HICKS: To tax or spend? That is the question for government
There is a great (and vituperative) disagreement on government’s role in stabilizing a recession.
Economic Analysis
Articles
HICKS: Smart cuts won’t hit all government workers
Few governments, and none in Indiana, can now afford to continue doing things the private sector does.
HICKS: EU crisis makes bad U.S. job market look good
Make no mistake: 150,000 new jobs ain’t good news.
HICKS: Here’s hoping for taxes for all Americans in 2013
I believe we ought to raise taxes to finally end the soothing falsehoods that surround our tax policy—especially what are called the Bush tax cuts.
HICKS: Fathers influence the personal discount rate
It is quite easy to do things when young and inexperienced that severely limit one’s long-run options.
HICKS: Failure of public unions is good for country
This week’s recall vote in Wisconsin has been heralded by many observers as a forecast of the presidential election. I think they are wrong. It is far more consequential.
HICKS: UL model could fix financial regulation morass
We need a compromise that preserves innovation and mitigates the tendency for the sort of moral hazard that fueled the last recession.
HICKS: Lasting meaningful change requires patience, fortitude
This new birth of freedom is the largest in human history, and only a handful of truly totalitarian states still linger today.
HICKS: Policy choice boils down to austerity or austerity
The plain reality is clear: Austerity is coming to Europe, either as a planned and thoughtful exercise or through fiscal ruin.
HICKS: European recession likely to affect U.S. economy, too
As disparate facts, the economic conditions in Europe and the United States are disconcerting. Taken together, they are frightening.
HICKS: Debate rages on about role of Federal Reserve
The Employment Act of 1946 essentially required the Federal Reserve to do two mutually exclusive things: promote full employment and keep inflation low.
HICKS: Finding freedom through ‘The Hunger Games’
What has kept me in a three-week state of shock is the message about values our kids are getting from this work.
HICKS: Spending, debt influence long-run growth
But it is only during the depths of this type of recession (perhaps two in a lifetime) that the disagreement among economists is so sharp.
HICKS: Accounting mistakes and local government reform
The $206 million in late payments is about half the total tax revenue our state’s woefully mismanaged townships kept sitting in the bank over the past several years.
HICKS: Some types of unemployment signal progress
Structural unemployment is a byproduct of healthy technological progress, and those who can learn new skills flourish.
HICKS: The joke’s really on us with Social Security
If treated as a financial investment, Social Security is a really effective way to destroy wealth.
HICKS: State smoking ban recognizes value of life
The workplace smoking ban signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels this week was a much-needed law. Of course, my Libertarian friends will object to its intrusion on liberty, and my leftist friends will say it didn’t go far enough. To them I ask, “What are you smoking?”
HICKS: Value proposition should drive higher ed debate
Even with higher tuition, college students are still flocking to campus. The real problem isn’t increasing costs, but uncertain benefits.
HICKS: Manufacturing industry is alive and well
America has always been a place where we make things. In fact, 2011 was a record year for manufacturing in America, as will be 2012 and 2013 (all in inflation-adjusted terms).
HICKS: Gas prices likely to influence presidential race
Late last month, our president gave what was billed as an important speech about gas prices. It was that and more.