Stephen Moore
Columns by Stephen Moore
Over The Counter Hearing Aid Act will up consumer choices
I'm technically disabled -- but not mentally disabled the way some of my foes on CNN seem to believe. No, my disability is hearing loss (in one ear I'm nearly deaf). Published June 11, 2017
Climate change hypocrites violated past treaty
Maybe the phoniest and most laughable reaction to President Donald Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord was the European and Chinese leaders who blasted Mr. Trump and America for "surrendering its world leadership" role. The sanctimonious leaders in Asia and European nations pledged to move full speed ahead on clean energy with or without the United States. Be my guest. Published June 4, 2017
Obamacare failure not caused by Trump
It's finally official. Obamacare is a public policy flop of epic proportions. That's the only possible conclusion from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City announcement last week that it will drop out of many markets in Kansas and Missouri. Published May 28, 2017
Venezuela is a human rights disaster
I often say only half-jokingly to students on college campuses who are all in with Bernie Sanders that if they think socialism is such a wonderful economic model: how about a one-way ticket to Caracas? Published May 21, 2017
The sickening effect of Obamacare taxes
In many ways was a massive trillion-dollar tax increase masquerading as a health reform plan called Obamacare. Published May 14, 2017
Health insurance in America does not work
I'm beginning to wonder whether anyone in Washington or in the media has the slightest clue what insurance is? Here is a standard dictionary definition of the term: "Insurance -- A promise of compensation for specific potential future losses in exchange for a periodic payment. Insurance is designed to protect the financial well-being of an individual, company or other entity in the case of unexpected loss." Published May 7, 2017
Economic growth will lower the deficit
As sure as the cuckoo clock chimes at midnight, the left is bloviating that the Trump tax plan will "blow a $5 trillion hole in the deficit." Many of the people complaining loudest were in the Obama administration and helped preside over a $9 trillion tidal wave of new debt. Now they are fiscally chaste. Sure. Published April 30, 2017
Coal will have a big comeback
Buried in an otherwise humdrum jobs report for March was the jaw-dropping pronouncement by the Labor Department that mining jobs in America were up by 11,000 in March. Since the low point in October 2016 and following years of painful layoffs in the mining industry, the mining sector has added 35,000 jobs. Published April 16, 2017
Government makes poor people poorer
For all the obsession in Washington and in college faculty lounges over income inequality, why isn't there more outrage over government policies that exacerbate the problem? There are hundreds of programs that make the poor, poorer and increase poverty in America. Many of them were exposed last week by my colleagues at the Heritage Foundation forum on this very topic. Published April 9, 2017
Medicaid’s poor design shows Congress’ poor planning
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more poorly designed program in the federal budget than Medicaid — the federal health insurance program for the poor. The costs are shared between the states and the feds, which means that the more money a state wastes under Medicaid, the bigger the check that Washington writes to the state. No wonder the program costs keep spiraling out of control. Published April 2, 2017
Liberalism is false compassion
Last week on CNN I debated a liberal commentator who complained that the problem with the Trump budget blueprint is that it lacks "compassion" for the poor, children and the disabled. This woman went on to ask me how I could defend a budget that would cut Meals on Wheels, after-school programs, and special-ed funding, because without the federal dollars, these vital services would go away. Published March 28, 2017
Donald Trump fiscal policy makes conservatives cheer
What hypocrites liberals and the media are. For weeks on end they've been beating up President Trump for not taking the initiative on the $10 trillion debt build-up under Barack Obama or the runaway entitlement programs that could bankrupt our nation. Published March 19, 2017
Energy security requires not going ‘green’
If you listen to the media narrative on climate change and "clean energy," you'd think that the rest of the world has moved smartly and seamlessly toward 21st-century green energy, while the U.S. is the high-polluting laggard that just won't get with the program to save the planet. Published March 12, 2017
Saying yes to 4 percent growth
Imagine if John F. Kennedy's advisors had told him in 1961, we will never put a man on the moon. Or what if Ronald Reagan's advisors had assured the Gipper: the Cold War is unwinnable; we should sue for peace. Actually many naysayers told JFK and Mr. Reagan exactly these things, but fortunately these presidents were visionaries. They asked: "Why not?" Published March 5, 2017
States pleading poverty, demanding new taxes
Stop me if you've heard this story before. Governors and state legislators are pleading poverty again and they are demanding tax hikes of every imaginable kind. More than half the states are facing big deficits this year and they are mostly blue states like California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois and New York and Oregon. (See chart.) These are the highest tax states with some of the deepest pools of red ink. There's got to be a message here. Published February 26, 2017
Federal regulation is stifling business
At the first meeting of the Trump Leadership Council -- an advisory group consisting of top CEOs from major companies -- President Donald Trump asked these business leaders what was their biggest problem. I expected the answer to be America's anti-growth tax system. Published February 19, 2017
Carbon tax will not help environment and make Americans poorer
I have nothing but respect for former Secretaries of State Jim Baker and George Schultz, but come on gentlemen: you've been snookered. Published February 12, 2017
Stock market rise under Donald Trump could lead to bull market
The stock market has risen about 9 percent since the election of Donald Trump with near a $2 trillion increase in wealth. Is this the start of a big bull market rally? Published February 5, 2017
Finding a better way to promote prosperity
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire seethed the edict puts "ideology over women and health." She favors a policy that requires Americans to fund activities that they find morally offensive. So much for "pro-choice." If Planned Parenthood wants to fund organization that fund abortions abroad, their donors should put up the money, not unwilling taxpayers. Published January 29, 2017
Donald Trump’s $10 trillion stimulus plan
All of Washington seems to be in cardiac arrest over the news reports late last week that President Donald Trump is planning a budget with $10 trillion of budget cuts over the next decade. Published January 22, 2017