Chris Edwards's Townhall.com Column

IRS Abuses Past and Present

2013-05-19T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Past IRS abuses have stemmed from foul play by both politicians and bureaucrats. As for the bureaucrats, investigations during the 1990s revealed how IRS enforcement had run amok, with abusive tactics being used against small businesses and other taxpayers.

Heritage Immigration Study and Government Spending

2013-05-13T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Conservative and libertarian scholars are clashing over the findings and political implications of the new Heritage Foundation immigration study. The study, however, also provides a very useful exploration into how massive the American welfare state has become.

Government Spending Up, Private GDP Down

2013-05-06T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Government spending certainly helps the government-dependent parts of the U.S. economy. But most Americans live in the private economy, and so they might like to know how government budget actions affect the economy that they live in.

Food Stamp Fraud and Twinkies

2013-04-22T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Taxpayers are paying for billions of dollars of junk food, which seems like a huge waste of money to most people.

What to Cut Next

2013-03-18T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Some people are complaining that the sequester is too broad-based, and that it would have been better to target just the most wasteful programs. But members of Congress don’t agree on which programs are wasteful.

Take the Public-Private Road to Efficiency

2013-03-04T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
Outside of the United States, the global trend is to partly or fully privatize infrastructure, which not only attracts private capital but ensures that it goes toward high-return projects.

Are Spending Cuts Good Politics?

2013-02-24T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
Grover Cleveland says “yes.” Calvin Coolidge says “yes.” Chris Edwards says “yes.”

Obama’s Minimum Wage Plan

2013-02-18T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
Economic research has only a tenuous relationship to economic policymaking in Washington. President Obama’s new proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.00 is a case in point.

Federal Infrastructure for Private Profit

2013-02-13T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
With regard to the Army Corps of Engineers, pork barrel politics, boondoggles, and environmental harm have been the modus operandi for more than a century.

Federal Spending Has Always Been Wasteful

2013-02-11T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
Politically driven overspending and waste is nothing new in Washington. In the 19th Century, there was tons of waste in federal agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was also a very troubled agency.

Brick Wall of Local Bureaucracy

2013-01-28T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
If you aren’t convinced yet that there is too much government bureaucracy in America, then this article is well worth reading. Here are some highlights.

Obama Overplays “We” in Inaugural Speech

2013-01-27T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
Once certain products or types of infrastructure take off, politicians want to get in on the action by subsidizing and regulating them. In turn, those interventions have usually led to distortions, scandals, and cost inflation.

What Filibuster ‘Reform’ Is Really About

2012-12-03T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
So don’t be fooled. Reid’s efforts at filibuster reform is not to have more votes, but to have fewer, and to have those votes only on the things which Reid wants voted on.

Hostess Bankruptcy: What Role Did Policy Play?

2012-11-19T00:01:00-05:00

Chris Edwards Column
Unions were an important factor that pushed up the firm’s costs and reduced its operational efficiency. The policy reform here is obvious for people who appreciate market economics: repeal America’s coercive union laws.

Cut State Debt; End the Muni-Bond Exemption

2012-11-04T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
In this case, the federal income tax exemption for state and local bond interest should be repealed. That could be matched with a reduction in general tax rates on capital income.

Economic Lessons from Obituaries

2012-10-29T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
It is entrepreneurs who create growth, and they are often best covered in the obituary section of the paper.

Shipping Water to China Amidst Drought

2012-10-22T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Irrigation water in the Western states is heavily subsidized and–unlike most commodities–is not easily traded in open markets. The result is a great deal of waste, economic inefficiency, and negative environmental consequences.

Election Pamphlets Raise Questions

2012-10-15T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
In sum, I’m seeing a lot from both parties about “strengthening” spending, “protecting” big government, and “championing” some groups of Americans over others. What about voters who want their leaders to strengthen individual rights, protect equality under the law, and champion the United States Constitution?

Government Cost-Cutting Leads to Cost Overruns

2012-07-16T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
The Washington Post’s Walter Pincus describes how the Pentagon has had a hard time saving money even when directed to do so by Congress.

Antitrust vs. Silicon Valley

2012-07-08T00:01:00-04:00

Chris Edwards Column
Thank goodness we have entrepreneurial companies such as Apple and Google generating economic growth and providing exciting opportunities for young people. But that won’t last if governments have their way.