Stephen Moore

The case for a border adjustable tax system

If America's competitors were intentionally trying to design a tax system to destroy the American economy, they probably couldn't come up with a dumber tax system than the way the United States currently taxes our own businesses. Published January 8, 2017

Big Green biggest loser of 2016

The day after the presidential elections the executive director of the Sierra Club glumly called the Donald Trump victory "deeply disturbing for the nation and the planet." Well, yes, if you're a climate change alarmist who hates fossil fuels, you're in for a bad four and maybe eight years. Published January 1, 2017

Economy needs a boost

Since the election, the stock market has soared, consumer confidence has climbed to its highest level in 20 years, and several companies have committed to multi-billion dollar new investments in the United States. To say that America has a new spring it its step -- at least for now -- would be an understatement. It feels like the last joyous scene in "It's a Wonderful Life" when George Bailey stumbles home on Christmas Eve to a house full of friends and family. Published December 25, 2016

The right way to spend on infrastructure

Back in early 2015 oil and gas company Conoco-Phillips requested a permit from the Obama administration to launch an oil drilling project in Alaska. The energy project, called the Greater Moose's Tooth Development, is located within the National Petroleum Reserve and would create thousands of jobs in an economically depressed area of the state. The project has the full approval of the local community, and poses little threat to the environment in a sparsely populated region. Published December 18, 2016

This Christmas we need the gift of humility

On election night at around 6 p.m. a Hillary Clinton political operative went on TV and smugly opined that she believed they had a 95 percent chance of winning. Wow, 95 percent. In statistics we call that a very high level of certainty. But of course five hours later the woman was in tears and the 1 in 20 long shot named Donald Trump came in. Published December 11, 2016

The blue state depression

People are leaving the Hillary-supporting states in droves Published December 4, 2016

Welcome to the party of Donald Trump

I stirred up some controversy last week when I told a conference of several dozen House Republicans that the GOP is now officially a Trump working class party. For better or worse, I said at the gathering inside the Capital Dome, the baton has now officially been passed from the Reagan era to the new Trump era. The members didn't quite faint over my apostasy, but the shock was palpable. Published November 27, 2016

How Donald Trump will double growth and jobs

When Donald Trump said last week that he will double the American growth rate, his skeptics scoffed. The left doesn't think 4 percent growth is possible because they never came close to that target under President Obama. Published November 15, 2016

Hillary Clinton’s worst ideas on the economy

The latest spin out of Washington is that stock market declines over the last 10 days are due to Donald Trump's surge in the polls. Well it is true that Wall Street tends to hate change — even when it's positive. And if Donald Trump is anything, it is a change agent that will rattle the cages in Washington, and perhaps on Wall Street. Published November 6, 2016

Obamacare’s implosion

By now everyone knows that Obamacare is officially the public policy flop of this generation. With the latest news of premium increases of 22 percent, insurance companies dropping out, dwindling competition, and rising costs to taxpayers, this is truly the Hindenburg of health plans. Published October 30, 2016

Hillary Clinton, the hypocrite

In the modern history of American politics has there ever been a bigger hypocrite than Hillary Clinton? Her 30 years in politics has taught us clearly that Hillary lives by one set of rules and wants to impose different rules for everyone else. Published October 23, 2016

Donald Trump still has support

I have been asked a dozen times by news reporters over the last week: Do you still support Donald Trump? The elites at The New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN would love to be able to add me and dozens more to the list of Republicans who have publicly denounced the Trump-Pence ticket. Published October 16, 2016

Hillary Clinton’s solar energy baloney

One of Hillary Clinton's wackier ideas is to build half a billion solar panels -- at taxpayer expense. It would be one of the largest corporate welfare giveaways in American history. The Institute for Energy Research (IER) estimates that the cost of the plan will reach $205 billion. Published October 9, 2016

How Hillary Clinton plays the class warfare card

Hillary Clinton keeps bashing the Trump tax plan as "Trumped up trickle down economics." This class warfare card has become the standard and tired response to every Republican tax plan reform for 30 years. No wonder we haven't cleaned out the stables of the tax code since the Reagan era. Democrats have no interest. Published October 2, 2016

Hillary Clinton’s tax plan will fail because Americans don’t buy politics of greed, envy

Greed: A selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed. A continual lust for more. Published September 25, 2016

Census report an indictment of Obama, George W. Bush

While touting the new Census report on income and poverty in America, Barack Obama took credit for $2 a gallon gasoline, and immodestly shouted to his crowd of supporters: "Thank you, Obama." Published September 18, 2016

How Hillary Clinton’s economic plan won’t work

What makes America an economically ingenious place is the competitive federalism model set forth by our Founding Fathers. They established our nation as the world's largest ever free trade zone in which 50 states competing for jobs and people with varying economic and fiscal policies. Published September 11, 2016

The death tax is the unfairest tax of all

It was in 1916 -- 100 years ago this year -- that America made a big, big mistake that has done significant damage to our economy and the fairness of our tax system for an entire century. We are talking about the estate tax, more popularly known as the death tax. Published September 4, 2016

Hillary Clinton’s faulty economic plan

One of the dumbest statements in modern times was Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's declaration that "the best way to stimulate the economy" is through food stamps and unemployment insurance. Published August 28, 2016

What Republican turncoats forget

I asked a successful businessman the other day what he thought about Donald Trump. He turned his thumb down. Wow. Are you going to vote for Hillary? I asked with trepidation. "Of course not," he replied almost insulted by the question. "I understand the concept of a binary decision." Published August 21, 2016