Author: Veronique De Rugy

How would you feel if the government could access a trove of information about who you are, what you do, who your friends are and what they do by collecting it from email and cellphone providers, search engines, social networking sites, and other websites every day? If you’d be outraged, hold on to that feeling. […]

Candidates running for president should take the following warning seriously: Years of bad government policies catering to interest groups have created a generation of young people facing tremendous challenges in the labor market and little chance to experience the good old American dream. We can hope that someone will put this government-created generation of disinherited […]

In November 2016, District of Columbia voters may get a chance to vote on a proposal to raise the hourly minimum wage to $15. If approved, the measure would lift D.C.’s minimum wage to be on a par with those in such liberal cities as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. But though the $4.50 […]

If Greece’s ongoing fiscal quagmire demonstrates anything, it’s that Europe’s largest welfare states live in denial. Even as the bills from decades of profligate spending came due, Greeks took to the streets, not to demand a new path but to insist on continuing the status quo. Even their European creditors, in calling for tax hikes […]

During a recent economic address by Hillary Clinton to soft-launch her “growth and fairness economy” plan, she rightfully noted that we “need new ideas” to combat slow economic growth and the lack of opportunities for some Americans. But then she proceeded to offer outdated and failed policies that would guarantee the United States remains stuck […]

One of the most boring classes I took in college was on accounting. Over the years, however, I’ve come to understand the importance of proper and transparent accounting. As the disastrous examples of Greece, Puerto Rico, Detroit and Chicago demonstrate, dodging long-term obligations with rosy forecasts or risky assumptions usually ends badly. Faulty accounting can […]

Now that the Export-Import Bank’s charter has expired, it’s time to examine other programs that should follow in Ex-Im’s footsteps. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a federal agency that subsidizes U.S.-owned overseas businesses with taxpayer-backed financing, is ripe for termination when its charter expires on September 30. Immediately focusing on a new target on […]

Does it seem as if some lawmakers have the attention span of a toddler? Several years ago, concerns about the debt and overspending were all the rage. These worries have dissipated almost entirely as deficit levels have gone down from their sky-high summit in 2009. And just like that, lawmakers have gone back to overlooking […]

On June 30, the Export-Import Bank of the United States — an agency that mostly extends loans and loan guarantees to large foreign companies to buy U.S. products — will most likely see its charter expire for the first time in 81 years. This state of affairs is nothing short of remarkable, considering that for […]

If I got a dollar each time the federal or state government promised that new regulations of the health care market would reduce the cost of health care — and it subsequently failed to deliver on that promise — I would be a rich woman. The Affordable Care Act is the most recent example of […]

How can we produce better health for more people at a lower cost, year after year? By lifting all the rules and barriers that prevent health care innovators from bringing new lifesaving products to consumers and force doctors to beg bureaucrats and insurance administrators for permission to save lives. For years, free market types focused […]

After the recent Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia, some politicians and pundits used the terrible tragedy to perpetuate the misleading claim that the federal government’s passenger rail operation suffers from a lack of taxpayer assistance. This rush to judgment was unsurprising, given that misfortune is sometimes synonymous with opportunity in the eyes of the political […]

After the recent Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia, some politicians and pundits used the terrible tragedy to perpetuate the misleading claim that the federal government’s passenger rail operation suffers from a lack of taxpayer assistance. This rush to judgment was unsurprising, given that misfortune is sometimes synonymous with opportunity in the eyes of the political […]

In 2014, the government issued 2,400 new regulations, including 27 major rules that may cost $80 billion or more annually. They range from forcing restaurants to list the number of calories in food — even though past experiments have revealed that such measures fail to change consumers’ behavior — to reducing consumer choices and increasing […]

Republican presidential contenders have staked out different positions on tax reform. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas and neurosurgeon Ben Carson favor a flat tax. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker supports lower marginal tax rates. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would like a 30 percent tax on consumption. Sen. Marco Rubio of […]

The violence in Baltimore has left many wondering what can be done to improve the lives of young Americans growing up in the inner city, where the path often leads to the unemployment line or worse. Education reform — and school choice, in particular — is an emerging policy option that is drawing growing support […]

Taxes are obviously on everybody’s mind this time of year, which makes it the perfect time to ask where — or to whom — all our money is going. First things first: In 2014, the government collected roughly $3 trillion. It spent $3.5 trillion. In other words, it had to borrow $500 billion to pay […]

The cowboy philosopher Will Rogers once said, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” Unfortunately, his advice is often ignored in Washington, where the answer to our national debt is more government spending and the policy prescription for a slow economy is to favor special interest groups. Take one of the latest trends, […]