From Forbes, Nathan Lewis suggests huge, permanent current account deficits are no problem.
IBDlinks the dollar’s foreign exchange value and the oil price.
At Forbes, Ike Brannon argues low taxes on capital gains and dividends are essential to productivity and wage growth.
On CNBC, former US Sen. Jim Talent (MO) discusses Mitt Romney’s ties to US Rep. Paul Ryan’s (WI) budget plan:
In The WSJ, Phil Gramm and Steve McMillin note the US has the most progressive tax system in the world.
At TGSN, Ralph Benko reports new data that suggests Milton Friedman drastically overestimated the gold standard’s cost.
From The Gatestone Institute, David Goldman links oil prices to the S&P.
At The American, James Pethokoukis highlights the weaken-than-expected March employment figures.
In Forbes, Peter Ferrara predicts the Supreme Court will strike down Obamacare.
The WSJquotes the great Henry Hazlitt on the dangers of even a mild inflation. In The WSJ, Ronald Coase and Nina Wang explain China’s success is due to liberalization not state control. On Forbes, Tim Worstall notes rumors of a currency union between Australia and New Zealand. In The WSJ, Antonis Samaras reports the dire effect on Greece of contraction plus austerity. In Forbes, Steve Forbes highlights the Chinese highway partnership between public and private sectors.
At Bloomberg, Forbes critiques the US Federal Reserve:
For at least three years, right-wing economists, pundits and politicians have been warning that runaway inflation is just around the corner, and they keep being wrong. Do you remember the tirades about “debasing the dollar” around this time last year? Do you remember the scorn heaped on Mr. Bernanke last spring when he argued that the bulge in inflation taking place at the time was just a temporary blip caused by gasoline prices and would soon recede? Well, he was right. At this point, inflation is once again running a bit below the Fed’s self-declared target of 2 percent.
At Fiscal Times, Bruce Bartlett suggests earmarks are less important than some conservatives suggest.
The WSJapplauds the conservative victory in Canada.
Enter the Harper government in 2006. It made tax cuts, a strong national defense and rationalizing government its priorities. And it made good on those promises. On January 1, 2008 Canada's general sales tax fell to 5% from 7%. Mr. Harper has also cut the federal corporate tax rate, which is now 16.5% and is scheduled to fall to 15% in 2012. (Add in provincial corporate rates of about 10%.) The U.S. federal rate alone is 35%.
Canada avoided America's housing mania and meltdown, but as our biggest trading partner it shared some of our economic pain. Conservative policy—low taxes and a willingness to allow the exploitation of rich oil and mineral deposits—has been a life saver for a small economy heavily integrated with the U.S. Its GDP grew by 3.3% last year, compared to America's 2.9%, and it now takes $1.05 to buy a Canadian dollar.
Republican-leaning Rasmussen reports growing public opposition to the Ryan budget plan.
At NRO, Henry Olsen notes Republicans may be losing blue collar voters in Wisconsin.
On The Kudlow Report, David Goldman discusses the market sell off:
At NRO, Ramesh Ponnuru reports Gov. Mitch Daniels (IN) refusal to accept that tax cuts are a solution to the deficit.
From The Washington Times, Richard Rahn says tax hikes will slow growth and worsen the deficit. On Forbes, Bill Frezza predicts rising inflation will lead to a return to the gold standard.
At Kudlow, Stephen Moore debates the debt ceiling:
At RCM, Brian Wesbury suggests the Bernanke Fed has caused commodity inflation but is still mostly impervious to political oversight.
On COAL, Paul Krugman argues the dollar’s decline is not a problem:
On Human Events, Newt Gingrich advocates that Washington focus on jobs and prosperity.
Cato’s Dan Mitchell features a video opposing tax increases:
From The Daily Caller, Ike Brannon argues the Ryan plan’s most significant benefit is its tax reforms.
The WSJreports Mexico has bought 100 tons of gold.
From the Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights, J. Bradley Jansen mentions Robert Mundell in discussing a transition to sound money.
