Cato Institute
Senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank in Washington, DC
PROFILE
Daniel J. Mitchell
Guest
FROM Daniel J. Mitchell
To the Point
Friday's Sequester: Economic Disaster or Political Theater? Ohio will lose $25 million for primary and secondary education; Georgia may not get the money to vaccinate against childhood disease; Pennsylvania will loose help for victims of domestic violence; Texas will see 52,000 defense workers furloughed, and Virginia will get less federal support for its transportation program. With the White House spinning out state-by-state damage because of Friday's scheduled budget cuts, Republican Governors are increasingly uneasy. Meantime, Tea Partiers call "sequester" the best thing since they were elected, so Republican House leaders are getting hit from both directions. With no talks visible or behind closed doors, Washington is braced for the blame game. What's at stake for education, transportation, law enforcement, Pentagon contractors and economic recovery?
Which Way, L.A.?
How to Make Sure Your Charity Dollars Count December is the most popular month to give to charity. According to one recent study, donations spike as the calendar moves closer to New Year's Eve. But how do you know what good your money is actually doing? In recent years, economists have begun to analyze the effectiveness of many charitable programs – and many non-profits are shaping their work in response to those findings. So how do you find out what good your money is doing? Is giving getter smarter? How is a new generation of philanthropists engaging with the social causes of our times, and how would their giving change if charitable tax deductions are eliminated?
To the Point
How to Make Sure Your Charity Dollars Count December is the most popular month to give to charity. According to one recent study, donations spike as the calendar moves closer to New Year's Eve. But how do you know what good your money is actually doing? In recent years, economists have begun to analyze the effectiveness of many charitable programs – and many non-profits are shaping their work in response to those findings. So how do you find out what good your money is doing? Is giving getter smarter? How is a new generation of philanthropists engaging with the social causes of our times, and how would their giving change if charitable tax deductions are eliminated?
Which Way, L.A.?
The Age of Outrage in Europe and America Multibillion-dollar investor Warren Buffett has made headlines by suggesting that he and other rich people pay too little in taxes. In this Sunday's New York Times, columnist Roger Cohen wrote that "a feeling has grown in Western societies that uncontrollable forces are at work shrinking possibility. "History," he said, "has never seen a global power shift as radical as the current one that managed to be peaceful." We hear a lively debate.
To the Point
The Age of Outrage in Europe and America In Britain, Greece and elsewhere in Europe, outbreaks of street violence have disrupted the usual tranquility of spring and summer. The combination of high unemployment and new austerity measures is creating a loss of hope in the future among young people. Sound familiar? Multibillion-dollar investor Warren Buffett has made headlines by suggesting that he and other rich people pay too little in taxes. Are countries in the developed West facing a crisis of confidence? On both sides of the Atlantic, the gap between the rich and the rest of the population is growing fast. Is the work ethic losing its currency? Is it time for the rich to pay more taxes and share what they have or face an outbreak of class warfare?
Recommended
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.