Monday summary: The Spectator on Sweden's success; O'Grady on Fed policy's impact on Brazil; Kadlec on Laffer's new book.

From The Spectator (UK), Fraser Nelson highlights Sweden’s tax cutting success.

On Forbes, Charles Kadlec reviews Art Laffer’s new book on state tax competitiveness.

In The WSJ, Mary Anastasia O’Grady explains how Ben Bernanke’s low dollar is damaging Brazilian exporters and creating political pressures for its government.

At The WSJ, O’Grady discusses the Fed’s fear of incipient inflation:



At Forbes, Ralph Benko suggests obedience to authority helps explain Washington’s aversion to the gold standard.

The WSJ reports China widening the yuan’s trading range.

From TWS, Bill Kristol rebuts the suggestion that President Reagan favored tax hikes on the rich.

At Forbes, Brian Wesbury argues spending cuts are required to save America from a VAT.

On The Kudlow Report, Larry debates the Buffett Tax vote with Jared Bernstein:



At Forbes, John Tamny critiques lotteries for funding larger government.

In The NYT, Greg Mankiw suggests competition is good for governments too.

Tuesday summary: McGurn on Reagan's prospects in early 1980; Kadlec on the housing bubble; Bernstein on "trickle-down" economics.

From The WSJ, Bill McGurn argues Ronald Reagan looked like a sure-loser at this point in the 1980 campaign.

In The WSJ, Stephen Moore reports Rick Santorum’s argument that he is stronger than Mitt Romney in purple states.

In Forbes, Charles Kadlec suggests government policy, not lack of regulation, caused the housing bubble.

On The Kudlow Report, progressive Jared Bernstein argues Romney will repeat the trickle-down policies that led to recent years’ economic problems:



From Alhambra Partners, Joe Calhoun rebuts Ben Bernanke’s claim that the economy’s performance is not his fault.

On The Street, Ralph Benko defends the gold standard from columnist Gary Weiss.

At TGSN, Ralph Benko features Alan Greenspan’s never-published testimony from the 1981 US Gold Commission.

Stateline reports Art Laffer’s success convincing states to reduce tax rates.

From the C-SPAN archive, US Rep. Jack Kemp (NY) announces his 1987 bid for President. Alan Reynolds comments, “Watch it and compare the current candidates to see what we have lost.”

In The NYT, Bruce Bartlett argues (correctly, IMO) that class warfare sentiment rises when, in recession, conservatives argue for cutting programs for the poor while refusing to raise tax rates on the wealthy. (Of course, the right answer isn’t raising taxes.)

Week in review: Woodhill and Tamny on Romney; Freeman and Tamny on Santorum; Laffer on Buffett.

Apologies for the gap in service last week. Was in Austin, TX for The Laffer Center’s winter meeting featuring interesting talks from Art Laffer, Brian Domitrovic, Steve Moore, John Chapman, and Dan Mitchell, plus terrific comments from Louis Woodhill.
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In Forbes, Louis Woodhill suggests Mitt Romney doesn’t understand growth, starting with his neglect of the dollar.

At RCM, John Tamny chides Romney’s Bain critics.

In The WSJ, James Freeman profiles Rick Santorum as a “supply-sider for the working man.”

Also at RCM, Tamny critiques Santorum’s plan to revive US manufacturing.

In The WSJ, Art Laffer rebuts the Buffett strategy to tax the rich.

PBS’s Newshour challenges the Laffer Curve:




From Alhambra Partners, John Chapman analyzes current monetary policy.

At Cato Unbound, John Tamny argues gold-linked money would restore the economy.

The NY Sun applauds former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for supporting the gold standard.

At TGSN, Lew Lehrman discusses the origins of the gold-linked dollar:



TGSN recounts the Founders’ views on sound money.

In USA Today, US Rep. Ron Paul (TX) critiques the Federal Reserve.

At The Street, Steve Forbes argues for gold-linked money.

In Forbes, Peter Ferrara notes the extraordinarily slow economic recovery.

On Fox Business, Steve Forbes sounds bullish on the economy:




From Forbes, Charles Kadlec suggests lower government spending will lead to more jobs.

On NRO, Larry Kudlow urges Romney to take up tax reform.

From Bloomberg, Ramesh Ponnuru argues supply-side economics isn’t selling with voters.

At NRO, Ponnuru suggests Romney not adopt tax reform.

On MSNBC’s Hardball, Bruce Bartlett argues the Bush era proves tax rates don’t lead to prosperity:




In The CSM, Keynesian Jared Bernstein opposes “trickle-down economics.”

Thursday update: Domitrovic on Reagan's unfinished business; Ron Paul says the Fed caused the financial crisis; Forbes, Pethokoukis on Perry's flat tax.

From Forbes, Brian Domitrovic explains that monetary reform is President Reagan’s crucial unfinished business.

In The WSJ, US Rep Ron Paul (TX) blames the Federal Reserve for the financial crisis.

The WSJ reports Rick Perry’s flat tax garners support from Steve Forbes.

The Washington Post forecasts the coming tax battle between Perry and Romney.

On The Kudlow Report, Jimmy P debates Perry’s flat tax proposal:

 

From NRO, Larry Kudlow notes somewhat improved economic data from last month.

At Forbes, Jerry Bowyer critiques Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan.

Dick Morris supports the 9-9-9 plan.

IBD rebuts Paul Krugman and Jared Bernstein’s Keynesian advocacy.

On NRO, Michael Barone suggests bipartisan support to allow more visas for a high-skilled immigrants.

At International Liberty, Dan Mitchell notes a recent video likening President Obama to President Carter:

 

The liberal Think Progress proves that there’s no point in trying to appease tax hikers with targeted middle class tax cuts.

Factcheck.org disputes the President’s jobs numbers (h/t: Speaker Boehner’s office).

Future of Capitalism notes a new book that praises Michael Milken.

Thursday items: The WSJ reports the dollar's rise; Woodhill on the auto industry; Pento sees gold emerging as the world reserve asset.

The WSJ reports the dollar is beginning to rise.

At Forbes, Louis Woodhill explains how regulation and dollar volatility has hurt US automakers.

In The WSJ, Sen. Rob Portman (OH) advocates dollar-for-dollar deficit reduction for every debt ceiling increase. 

On The Kudlow Report, David Malpass discusses Italy’s possible default and its effect on world markets:




At Forbes, Bill Frezza discusses the end of Bretton Woods with George Shultz.

From the archive, Jude Wanniski explains why Nixon left gold.

On Forbes, Michael Pento suggests the current crisis calls for a return to gold as the international reserve currency.

In The WSJ, Charles C. Johnson notes President Coolidge beat recession with tax and spending cuts.

But "nothing" seemed to work. With the tax cuts in place, luxuries of the rich quickly became middle-class, as affordable cars and radios rolled off the assembly line. Industrial titans (and Coolidge-backers) like Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford made unheard-of fortunes. Real annual per-capita income rose 37%, to $716 from $522.

The "Coolidge prosperity," denounced as ephemeral after the 1929 crash, was real for those who experienced it. Coolidge knew this well, telling reporters that "If you can base the economic conditions of the people on their appearance, the way they are dressed, [and] the general appearance of prosperity, I should say it was very good . . . I noticed most of the ladies had on silk dresses and I thought I saw a rather general display of silk stockings."

On RCM, John Tamny reviews Bryan Caplan’s Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids.

In IBD, Mark McKinnon reports the President’s allies hope to spur a third party challenge from Ron Paul in order to split anti-Obama votes.

At The Atlantic, Keynesian Jared Bernstein blames supply-side economics and laissez-faire policies for recent economic troubles but omits the dollar from his analysis.

Weekend edition: Lewis on gold's simplicity; Wesbury says current spending will require middle class tax hikes; Stein sees a better economy ahead.

From Forbes, Nathan Lewis explains the simplicity of gold-linked currency.

On The Daily Caller, Brian Wesbury suggests current spending levels will require raising middle class taxes.

At Fox News, Steve Forbes predicts the President will sign whatever debt ceiling bill Congress passes.

On The Kudlow Report, James Pethokoukis discusses the debt ceiling:




At CNN, Stephen Moore analyzes the debt ceiling impasse.

From Forbes, Reuven Brenner cites foreign examples of how to assess the US budget deficit, and cites the need to increase entrepreneurship.

At NRO, Bob Stein suggests the sluggish economic numbers will improve later this year.

The WSJ highlights a Kauffman Foundation study on how to stimulate more new businesses:

The Kauffman Foundation proposes a "startup act" to make it easier for new companies to survive and contribute to long-term growth. One key is making ieasier to access the capital markets, at a lower cost, at early stages of business formation. Messrs. Schramm and Litan want to permanently waive any capital gains taxation for long-held investments in startups over their early years. (We prefer a zero capital gains tax on all investments, but this is a start.)

Another good idea is an unlimited annual supply of an "entrepreneurs visa" available to any immigrant who wanted to come to the U.S. to start a business, with a particular focus on newcomers with expertise in engineering, science and technology. Still another proposal is regulatory reform. To "cleanse the books of inefficient and costly rules," any regulation that took more than $100 million from the private economy would lapse automatically after a decade.

On RCM, Jeff Snyder of Atlantic Capital Management advocates a strong dollar.

Reason TV lauds monetarist Milton Friedman on the anniversary of his birthday.

On Kudlow, Brian Wesbury and Don Luskin discuss the weak economy:




On The Fiscal Times, Bruce Bartlett contrasts President Obama’s negotiation style with President Reagan’s.

From ABC’s This Week, Keynesian Paul Krugman explains his view of why the economy is weak and how spending cuts will make it worse. (Part 2, here.)

At COAL, Krugman argues most of the recent deficit surge stems from the recession:

At Economix, Clinton economist Laura D’Andrea Tyson links the fiscal deficit to the weak jobs and investment climate.

The Huffington Post, Keynesian Jared Bernstein notes the rise of wage inequality since the early 1980s.