“The president proposes, the Congress disposes” is the way the Founders set up our government. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: legislation is proposed (by the president or a member of Congress) through an “authorization” bill that “can establish, continue,…
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…
SACRAMENTO — Since COVID-19 emerged as a public-health threat in 2019, the federal and state governments have embraced a wide range of policies that were designed to “protect” us but instead have unleashed a fury of unintended — but easily…
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…
Fitch Ratings just downgraded the U.S. government’s credit rating, due in part to Congress’ 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…
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,…
Politics is sometimes little more than marketing. As evidence, behold the sudden use of the term “Bidenomics” by Democrats to describe administration policies of the past few years. Indeed, what’s being branded as “new” is nothing but the same old…
Junkies jonesing for a fix say anything to satisfy their addiction. Big-government addict Janet Yellen, who unfortunately also serves as secretary of the treasury (dangerous combination, that), wants more of her drug of choice, which, in her case, means money…
Congress’s lame-duck session is an ideal time for both parties to pass last-minute legislation while voters are busy Christmas shopping and before members who lost their reelection bids surrender their seats in January. Especially this year, real danger lurks in…
SACRAMENTO — California’s state budget has been awash in cash, as lawmakers this year enjoyed a $97.5 billion budget surplus — an excess amount that’s larger than the entire general-fund budgets of all but two states (New York and Texas). As…