John Goodman’s Commentaries
Why Did Biden Get Such Bad Advice From Economists?
Voter’s Guide on Health Reform
This brief Q & A covers all the major issues, including telemedicine, direct primary care, portable health insurance, Health Savings Accounts, continuous open enrollment, etc. There are two types of information: (1) what the issue is about and (2) how the two political parties have differed. This is an invaluable resource for voters and candidates alike. More
Protecting Seniors from Inflation
A Health Reform Whose Time Has Come
The basic idea: take all the spending and tax subsidies we now provide to private health insurance and use that money to give every American not on a government health plan a refundable tax credit. This money could be used to purchase health insurance and make deposits to Health Savings Accounts, from which people could purchase health services directly. Rep. Pete Sessions has a bill that would do just that. More
Whatever Happened to the $15 Minimum Wage?
It seems like only yesterday that the $15 minimum wage was high on the agenda of every self-respecting progressive politician, including Hillary Clinton in her presidential campaign. The “Fight for 15” was successful in several states and even went statewide in New York and California. So why aren’t we hearing more about the idea these days? It may be because labor markets are working, just like textbook economics say they should. More
Obamacare: Promises Made, Promises Broken
When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, health care was a major issue. Although many on the left were advocating single-payer, national health insurance, Obama pledged private health insurance reform instead.
Why a Billionaire’s Tax Could Be Bad for You
The Biden administration is proposing a new tax on households worth more than $100 million. Tagged as a “billionaire tax,” the new levy would apply not just to ordinary income, but also to unrealized capital gains. If a wealthy person owns shares of stock and the stock is worth more today than when it was purchased, Biden wants the federal government to take 20 percent of the increase. So, what’s wrong with that?
Covid: Could We Have Saved More Lives?
According to a Goodman Institute study by David Henderson and Charles Hooper, studies suggest that there are at least 11 drugs that can substantially reduce mortality in patients who contract Covid-19. These drugs are widely used, safe, and convenient. Because they are generic, most of them cost $1. A few of them cost $5.
What’s Wrong with the Economy?
Inflation has been driven by an explosion of federal spending, which rose to 40% of GDP. Spending surged as the pandemic shutdown reduced employment and production during that period by an average of 7%. In this textbook case of inflation, $1.20 of income began chasing 93 cents of goods and services – a process greased by expansive monetary policy. That mismatch sent inflation to a 40-year high.
Did the Government Make us Fat?
Beginning around 1980, the federal government and public health agencies began demonizing meat and saturated fat as the major cause of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in the U.S. and around the world. They promoted a low-fat diet with increased consumption of carbohydrates instead. Obesity in the US has been steadily increasing ever since.
Sadly, these top-down public health campaigns served up a perfect nutritional storm for higher levels of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. And this was done while mounting, high-quality, peer-reviewed nutritional research suggested the basis for their advice was completely wrong.