David J. Hebert

Jan 14, 2025 | spectator.org | David J. Hebert |Nikolai G. Wenzel

The U.S. federal government has a debt problem. At $36.2 trillion (or about 125 percent of GDP), this burden is already so great that it cannot be paid back any time soon and would take decades of concerted efforts to do so. Further, it is abundantly clear that this is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. But what are we to do about this? One answer floated about is to trim waste from the federal government.

Sep 27, 2024 | aier.org | David J. Hebert

In a recent Atlantic article titled “Sometimes You Just Have to Ignore the Economists,” law professor Zephyr Teachout castigates economists for their nigh-universal denouncing of Vice President and now presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s plan to impose nationwide anti-”price-gouging” laws on groceries.

Sep 17, 2024 | spectator.org | Nikolai G. Wenzel |David J. Hebert

In its continuing frenzy to see anticompetitive behavior behind every bush — and then apply the wrong remedies — the Biden Department of Justice recently sued RealPage, a technology company that helps landlords determine how much to charge in rent. On the face of it, RealPage is one of the many new tools offered by modern technology. It aggregates national data with landlord data and suggests a figure for rent.

Aug 13, 2024 | lawliberty.org | David J. Hebert |Wilfred Reilly |Helen Dale |Robert G. Natelson

In a recent American Compass article, Michael Lind asks “So What If Tariffs Are Taxes?” In doing so, he defends the position of so many on the left and right that tariffs are good economics, good policy, and essential to reverse the damage allegedly caused by zealously pursuing trade liberalization. Unfortunately, he gets both his history and economics wrong.

Aug 8, 2024 | aier.org | David J. Hebert

The federal minimum wage was last raised fifteen years ago this month. Vice President Harris has been on record supporting raising this to $15 per hour, co-sponsoring a proposed bill for doing so with Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2019. Today, lawmakers in Arizona, Alaska, and Oklahoma, not to mention plenty of municipalities throughout all fifty states, are considering raising the minimum wage of their respective areas.