Outside the Beltway

The coverage of Egypt shows an over-reliance on pundits and an under-reliance on actual experts.

The GOP is facing a battle between its fiscal conservatism and i’s military adventurism.

It is always easier to compromise on more spending and less taxes.

The initial instant reaction to the President’s speech last night was largely positive, but does it really matter?

Greg Mankiw has a plan for cutting the deficit.

We won’t be able to solve our fiscal problems until the American people grow up. So far, there are no signs of that happening.

What happened to the 15 million jobs that were supposed to be created in the past 10 years but weren’t?

Time for midterms.

Sarah Palin’s unfavorability ratings continue to climb. And there’s very little room for her recovery.

Now that Republicans have the House, wouldn’t they be better off playing nice?

The current approach of the GOP to health care is not dissimilar to its approach to fiscal policy: not a lot of substance.

The American public still has a totally unrealistic view of what it will take to get the Federal Government’s fiscal house in order.

Faced with mounting debt, the lame duck Illinois legislature rushed through a massive tax hike in the wee hours this morning.

When determining the effects on the deficit of a certain legislative action, both revenues and spending have to be accounted for. Indeed, you can’t determine whether there is a deficit, surplus or balanced budget without both variables.

Some people in the D.C. area are worried that the Federal spending gravy train may be coming to an end. They should be.

Freshman Members of Congress are threatening to block a vote to raise the debt ceiling that Congress will have to take by this Spring. They’d be irresponsible if they did so.

With just over a week to go before the 112th Congress convenes, battle lines are already being drawn in battle over the defense budget.

Did you know that the iPhone is made in China for a mere $6.50? It’s false but true!

The incoming House Republicans aren’t making a good first impression.

A new poll shows that the American public is discontented, nervous about the economy, not entirely sure they can trust the new GOP majority in Congress, and has no idea what it wants from Washington. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Has anyone told Mike Bloomberg that “No Labels” is, well, a label?

Krauthammer thinks Obama tricked the GOP into agreeing to Stimulus II.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he isn’t running for President, but he’s sure acting like a guy who’s at least thinking about it.

The pending compromise between the two parties on taxes and other policies underscores the fact that enhanced minority power (in this case, the filibuster power) helps contribute to fiscal irresponsibility.

President Obama’s press conference yesterday, bitterly railing against Democrats in the Congress for being “purist” and “sanctimonious,” is brilliant triangulation.

Amid signs that Democrats in Congress might rebel against the tax cut deal he struck with Republicans, President Obama took to the airwaves today to defend it at the same time that his base is rebelling against it.

President Obama and the GOP have reached a deal on extending the Bush tax cuts that gives the GOP virtually everything it wanted.

Is President Obama’s Federal pay freeze a sign that he’s moving to the right, or just pointless symbolism?

President Obama’s plan to free federal employee pay is getting praised by Republicans but is wildly unpopular among progressive activists.

The Republican talking point that lowering taxes lowers spending and raising taxes increases spending is denied by reality.

Former Senator Alan Simpson is fighting back against the critics on the left and the right who are shooting down the Deficit Commission’s plan before it’s even been released.

There is a simple mathematical equation that explains why deficit reduction is so difficult.