Free Republic

At the December Democratic debate, when asked to comment regarding several dire economic forecasts evaluating her proposed wealth tax on the economy, Senator Warren responded: “oh – they’re just wrong.” That response elicited applause from the audience and zero follow-up questions. Shame on both the audience and the moderators. Just glib is not good enough. In an 1819 Supreme Court Case, the Supreme Court (McCollough v Maryland) correctly noted that “the power to tax is the power to destroy.” While this case was directed at taxes imposed by a state, it is a comment worth remembering. Senator Warren’s wealth tax...

For a long time, there was a bipartisan consensus for free trade. President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement, and Democrat Bill Clinton got it passed. It prevailed in the Senate in 1993 with the support of 27 Democrats and 34 Republicans. The consensus wasn't unanimous by any means, but it was broad enough to steadily advance the cause. Tuesday's Senate vote against considering a bill to give President Barack Obama "fast-track authority" for trade deals suggests those days are gone. Only one Democrat supported it, with 42 opposed -- led by Elizabeth Warren,...