Richard W. Rahn

RAHN: From captive nations to free markets

Vilnius, Lithuania

June 4, 2013

RAHN: Preserving their monopoly on monopoly money

"The need to slough off the outworn old to make possible the productive new is universal.

May 28, 2013

RAHN: Why the IRS cannot be reformed

Every few years, at least from the time of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, there is a scandal involving abuse of power at the Internal Revenue Service.

May 21, 2013

RAHN: Putting out the welcome mat for prosperity

How many new immigrants should the United States allow each year? How many guest workers? These are not easy questions, which is why there is as much fierce debate within the two parties as between them.

May 14, 2013

RAHN: Misplaced interests

There is considerable evidence that drinking one glass of red wine per day for most middle-aged men has more health benefits than costs. There is also considerable evidence that drinking three or more glasses of wine per day causes more health problems than benefits.

May 7, 2013

RAHN: Privatize almost everything

As a mental challenge, try to think of all of the governmental activities - federal, state and local - that could be privatized. Now, go a step further. Suppose you were required to develop a plan to privatize, or make self-supporting through user fees, nearly every activity of government.

April 30, 2013

RAHN: When is too much security too much?

Should Americans be spending more on public security, or less? After a week of two horrific events, the Boston Marathon attack and the Texas fertilizer-plant explosion, most would probably answer the above question by saying, "We're not spending enough." Such an emotional response is not surprising particularly after seeing the highly competent and courageous response of the police, firefighters and medical first responders.

April 23, 2013

RAHN: From stagnation to prosperity to stagnation

The great tragedy of our time is that so few know economic history; thus we have been doomed to repeat the mistakes of a generation ago, and millions suffer.

April 16, 2013

RAHN: Collecting taxes, dispensing fear

Do you think you receive fair value for the money you spend on taxes? The fact is you don't, because there is excessive corruption in both the way your tax money is collected and in the way it is spent. Many countries are notorious for the tax collectors being "on the take."

April 9, 2013

RAHN: Global warming’s ‘fatal conceit’

Much of Northern Europe, including Britain, is suffering under the coldest winter and spring of the last 30 to 100 years. The Northeastern part of the United States has had a record cold March. The record cold in Europe has killed thousands and cost billions. It was not supposed to be this way.

April 2, 2013

RAHN: How government steals your savings

There has been global outrage about the proposal from the Cyprus government to have a significant one-time tax on those who have deposits in Cypriot banks. It has been correctly called a theft of private capital. What many fail to realize is that from the beginning, governments have been engaged in this type of theft, including the U.S. government.

March 26, 2013

RAHN: Where will the next financial crisis begin?

Which country will serve as the trigger for the next financial crisis? Given the continuing rise in debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratios in many countries, it is apparent that a new financial crisis will occur. Most of the speculation has been about when, rather than where.

March 19, 2013

RAHN: Sequestration myth

The head of the Obama White House National Economic Council, Gene Sperling, who is a lawyer, has been claiming that "all economists" agree that sequestration will cost 750,000 jobs. I am an economist with a doctorate from Columbia University, and I don't agree.

March 12, 2013

RAHN: Locking in the homeowner

It is estimated that up to a quarter of all American households still owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Many of these people have been able to refinance their home loans with much lower interest rates, but that does not solve the problem because they have a balance sheet problem rather than a cash-flow problem.

March 5, 2013

RAHN: Ending the corporate tax

Can you name the worst tax? In recent weeks, there have been a slew of articles in major publications about how many multinational corporations have found legal ways to reduce their tax burdens by running some of their operations through low-tax jurisdictions.

February 26, 2013