Bruce Bartlett is an economist and author who served in policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. He contributed articles to The Weekly Standard from 1996 to 2005, writing primarily on tax policy, economic issues, and conservative politics. He is known for his expertise on supply-side economics and fiscal policy, and has written for numerous publications throughout his career.
A REMARKABLE ELECTION TOOK PLACE in Ukraine on December 26. After the ruling party stole the November 21 presidential vote, massive street protests forced a new runoff, in which the rightful winner, Viktor Yushchenko, finally prevailed.
SOMEONE ONCE DEFINED a fanatic as someone who redoubles his efforts after losing sight of his objective. Based on this definition, the Bush administration is in danger of becoming fanatical on tax policy. Last fall, as the administration prepared its January budget proposal, there was a spirited…
CONSERVATIVES COMPLAIN constantly (and rightly) about the liberal bias of the major media. What they don't realize, however, is that this bias probably hurts liberals more than it helps them. The Republican victory this fall is a case in point. One way media bias hurts liberals is by giving them a…
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS are hopeful that the signing of George W. Bush's tax cut marks the beginning of their tax agenda, not its completion. The next item, they indicate, will be tax reform. While the president has yet to offer any clues about what sort of reform he will propose, his appointments to…
ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING of Washington myths is that a "feeding frenzy" of tax cuts for business in 1981 was responsible for the deficits of the 1980s. This mythology is now being revived by those eager to derail, or at least shrink, a major tax cut this year.
WASHINGTON will soon be inundated with a fresh wave of political appointees. This being the first Democratic to Republican transition in 20 years, many of the new people will find themselves in the Washington pressure cooker for the first time. And quite a few are leaving corporate America with its…
WASHINGTON will soon be inundated with a fresh wave of political appointees. This being the first Democratic to Republican transition in 20 years, many of the new people will find themselves in the Washington pressure cooker for the first time. And quite a few are leaving corporate America with its…
WASHINGTON will soon be inundated with a fresh wave of political appointees. This being the first Democratic to Republican transition in 20 years, many of the new people will find themselves in the Washington pressure cooker for the first time. And quite a few are leaving corporate America with its…
A FEW MONTHS BACK, the New York Times reversed itself on the flat tax: In the recent past it supported the idea without reservation, today it opposes the fiat tax unequivocally. Now the Times has done it again on the minimum wage. On April 5, it endorsed an increase in the minimum wage from $ 4.25…
A FOOLISH CONSISTENCY is the hobgoblin of little minds. So said Ralph Waldo Emerson back in 1841. Perhaps so. But when two major newspapers change their opinions 180 degrees without offering any acknowledgment of their earlier views or any explanation for the change, one has to wonder if there…