Richard W. Rahn

RAHN: The responsibility to resist fiscally irresponsible politicians

Are you more responsible than your government? If so, what can you do about it? Published March 10, 2014

RAHN: Legal and illegal political corruption

If a politician or government official takes a direct monetary bribe for granting a favor or sweetheart contract, do you think he should be sent to prison? Such an activity is despicable, but it is usually far less costly to society than the legal forms of corruption. Published March 3, 2014

RAHN: Obama spokespeople deny what we know to be true

Few express opinions different from what they are paid to say, and such is equally true for those who work for government. Published February 24, 2014

RAHN: Being taxed for bad advice by international organizations

If you became aware that the advice you were receiving from your economic advisers was causing you to get poorer rather than richer, how long would you keep them? Published February 17, 2014

RAHN: Russian meddling in Ukraine could trigger financial turmoil

Why worry about Ukraine? To many, it seems far away and a country about which they know little. Published February 10, 2014

RAHN: A world of economic trouble

There are many signs that the world may be headed for a new economic slump, or worse. Published February 3, 2014

RAHN: Obama wants to tax the world

The administration and many in Congress seem to have learned nothing from the Obamacare disaster. Now that they have destroyed the world's best health care system, they are in the process of further destroying what was at one time a very functional global financial system. Published January 27, 2014

RAHN: Rule of law key to a prosperous society

Without the rule of law, a civil and prosperous society cannot long endure. The annual reports of "The Economic Freedom of the World" and the "Index of Economic Freedom" show very large declines in the international ranking of the United States in the rule of law over the past decade. Published January 20, 2014

RAHN: The wolves of Wall Street went off to prison; so why not the coyotes of Congress?

Are business people more corrupt than those in government? Hollywood loves to portray those in business as the baddies and those in government as the good guys. Exhibit A is the new movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street," the largely true story of con man Jordan Belfort. Published January 13, 2014

RAHN: Fumbling the crystal ball

The struggle between the productive and the destructive never ends. The productive are those who add more value and wealth than they consume, and the destructive are those who destroy more value and wealth than they create. Will 2014 be a year of production or destruction? Published January 6, 2014

BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Map and the Territory’

Alan Greenspan began his career in economics as an analyst and forecaster. In his new book "The Map and the Territory," Mr. Greenspan presents an honest assessment of what economists can and cannot predict, along with many useful insights as to the way that both politicians and investors tend to behave. It is also a first-rate history of some of the failures and successes of economic policy over the past century by the ultimate economic-policy insider. Published January 5, 2014

RAHN: New Year’s resolutions for others

New Year's resolutions are difficult to keep. That is why I find it easier to make them for others, rather than myself, as part of my other-people improvement program. The country would not be on the road to ruin if those in government would follow the New Year's resolutions I propose for them, starting with President Obama (as part of my fantasy world). Published December 30, 2013

RAHN: Most things are better now

If you think things are bad, you might be consoled in knowing that most things for most people on the globe were never better than in 2013. Published December 23, 2013

RAHN: The deniers of economic reality

Only 12 percent of likely U.S. voters favor a federal budget that increases government spending, but that's just what the bipartisan budget deal passed by the House late [last] week does. Published December 16, 2013

RAHN: The high cost of a free lunch

Last week, President Obama said that "income inequality" is the major problem that his administration would focus on for the remainder of his term. Published December 9, 2013

RAHN: From protector to destroyer

Did you ever buy a game or device for which the rule book or instruction manual was so thick and detailed that you were not able to comprehend it in a reasonable period of time, so you either discarded or failed to use the product? Published December 2, 2013

RAHN: Politicizing the judiciary

If you have ever been before a judge for any reason, did you think about whether the judge was appointed by a Democrat or a Republican? Probably not. People expect judges, regardless of political leanings, to be fair and competent -- and for the most part, this expectation has been fulfilled in America, unlike many other places in the world. Published November 25, 2013