Voters are worried about border security and inflation but all she wants to talk about is ‘fascism.’
The late Walter Williams, who taught economics at George Mason University for 40 years while also writing a syndicated newspaper column, liked to remind his students and readers that political leaders often exploit economic illiteracy to win votes. “I think it’s important for people to understand the ideas of scarcity and decision-making in everyday life so that they won’t be ripped off by politicians,” he once told me.
This year’s presidential race provides ample evidence of those concerns. Donald Trump is offering tax breaks to select voters like you would Halloween candy—a Kit Kat for people who receive overtime pay, a Snickers for people who earn tips—with no regard for how these exemptions would distort labor markets and affect a federal Treasury that is already running a $1.8 trillion deficit. Mr. Trump is also promising more tariffs if re-elected, even though the tariffs imposed in his first term led to higher prices for consumers, just as economists predicted.
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Jason L. Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and a Fox News commentator. Follow him on Twitter here.
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