In No, They Can't, I write about a contest I ran. Six think tanks, two conservative (the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation), three liberal (Center for American Progress, Economic Policy Institute, and Roosevelt Institute Campus Network), and the Bipartisan Policy Center spent $1.2 million writing budget proposals. Five pitched their plan to my studio audience. I promised the winner one of the Emmys I'd won during my days as a consumer reporter... continue reading »

People have short memories when it comes to big government. We forget the lessons of central planning failure in the USSR. So I'm grateful to states like California and Illinois! Because they spend and regulate so much--they remind us how we DON'T want to live.

In my syndicated column this week, I look at population shifts:

In the last decade, 2 million people left California... continue reading »

In the "fiscal cliff" debate, most talk is about taxes. But arguing about tax rates misses the point. As I say in this week's column:... continue reading »

My column this week looks at the costs of government "solutions."

Intuition tells us that government is in the problem-solving business, and so the more laws passed, the better off we are. The possibility that fewer laws could leave us better off is hard to grasp. Kids visiting Washington don't ask their congressmen, "What laws did you repeal?" It's always, "What did you pass?"... continue reading »

In 1951, the federal government created the emergency broadcast system, CONELRAD, to warn us in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.

It made me feel safer. However, I was only 4.

The FEMA website says the Emergency Warning System "is designed for the President to speak to the American People within 10 minutes."

Such government action almost always seems right. In times of threat, we want "leaders" to tell us what to do... continue reading »

In my syndicated column this week, I discuss what happens when government tries to protect us from ourselves.

Forty years ago, the United States locked up fewer than 200 of every 100,000 Americans. Then President Nixon declared war on drugs. Now we lock up more of our people than any other country -- more even than the authoritarian regimes in Russia and China... continue reading »

NO, THEY CAN'T! Why Government Fails, but Individuals Succeed (also the title of my new book) airs again this tonight on Fox Business.

Politicians say "Yes, we can!" and claim they solve our problems... continue reading »

After the Supremes approved Obamacare yesterday, the President gave a speech. I think it needs de-coding.

Obama: Today's decision was a victory for people all over this country...

De-coded: It's a victory for central planners, not "people". One thing I've learned in 42 years of reporting is that centrally planned bureaucracy kills innovation, increases costs, and undercuts personal liberty... continue reading »

Tomorrow the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of Obamacare. Will they kill the mandate but keep the popular parts?

This week my syndicated column discusses the benefits of discrimination in health insurance:... continue reading »

Let's say you wanted to get from New York to DC this evening. You could take the government-supported train system - which would cost you $153 or more - or you could take a bus, which gets no government subsidies, for... $19... continue reading »