Know about British Government, in a Single Tweet
Yesterday’s column looked at featherbedding in the Washington bureaucracy. Lots of overpaid middle managers and more boxes on the federal flowchart. Basically, the real-world version of this satirical...
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A Simple Lesson about Gun Control
Because of moral, constitutional, and cost-benefit reasons, I’m not a fan of gun control. So I don’t like proposals to restrict the right to keep and bear arms. That being said, some anti-gun...
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Government’s War on Dishwashers
Bureaucrats must have a knee-jerk desire to make citizens miserable. That’s the most logical explanation for their various initiatives to lower our quality of life. Inferior light bulbs Substandard...
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A Victory Over Big Government
Today I’m going to share some good news. A needless government bureaucracy was officially abolished last year. Sadly, it was not the Department of Education Sadly, it was not the Department of...
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In One Story, Everything You Need to Know About Washington Waste and...
The burden of government is expanding because of Joe Biden’s three most-notable legislative “accomplishments.” The misnamed Inflation Reduction Act. Big subsidies for the high-tech sector. An...
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AML = High Costs and Trivial (if any) Benefits
I’ve repeatedly complained about the absurdity of anti-money laundering laws and regulations. As a libertarian, I don’t like that the government forces banks to spy on customers. As an economist, I...
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Great Moments in Canadian Government
From a big-picture perspective, the Canadian government does the most damage to the nation’s economy with bad tax policy, bad spending policy, bad health policy, bad monetary policy, and other...
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Biden’s Desperate Vote-Buying Proposal for Nationwide Rent Control
I’m not a political pundit, but I’m guessing that yesterday’s despicable assassination attempt on Donald Trump increases the likelihood that he reclaims the White House. That’s probably not good news...
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In a Single Tweet, Everything You Need to Know about the Federal Government
My everything-you-need-to-know columns don’t actually reveal everything you need to know about an issue. But they always capture some essential truth about the inherent inefficiency and/or stupidity...
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