Author: Scott Rasmussen

“The consumer demand for the Uber and Lyft kind of services is so great that any politician who gets in the way of that is really asking for trouble,” according to Roger McNamee. The co-founder of investment firm Elevation Partners said on CNBC that “Uber’s success is really about consumers demanding the availability of Uber […]

What’s behind the huge premium increases on the Obamacare exchanges? Supporters and opponents offer wildly different explanations and theories. They all pore over the data and get into the details of who is signing up, what the risk pools look like and other things actuaries find exciting. However, the reason for the big price hikes […]

Many years ago, I visited Cambodia with my family. One day, a local resident took us to a small village of 53 huts far off the beaten path. In many ways, it was closer to the 13th century than the 21st. It was truly an eye-opening experience. As was the custom, we first presented ourselves […]

The Fourth of July we celebrate this weekend heralds a document proclaiming both our nation’s independence and our unwavering commitment to freedom. It’s true, of course, that our nation was far from perfect in pursuit of this ideal. The continuation of slavery in a land proclaiming that all men are created equal is a lasting […]

Next week, we’ll be celebrating the 239th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The eloquent cries for freedom and equality voiced in that properly revered document have become what professors Sid Milkis and Marc Landy call the “American Creed.” It’s a belief that all of us have the right to do whatever […]

Listening to the political junkies discuss the 2016 presidential election more than a year ahead of time is enough to depress just about anyone who has a life outside the political bubble. It will get even worse next year with the avalanche of civic pollution known as campaign commercials. That’s why the Bloomberg Technology Conference […]

What sometimes seem like epic battles to reshape the world generally fade to irrelevance very quickly. To take just one recent example, 20 years ago the Justice Department was trying to break up Microsoft because the software giant was perceived as too powerful to be challenged by other firms. Today, of course, all the talk […]

Too many Americans seem to believe our constitutional rights were created by a bunch of men in powdered wigs during the 18th century. In truth, the rights we cherish as Americans go back many centuries before that. The difference is vitally important. If it were true that the Founding Fathers made up our rights in […]

Political reporters seem to enjoy the game of politics far more than the substance of issues. But recent Supreme Court rulings on the president’s health care law, campaign finance reform and other topics may force a fundamental issue into the 2016 election. Upcoming rulings on same-sex marriage, immigration and another health care case will add […]

On Memorial Day, consider honoring those who died for our country by reflecting on the truly exceptional ideals they fought to defend. Consider, for example, the simple assertion in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” To modern ears, the only thing remarkable in the phrase is that it doesn’t explicitly mention […]

American government — at all levels — is losing the legitimacy it needs to function. Or, perhaps, some segments of the government have already lost it. New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow made this point recently in a commentary on the relations between minority communities and our system of justice. He said that we […]

The sad scenes playing out in Baltimore are made sadder by the fact that more such incidents are likely over the coming years. That’s because the problems in Baltimore did not begin with the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Tensions have been building for a very long time. Other cities from coast to coast […]

I am far more pessimistic about our political system than most Americans. At the same time, I am very optimistic about the future of our nation. That may seem like an odd combination to some, but I am optimistic because I recognize that Washington, D.C., does not lead the nation. National leadership flows from everyday […]

This was a big week for the political press. That means it was also a good week for highlighting how the world of the political elite is so out of touch with the world of everyday Americans. The excitement for the pundits was launched by the announcement that former Secretary of State, senator and first […]

I recently highlighted an important book that describes how politics really works. “Bootleggers and Baptists: How Economic Forces and Moral Persuasion Interact to Shape Regulatory Politics,” by Adam Smith and Bruce Yandle, showed that prohibition became reality because it appeared to satisfy both Baptists and Bootleggers. The Baptists wanted people to stop drinking. The Bootleggers […]

The death of Leonard Nimoy saddened millions of Trekkies around the world (including me). But it wasn’t just Trekkies who mourned. In the past month, it has become clear that Mr. Spock — the character Nimoy brought to life — had become a cultural icon extending far beyond the Trek universe. The president of the […]

There has been a lot of discussion lately about whether the Supreme Court will save or destroy the president’s health care law, known to many as Obamacare. At least one writer went so far as to suggest the court might be preparing to undo the nation’s safety net. To suggest that such talk is absurd […]

Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid and National Defense consume two-thirds of all federal spending and are responsible for most of the annual spending increases. That leaves Americans with a choice. We must either cut spending on these three programs or pay much higher taxes to cover the ever-increasing costs of the programs. Last week, I looked at […]

Two-thirds of all federal spending is consumed by just three program areas: Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid and National Defense. Because these programs consume most of the budget and are responsible for most of the annual spending increases, there is simply no way to regain control of federal spending without addressing these programs. So either taxes will […]

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has emerged as a serious contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. In response, the Washington Post researched and published a lengthy article on the “mystery” of why Walker dropped out of college. The decision to attack Walker for failing to graduate tells us more about the worldview of the Washington […]

Recently, while responding to a question about how to get young people involved in politics, President Obama expressed fears that they see politics as a “sideshow in Washington” and should be taught that “government is not something separate from you — it is you.” Young people need to understand, according to the president, that politics […]

President Obama’s proposed federal budget for 2016 envisions never-ending growth of federal spending. This is a significant change from the past six years in which federal government spending has held fairly steady. Following a big jump in 2009 due to the bailouts and financial crisis, government spending never returned to pre-crisis levels, but it didn’t […]

On Monday, President Obama will unveil his proposed federal budget for 2016. Voters should be warned that virtually all the numbers reported in news coverage of the federal budget will be misleading at best. That’s because the budget reporting will be written primarily in the language of official Washington rather than the language of everyday […]

This past week, one of the world’s most famous and influential men made a major announcement concerning our global future. But you might have missed it because America’s national news media was obsessing over President Obama’s State of the Union address. Let’s face it, a State of the Union address by any president is more […]

Charlie Cook, a veteran inside-the-beltway political analyst, recently wrote of a focus group discussing the 2016 presidential election. He observed that the conversation among 12 Colorado voters “would be jarring to anyone who assumed that the nominations of Bush and Clinton are inevitable.” Cook added that, “When half a dozen voters in a conversation say […]

As we enter 2015, the politics of the president’s health care law are little changed from last year or the year before, or any year since it was passed. The details change with the calendar, but year after year, the law remains a major drag on President Obama’s popularity and legacy. Defenders of the law […]

For decades, American presidents urged the American people to reduce our reliance on foreign oil imports by conserving energy. Nothing worked. In defiance of the prevailing political wisdom, individual Americans insisted that the answer was not cutting back on the use of energy but finding new sources of energy. When politicians tried to force people […]

Trying to make sense of the assassination of two police officers on the Saturday before Christmas, my mind keeps drifting back to the morning of March 13, 2010. That’s the day a police officer saved the lives of my family. Shortly after 5 in the morning, my wife and I heard noise outside. I thought […]