In my latest National Post column I argue for trying the best imaginable government welfare system, the Negative Income Tax, in order to learn the bitter lesson that government welfare doesn't fail when money doesn't reach the intended beneficiaries but when it does reach them.
Just kidding. Yes, the Fraser Institute's annual calculation reveals that June 10 is indeed Tax Freedom Day this year. But we're nearly halfway through this year and this magnificent event is a day later than last year. I'm constantly hearing how some heartless administration has slashed this, gutted that, neoliberalism is rampant, Occupy is protesting, we need a national strategy, it's time to restore our faith in government and so on. Then you turn around and find the blob hasn't gotten any smaller.
Maybe it's time some conservative party in power somewhere actually, you know, made government smaller the way we keep hearing that conservatives do.
Read Andrew Coyne in today's Postmedia papers on the Alberta election, especially the 2nd half where he argues persuasively that across Canada "part of the reason the left is winning is that it is the only side showing up." Sad because true.
My latest for the IRPP asks re the new Liberal tax policy how our expectations for clarity and fairness have sunk so low.
My latest for the National Post holds up a mirror on the mess that is modern government budgeting.
My latest for the IRPP asks how Ontario legislators can pass a vast new social program whose details have apparently yet to be determined.
My latest IRPP blog post on how problems in public policy can't get solved if the people in charge don't know there's a problem.
My latest National Post column asks what professors would think of the university system if they were looking at it from outside.