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    McCain Throws Down the VAT Gauntlet

    The capstone of President Obama’s the “Glut the Beast” strategy is to maneuver the country into accepting a massive new Value-Added Tax (VAT).  This as yet unannounced policy has been lurking in dark policy corners for months, with no word from the President.  Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has decided not … More

    High-Tax, High-Spend Model Still Does Not Work

    State government finances are in a bad way, and for an examination of why that is the case, see the latest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” released this week by the American Legislative Exchange Council. The basic story, as anyone following state fiscal issues will surely know, is that … More

    Check Out the 2010 Budget Chart Book–New and Improved!

    The federal budget is on an unsustainable course with red ink as far as the eye can see, so it is especially important for Americans to understand spending, taxes, and debt.

    The Heritage Foundation’s Budget Chart Book is a user-friendly way to learn about the federal budget in pictures. More

    Two Cheers for Dueling Earmark Reform Proposals in House

    After enacting 93,000 earmarks at a cost of $200 billion over the past decade, lawmakers are finally taking the first steps to rein them in. First, House Democrats hinted they may announce a moratorium on earmarks to for-profit companies (while retaining them for non-profit organizations and state and local governments). … More

    Businesses Need New and Real Promises from Washington

    While legislators finalize yet another round of stimulus spending, they should self-impose a time-out to assess the ineffectiveness of the last two years of government-directed stimulus. After two years of repeated government stimulus programs, the economy remains either in recession or in very slow recovery and yet the federal government … More

    Whether In A County or the Country, Higher Taxes Spell Trouble

    Raising taxes does not mean more overall revenue, recently seen in Montgomery County, Maryland, which has had a particularly bad fiscal year after a recent tax hike. The county, which is just across the northern border of the District of Columbia, saw many residents making over $1 million move out … More

    Think Medicaid Expansion is a Good Idea? Think Again.

    Most everyone agrees that decreasing the number of the uninsured is an important goal of health care legislation. What is not agreed upon is the best way to achieve that goal. Obama’s health care plan depends on expanding the number of Americans enrolled in Medicaid – the government-run program for … More

    Obama Misdiagnoses Source of Deficits

    President Obama says he wants to reduce America’s record trillion-dollar deficits. Too bad he hasn’t even correctly diagnosed their cause. During his State of the Union Address, the president asserted: “At the beginning of the last decade, America had a budget surplus of over $200 billion. By the time I … More

    Tax Hikes for the Middle Class?

    Remember the promise of the 2008 Presidential election? No family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase Well, now, the option to tax the middle class is “on the table“. Of course, as we have pointed out, he has already broken that pledge. But now, Obama is ready … More

    Outside the Beltway: Luaus in Illinois? Sure, When Pork Is What’s for Dinner!

    $1,100 for Hawaiian party props and luaus? $78,066 to promote quail? $6,500 for a 4,000-gallon live bass fish tank? $10,000 for a Batman party? $353,165 to fund car racing?

    Congratulations, Illinoisans, you’re funding all this and more with your hard-earned taxpayer dollars, courtesy of your state government in Springfield. More