Friday, September 9, 2016

Trump’s Latest Immigration Pivot Might Be a Brilliant Gamble

By Emily Ekins

In a Fox News town hall last week, Donald Trump told Sean Hannity that he is softening on immigration and no longer favors the mass deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the country. “We will work with them,” he says.
Trump explained: “Now everybody agrees we get the bad ones out. Now when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject…they’ve said ‘Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person that has been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and the family out, it’s so tough, Mr. Trump.’” But he assured the audience “no citizenship” would be offered to unauthorized immigrants and “they’ll pay back taxes. They have to pay taxes.”


Why Washington Is Addicted to Perpetual War

By Doug Bandow

The last two administrations have followed a bipartisan policy of constant war. Unfortunately, the consequences have been ugly: every intervention has laid the groundwork for more conflict.
Yet the architects of this failure claim that all would be well if only Washington had acted more often and more decisively. In their view, the problem is not that America goes to war, but that it doesn’t go to war nearly enough.
This approach is based on the belief that Washington is capable of solving every international problem. If only unnamed bright people implemented theoretically brilliant strategies backed by unidentified resolute citizens, terrorism would be suppressed, ISIS would be defeated, Russia would be compliant, Iraq would be successful, Syria would be peaceful, Libya would be united and China would be respectful.


The Coming Fiscal Tsunami Dooms America’s Global Empire

By Doug Bandow

Those who dream of a permanent American imperium dismiss any difficulties or challenges. The U.S. remains strong, other nations aren’t likely to overtake America.
Most important, with work, Washington can maintain its military edge. So what if Americans have to sacrifice to sustain the force structure necessary to impose Washington’s will on other states? It is Uncle Sam’s destiny to rule the globe. People should cheerfully pay.
Yet for most Americans the more relevant destiny is living longer and facing the challenge of paying for ever more expensive health care. Federal deficits are back on the rise. There isn’t going to be much money for the national government to spend on “discretionary” items, including underwriting wealthy allies, rebuilding failed states, and enforcing international norms.


The Good News and Bad News in Gary Johnson’s Polls

By Walter Olson

Gary Johnson’s campaign for President has lately had a mix of bad and good news in the polls — more on that in a moment — but the poll on the front page of yesterday’s Washington Post definitely is one he will be talking about. Using SurveyMonkey online methodology, the survey measured voter opinion in each of the 50 states over the past month. And it finds the Libertarian candidate to be a serious factor in the race.
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California Second Only to New York for Lowest Freedom

By Jason Sorens and William Ruger

Image result for economic freedom cartoon
You might be forgiven for looking at the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees and inferring that American voters don’t much care for freedom. Both favor bigger, more invasive government, and neither seems to put a premium on liberty.
But the evidence suggests Americans do care about their own freedom. After all, they have been moving from less free to freer states, according to a new study we just published with the Cato Institute. Americans consistently vote with their feet for freedom, even as they sometimes vote with the ballot box for candidates who want to legislate away the freedoms of others, be they entrepreneurs or workers, religious minorities, those who buy or sell intoxicating substances, and other unpopular groups.


Jobs Report Proves Janet Yellen Is Wrong about the Economy

By Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr.

The August jobs report was disappointing with job gains of 151,000, below the consensus forecast of a gain of 180,000 jobs. The reported August job gains were also considerably below the gains in June and July. The unemployment rate was forecast to fall to 4.8 percent, but held steady at 4.9 percent. Both numbers are disappointing and make a September rate hike less likely.
At the recent Jackson Hole conference, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen stated that the case for raising interest rates had strengthened. She suggested that good job growth would continue. Once again, the Fed Chair has been too bullish in her view of the economy. More generally, Fed officials have been over-predicting economic growth in this recovery.


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