Richard W. Rahn

Republicans fighting for budget cuts are turncoats

Do you think the federal government spends too much? Taxes too much? And should reduce the deficit? Most Americans agree except when it comes to specific spending programs they like. The people "hire" members of Congress to make these difficult choices. Much of what the federal government does is not authorized by the Constitution or justified by proper cost-benefit analysis, so is without merit.

March 20, 2017

Russian policies more along the lines of Clinton, not Trump

Are you shocked that the Russians might have had an interest in who won the U.S. presidential election? Nations have always had an interest in who rules the nations they deal with -- both opponents and friends -- and that they often try to influence the outcomes should come as no surprise.

March 13, 2017

Rolling back regulations will help economy

What changes in government policy should be made to achieve an annual average of 4 percent economic growth? That is the question President Trump and his team should be asking if they are serious about achieving a lower deficit while increasing spending on defense and the infrastructure.

March 6, 2017

Hype-driven disasters

It can be dangerous to believe one's own or others' hype. A couple of weeks ago, 180,000 people living downstream from the nation's highest dam, the Oroville Dam in California, had to be evacuated because the dam's main and emergency spillways were damaged due to heavy rainfall and runoff.

February 27, 2017

Panama prospers thanks to U.S. dollar

Panama has come a long way in a short time, more than doubling its per capita gross domestic product in the past decade. At the end of June 2016, it opened the new canal next to the old one that could no longer accommodate the current generation of post-Panamax ships.

February 20, 2017

Pro-business states draw in industry

If you were going to start a new business in the United States that was not location dependent, what state would choose? Countries, states and cities all compete to attract businesses -- both large and small. More businesses mean more jobs and usually greater prosperity.

February 13, 2017

Private money-like products gain traction amid mistrust of government

We all think we know what money is, but economists have many different definitions of money (e.g., M1, M2, M4, and others) -- and the problem is getting worse. Is the U.S. paper dollar you have in your wallet money? How about a one-ounce gold $50 coin minted by the U.S. government, which has a current market value of roughly $1,200? Or digital "bitcoins" in your computer?

February 6, 2017

Useless anti-money laundering laws

Governments occasionally pass laws with good intent but which backfire because they were poorly thought out and created perverse incentives, making the situation far worse.

January 30, 2017

Looking ahead to 2024

Most new cars sold in 2024 will have self-driving capabilities so that the number of auto fatalities will be falling rapidly. That is an easy prediction, because the technologies have already been developed and roll-outs of the new cars are being planned and, in some cases, are underway.

January 23, 2017

Bias, ignorance and reality in climate science

The rains have returned to California, and the six-year drought appears to be largely over. We have heard countless assertions from journalists and politicians, ignorant of the weather history of California and the other western states, that the drought was a result of global warming.

January 16, 2017

Flying off the handle over risks

Did the authorities, in "an abundance of caution," take too long to reinstate operations after the tragic shootings in the Fort Lauderdale airport this past Friday?

January 9, 2017

Now to defund wasteful global institutions

A positive side effect of President Obama's duplicity with the anti-Israeli United Nations vote was the attention it brought to what the U.N. is actually doing and how it is wasting taxpayer dollars and undermining liberty.

January 2, 2017

Economy should pick up in 2017

The good news for 2017 is we can have 4 percent or higher real economic growth per year over the next few years -- and here is how.

December 26, 2016

Winning U.S. presidency without majority has become common

Do you know how many U.S. presidents won election with less than 50 percent of the popular vote? Many are in a dither about Donald Trump having received less than a majority of the popular vote, when in fact almost one-third of all the U.S. presidents (14, to be precise) did not receive 50 percent of the popular vote (because of third-party candidates) in one or more of their wins.

December 19, 2016

Tax reform complications

Do you want tax reform? Now, for the difficult questions: What is your definition of tax reform? And what will be the consequences of each of your proposals?

December 12, 2016

Fidel Castro, socialism and the shortsighted

How many political enemies would a dictator have to kill before you would no longer want your non-adult children to meet with him?

December 5, 2016

If Donald Trump is a great president, America will be great again

Other things being equal, would you prefer to stay in a hotel and/or live in a condo named The President Carter, or one named The President Reagan?

November 28, 2016

Anti-money laundering rules a regulatory mess

If you are in business and the government will not allow you to open a bank account, what do you do? Thirty years ago, almost anyone could walk into a bank and open a bank account with no questions asked.

November 21, 2016

Government spending freeze could help Donald Trump with public debt

Donald Trump is very lucky that Paul Ryan is speaker of the House. Mr. Ryan is a very serious policy wonk, which President-elect Trump is not. Mr. Ryan has spent the last several years developing sound solutions to deal with the problem of the "wolf at the door" -- which is the never-ending growth of government and the attendant debt.

November 14, 2016

Which candidate will resorte government’s integrity?

If you had a son or a daughter who was a member of a school debate team, and you learned that your child was receiving the questions in advance and the other debaters were not, what would you tell your child to do?

November 7, 2016