“Public finance” on The Daily Caller

Is cutting taxes immoral? Some people are arguing that extending tax cuts to the wealthy is just that. Was supporting Obamacare and taxpayer-funded abortion moral then? (more)

Finally, President Obama said something I can agree with: that Americans do have differences of opinion, that not everyone agrees with him and the Democrats, and that compromise is part of our political system. So in the interest of compromise and deficit reduction, I note that conservatives can certainly throw some new tax proposals on the table in order to throw some Americans under the bus who richly deserve it. Normally we cringe when the usual assortment of “progressive” senators bitch and moan about why the “rich” aren’t paying taxes at a higher marginal rate. We instead favor a flatter tax code and don’t wish to punish success. However, we are willing to make an exception. (more)

Last month American reporters expressed concern at a recent study published by the Conference Board which claimed that the US economy would be overtaken by China in two short years.  This alarming news came just weeks after a ranking of the world’s most powerful people put President Barack Obama at number two — beaten into second place by Chinese premier Hu Jintao. (more)

Please take a moment and let this sink in — it doesn’t matter whether or not Bush’s tax cuts expire. Either way, taxpayers will be on the hook for the trillions in obligations that Washington has incurred and continues to add to at an alarming and ever-accelerating rate. (more)

Final reports from government commissions are not generally known to be stirring or often acted upon. Most of the time, that’s OK. Commissions are usually government’s way of pretending to address a problem without really doing so. (more)

There’s one message from the 2010 elections that many so-called policy makers, political elites and analysts did not hear. Namely, the American people are not as uninformed and stupid as they think we are. (more)

Outgoing Florida Republican Sen. George LeMieux plans to make his Senate colleagues put their money where their mouth is on deficit and debt reduction by forcing them to vote on it before the end of the year. (more)

Couched in the vernacular of equity and transparency, the Obama administration has enacted or proposed policies that divert small businesses’ energy and resources from job creation to bureaucratic compliance. The effect of these policies is to hamstring America’s small businesses through onerous reporting requirements, punitive penalties, and higher taxes. Often touted as the anchor of America’s economy, small businesses have generated 65 percent of the net new jobs created over the past seventeen years. (more)

This year our national debt climbed to more than 60 percent of our annual gross domestic product. If our federal government keeps on spending the way it does now, this will climb to 90 percent by the end of the decade and more than 100 percent soon after. (more)

It’s been a week since the great electoral tsunami of 2010, and the exit polling is coming in.  This bi-annual ritual allows us to dig into the real thoughts and feelings of voters.  ATR commissioned a poll by Kellyanne Conway’s The Polling Company, inc./Woman Trend to see what voters thought about a value-added tax (VAT).  The results are a stunning rejection of a VAT for America. (more)

I have four young grandchildren, and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the country I want them to inherit. Each generation must confront unique challenges, and while we don’t know exactly what the future holds, we do have a choice about what type of problems we leave for future generations. (more)

While Americans are unhappy with the level of government spending, a new poll shows that recipients of popular and expensive programs don’t want their benefits cut and highlights the problems that lawmakers are facing in reducing the deficit. (more)

Each Saturday, I co-host a radio show that focuses on the personal finances of American families.  We talk about real estate, how to get loans that best fit an individual’s needs, how to save for college, retirement, and a “rainy day.”  I know from callers that families are eager to better their financial prospects and protect their families’ futures. (more)

New numbers posted today on the Treasury Department website show the National Debt has increased by more than $3 trillion since President Obama took office. (more)

A rift has emerged within the Democratic Party between liberal economists, who generally view the 2009 stimulus package as a success and say that Keynesian economics should remain the heart of the party’s economic policy, and elected officials, who in growing numbers have shunned affiliation with the $787 billion effort and are expressing doubts about the effectiveness of fiscal intervention. (more)

There you are, about to sign the papers, when the car salesman offers to throw in a $1,000 options package.  He knows those options will cost you a further $440 by reducing the performance of your new car’s engine, but he doesn’t tell you that. (more)

Basic government spending rose by 9 percent in fiscal 2010, driving the country to a $1.291 trillion deficit down $125 billion from 2009, but still the second-largest hole on record, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday. (more)

This week, Congress adjourned until after the election, but not without a serious debate about maintaining current tax rates. As you may know, if Congress fails to act, the nation will see a $3.8 trillion tax increase on January 1, 2011. Many in Congress are concerned that the uncertainty about where tax levels will end up is causing businesses to hold off on investment and job growth. (more)

“It’s not me, it’s you.” Those are normally the words that cement the failure of a relationship that has gone awry. Across the country, Democratic candidates are hearing this sentiment, and they can’t understand why. They can’t understand why they have fallen out of favor with the population in general, but more importantly, they haven’t realized that they have lost the allegiance of today’s college students. (more)

The tax-and-spend crowd in Congress is at it again, trying to pass new taxes that would raise energy prices and further deplete already overstretched family budgets. When are they going to understand that seniors, retirees, the unemployed, working class families and the many other Americans who are counting every penny these days simply can no longer afford to pay for their pet projects? (more)