Author: Matt Bruenig

Just Give Everyone Food Stamps

The right-wing is getting riled up about food stamps, again. Sean Hannity even dedicated an entire hour to the food stamp program last week, with predictable messaging about how it is exploding and a scourge on the country. While the purpose of this manufactured outrage is to get rid of or dramatically shrink the food stamp program,… Continue reading Just Give Everyone Food Stamps

Policy Shop: Cash Benefit Programs Are Not Really Government Spending

New post at Policy Shop. Excerpt: Cash benefit programs are simply distributive institutions: they, along with our other economic institutions, determine which individuals get to spend money and how much. The government does not spend money on a cash benefit program, it just channels it to someone who spends it. The only coherent objection that… Continue reading Policy Shop: Cash Benefit Programs Are Not Really Government Spending

Let’s start at -0.1

Steve Waldman and Garrett Jones are having an interesting back and forth over at interfluidity and econlib. It’s about optimal tax rates for capital income and labor income. Jones is a big fan of the Chamley-Judd view that capital income should be taxed at zero. Waldman is not, or more accurately, he thinks the Chamley-Judd… Continue reading Let’s start at -0.1