States such as Illinois, California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey have very serious structural problems because of high tax burdens and unsustainable spending levels (often associated with excessive pay and benefits for bureaucrats). I frequently write about those big issues, but I also like to periodically share examples of other bone-headed policies at the […]
Search Results for '"great moments" "state government"'
Great Moments in State Government
Posted in Florida, Government stupidity, Michigan, New Jersey, States, Waste, tagged Florida, Government stupidity, Government waste, Michigan, New Jersey, States on February 5, 2018| 6 Comments »
Great Moments in State Government
Posted in Corruption, Cronyism, Licensing, Regulation, Sleaze, States, tagged Corruption, Cronyism, Licensing, Regulation, Sleaze, State Government on August 14, 2017| 4 Comments »
When I write about the actions of state governments, it’s usually to highlight a specific bad policy. As you can imagine, states like California, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey give me a never-ending amount of material. But I frequently run across things that are happening in the states that don’t really merit an […]
Great Moments in State Government
Posted in Environmentalism, Government stupidity, Regulation, States, tagged Environmentalism, Government stupidity, Regulation, States on March 3, 2013| 12 Comments »
Back in 2010, I shared parts of a Dave Barry column that mocked the government for bizarre examples of stupid law enforcement. Barry was specifically making fun of OSHA bureaucrats for fining a company for the horrible transgression of saving a worker when a trench collapsed. But there are many other examples of law enforcement […]
Great Moments in State Government: Pinhead Bureaucrats Threaten Family with Possible Prison Sentence for Rescuing a Baby Deer
Posted in Environmentalism, Government stupidity, Government Thuggery, States, tagged Environment, Government stupidity, Government Thuggery, State Government on January 29, 2013| 37 Comments »
As a public finance economist, I normally focus on big-picture arguments against excessive government. If the public sector is too large, for instance, that undermines economic growth by diverting resources from the productive sector of the economy. The damage is then compounded by a needlessly destructive and punitive tax system. But I’ve also discovered that […]
Great Moments in State Government Stupidity
Posted in Government stupidity, States, tagged Government stupidity, State Government, Virginia on December 4, 2010| 10 Comments »
Make sure you don’t save an injured deer in Virginia. Not only will the bureaucrats take the animal away from you, but they’ll nail you with three misdemeanor charges just for good measure. I guess the legal approach would have been to let the dogs kill the helpless creature. Here’s part of the WTOP.com report. […]
Great Moments in Foreign Government
Posted in Big Government, Canada, Government stupidity, Switzerland, Venezuela, tagged Big Government, Canada, Government stupidity, Indonesia, Jersey, Switzerland, Venezuela on September 12, 2021| 1 Comment »
Time to update our series on “great moments in foreign government.” We’ll start with Jersey. I wrote a few years ago about the (relatively) good tax laws in that British dependent territory off the coast of France. But there are two ways those laws could be improved. First, officials could abolish its income tax because […]
Great Moments in Foreign Government
Posted in Boondoggle, England, Government stupidity, India, United Kingdom, tagged Boondoggle, Egypt, England, Government stupidity, India, Papau New Guinea, United Kingdom on May 10, 2019| 6 Comments »
I spend much of my time analyzing the foolish and counterproductive policies imposed by Washington. Often accompanied by some mockery of politicians and their silly laws. And I also employ the same approach when reviewing the bone-headed policies often pursued by state governments and local governments. And since this is “International Liberty,” I obviously like […]
Great Moments in Foreign Government
Posted in Belgium, Government Inefficiency, Government stupidity, India, Spain, Taxpayer Ripoff, Waste, tagged Belgium, Government Inefficiency, Government stupidity, Government waste, India, Malaysia, Romania, Spain, Taxpayer Ripoff on July 18, 2018| 5 Comments »
Given the routine corruption and reckless spending in Washington, I frequently get asked how I keep my sanity. It’s possible, as some of my friends argue, that I’m not actually sane. That would explain why I try to put my finger in the dyke of big government as more and more new leaks keep developing. […]
Great Moments in British Government
Posted in England, Government stupidity, United Kingdom, tagged England, Government stupidity, United Kingdom on April 19, 2018| 5 Comments »
While much of my analysis focuses on the mess created by Washington, I periodically show my ecumenical nature by sharing “Great Moments in State Government” and “Great Moments in Local Government.” And in keeping with the title of this page, I even occasionally share “Great Moments in Foreign Government.” Today, though we’re going to get […]
Great Moments in Local Government
Posted in Government Thuggery, Local government, tagged Chicago, Government Thuggery, Local government, Los Angeles, Philadelphia on January 13, 2018| 13 Comments »
Centralization of government power is generally a very bad idea. Schemes for “global governance” are the worst since they usually result in cartels for the benefit of uncompetitive nations. National policies are the second-worst, often producing one-size-fits-all approaches accompanied by suffocating bureaucracy. But this does not mean that state governments and local governments do a […]
Great Moments in Local Government
Posted in Bureaucrats, Education, Licensing, Local government, tagged Bureaucrats, Education, Licensing, Local government on June 1, 2017| 8 Comments »
While most of my disdain is reserved for the federal government in Washington, I periodically share horror stories about foreign governments and state governments. And today we’re going to add to our collection of bone-headed policies by local governments. In some past cases, the examples captured systemic flaws. In other cases, we looked at specific […]
Great Moments in Local, State, National, and Foreign Government
Posted in Government stupidity, Greece, Local government, States, Statism, tagged Government stupidity, Greece, Local government, States, Statism on March 9, 2015| 10 Comments »
I periodically share this poster, in part because it’s funny, but mostly because it’s true. After all, can you think of many “success stories” involving government? When I pose this question to my statist friends, I usually get a blank stare in response. Though some of them will offer answers such as the GI Bill, […]
The Wisdom of Bastiat, as Revealed by Great Moments in Federal, State, and Local Government
Posted in Big Government, Boondoggle, Corruption, Economics, IRS, Local government, New Jersey, New York, Sleaze, States, Statism, Waste, tagged Bastiat, Big Government, Boondoggle, Corruption, Economics, IRS, Local government, New Jersey, New York, Sleaze, States, Statism, Waste on January 30, 2015| 39 Comments »
I’ve periodically cited the great 19th-century French economist, Frederic Bastiat, for his very wise words about the importance of looking at both the seen and the unseen when analyzing public policy. Those that fail to consider secondary or indirect effects of government, such as Paul Krugman, are guilty of the “broken window” fallacy. There are […]
Coronavirus Thuggery
Posted in Federalism, Government Thuggery, Local government, States, tagged Federalism, Government Thuggery, Local government, States on April 14, 2020| 21 Comments »
I’m a big fan of federalism. After all, compared to what happens when Washington screws up, there’s a lot less damage if a state or city imposes a bad law. Moreover, it’s relatively easy to move across a border if a state or city is doing something foolish. Leaving the country, by contrast, is a […]