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Richard W. Rahn

Richard W. Rahn

Richard W. Rahn is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth.

Articles by Richard W. Rahn

Illustration on political economic corruption in Ukraine by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

RICHARD RAHN: Ukraine facing bankruptcy

Ukraine will likely go bankrupt within the next few months. This past Friday, it was reported that the country has less than $10 billion in foreign-currency reserves. My sources (who have been spot on the Russian/Ukrainian situation over the last couple of years) tell me the situation is actually worse than the official reports in that Ukraine is now losing foreign reserves at a rate of $3 billion a month and that rate is accelerating. Even worse, some of the reserves may be "illiquid" — which likely means they have already been spent or even stolen. Published December 8, 2014

Illustration on the use of static vs. dynamic impact models for government taxation by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

RICHARD RAHN: Republican Congress to take on tax, spending reforms

Would you make an effort to find ways to reduce your tax burden if your tax rate was suddenly raised 50 percent? The higher one's income, the more incentive a person has to find ways to minimize his tax burden — which is why very high tax rates on the rich always fail to produce the projected revenue. Published December 1, 2014

Jonathan Gruber poses in his home in Lexington, Mass., in this Feb. 8, 2011, file photo. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

RICHARD W. RAHN: The stupidity of ‘experts’

The only surprising thing about Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber's revelations that the legislation was based on a series of lies and voter stupidity was that Mr. Gruber was so stupid to think no one would see the videos of him saying so. Published November 17, 2014

Putin's Soviet Russia Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

RICHARD W. RAHN: Possibilities and predicaments for Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin's clear goal is to re-establish as much of the Russian Empire (1721-1917) as he can. At its greatest extent, the Russian Empire included the territories of the old Soviet Union, most of Eastern Europe, Finland and Alaska (up to 1866). Published November 10, 2014

Constitution Day Sept 17 Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

RICHARD W. RAHN: Reversing the tide of official lawlessness

The basic function of government is the protection of person and property, and the United States is losing ground both in absolute terms and relative to other countries on this basic measure of liberty. Published November 3, 2014

IRS Extinguishes Liberty Torch Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

RICHARD W. RAHN: Either liberty or the IRS

After last week's ruling wherein a federal court failed to permanently bar the Internal Revenue Service from targeting conservative groups, there can be no doubt that liberty and the IRS are incompatible. Published October 27, 2014

A woman walks past an electronic board of a local bank showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014. Global stocks sank under the weight of worries about the possible timing of a U.S. rate hike, economic weakness in China and an impending referendum on Scottish independence. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.9 percent to 24,705.36. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

RAHN: The long-run solution to an economic mess

Yes, the world is a mess — but there is a long-run solution. The solution is a world of modest-size governmental units — like Virginia and Switzerland, with no larger entity to bail them out if they make bad decisions. Published September 22, 2014

Hong Kong Economy Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

RAHN: Hong Kong’s miraculous progress

How did this small city-state of 7.3 million people go from having a per-capita income of only a few hundred dollars per year to a per-capita income that is equal to that of the United States in only 50 years? Published September 1, 2014

RAHN: No government austerity, no gain

Do you think government has grown or contracted during the past seven years? If you listen to the political class and many of their lackeys in the news media, you would think there have been massive cuts in government spending. Published August 25, 2014

Big Brother Putin Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

RAHN: When money mischief goes global

Do you want the Obama administration sharing all of your financial information with the Russian, Chinese and Saudi Arabian governments? Published July 28, 2014