Phil Kerpen - Economic Policy Analysis and Advocacy

Stopping the Lame Duck Threat

Phil Kerpen — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:38:53 -0500

Here are the links to my three-part series on Pajamas Media:

Part I: Moderate Republicans Key to Stopping Lame-Duck Threat

Part II: Special Election Candidates Promise to Stop Lame-Duck Agenda

Part III: Dems Up for Election in 2012 Can Stop the Lame-Duck Agenda

For even more on the lame duck, check out this summary on the Americans for Prosperity site.

Stimulus-funded joke machine? Not so funny. Kerpen on FNC.

Phil Kerpen — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:33:24 -0500

On Saturday I was on FOX & Friends talking about stimulus waste, in particular $700,000 to fund the development of joke-telling software. Could have saved the money and just programmed a list of ridiculous stimulus projects.

Want to hear a good one? Obama wants another $50B for stimulus pork!

UPDATED: Miller Victory Shows Energy Taxes Can Be Toxic

Phil Kerpen — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:32:22 -0500

Phil Kerpen
Updated August 31, 2010

Joe Miller has held onto his narrow lead and Sen. Lisa Murkowski has graciously conceded in a surprising Alaska Senate primary. While many people are focusing on other story lines, Alaska is one of our biggest energy states and Murkowski’s support for energy taxes may be one of the major reasons Joe Miller was able to pull off this remarkable upset.

Another stimulus? Kerpen debates it on Kudlow Report

Phil Kerpen — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:27:43 -0500

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1576455824&play=1

Discussing Economy and Lame Duck on CBN

Phil Kerpen — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:02:45 -0500

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/finance/2010/August/Recovery-Fears-Rise-with-Plunging-Home-Sales/

The Social Security crisis is real

Phil Kerpen — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:22:54 -0500

By Phil Kerpen - The Daily Caller
Published: 5:04 PM 08/16/2010

Paul Krugman’s astonishingly incorrect column about Social Security’s finances is based on the premise that anticipated deficits in the Social Security program may never materialize. A couple of years ago, he could have made that claim with a very slight chance of being correct. This year, facts have already overtaken his weak argument: the CBO reported earlier this year that Social Security is already spending more in benefits than it collects in taxes, which the program’s own trustees confirmed last week.

Social Security has a problem that’s even bigger than its insolvency, which is that it offers a terrible deal for young workers. For young, single workers all Social Security promises (a promise it can’t even afford to keep) is about a 1.5 percent real rate of return. What it can afford to pay is more like half a percent, which is more like passbook interest than a real investment return. Polls consistently show that strong majorities of younger workers don’t expect to ever collect any Social Security benefits.

Read the rest at Daily Caller.