“

There is no disagreement that weneed action byour government,a recovery plan that will help tojumpstart the economy.

“— P R E S I D E N T- E L E C T B A R A C K O B A M A , J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 0 9

With all due respect
Mr.President,that is not true.
Notwithstanding reports that all economists are now Keynesians and that we all support a big increase in the burden ofgovernment, we the undersigned do not believe that more government spending is a way to improve economic performance.
More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression inthe 1930s. More government spending did not solve Japan’s “lost decade” in the 1990s. As such, it is a triumph of hope overexperience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S. today. To improve the economy, policymakers should
focus on reforms that remove impediments to work, saving, investment and production. Lower tax rates and a reduction in theburden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth.
BURTON ABRAMS, Univ. of Delaware

CHRISTOPHER DOUGLAS, Univ. of Michigan, FlintROGER KOPPL, Fairleigh Dickinson University

BARRY POULSON, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder

DOUGLAS ADIE, Ohio University

FLOYD DUNCAN, Virginia Military Institute

KISHORE KULKARNI, Metropolitan

BENJAMIN POWELL, Suffolk University

RYAN AMACHER, Univ. of Texas at Arlington

FRANCIS EGAN, Trinity College

State College of Denver

EDWARD PRESCOTT, Nobel laureate

J.J. ARIAS, Georgia College & State University

JOHN EGGER, Towson University

DEEPAK LAL, UCLAGARY QUINLIVAN, Saint Vincent CollegeHOWARD BAETJER, JR., Towson UniversityKENNETH ELZINGA, Univ. of Virginia

GEORGE LANGELETT, South Dakota State University

REZA RAMAZANI, Saint Michael’s College

STACIE BECK, Univ. of Delaware

PAUL EVANS, Ohio State University

JAMES LARRIVIERE, Spring Hill CollegeADRIANO RAMPINI, Duke University

DON BELLANTE, Univ. of South Florida

EUGENE FAMA, Univ. of Chicago

ROBERT LAWSON, Auburn University

ERIC RASMUSEN, Indiana University

JAMES BENNETT, George Mason University

W. KEN FARR, Georgia College & State University

JOHN LEVENDIS, Loyola University New Orleans

MARIO RIZZO, New York University

BRUCE BENSON, Florida State University

HARTMUT FISCHER, Univ. of San Francisco

DAVID LEVINE, Washington University in St. LouisRICHARD ROLL, Univ. of California, Los Angeles

SANJAI BHAGAT, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder

FRED FOLDVARY, Santa Clara University

PETER LEWIN, Univ. of Texas at Dallas

ROBERT ROSSANA, Wayne State University

MARK BILS, Univ. of Rochester

MURRAY FRANK, Univ. of Minnesota

DEAN LILLARD, Cornell University

JAMES ROUMASSET, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa

ALBERTO BISIN, New York University

PETER FRANK, Wingate University

ZHENG LIU, Emory University

JOHN ROWE, Univ. of South Florida

WALTER BLOCK, Loyola University New Orleans

TIMOTHY FUERST, Bowling Green State University

ALAN LOCKARD, Binghampton University

CHARLES ROWLEY, George Mason University

CECIL BOHANON, Ball State University

B. DELWORTH GARDNER, Brigham Young University

EDWARD LOPEZ, San Jose State University

JUAN RUBIO-RAMIREZ, Duke University

MICHELE BOLDRIN, Washington University in St. LouisJOHN GAREN, Univ. of Kentucky

JOHN LUNN, Hope College

ROY RUFFIN, Univ. of Houston

DONALD BOOTH, Chapman University

RICK GEDDES, Cornell University

GLENN MACDONALD, Washington

KEVIN SALYER, Univ. of California, Davis

MICHAEL BORDO, Rutgers University

AARON GELLMAN, Northwestern University

University in St. LouisPAVEL SAVOR, Univ. of Pennsylvania

SAMUEL BOSTAPH, Univ. of Dallas

WILLIAM GERDES, Clarke CollegeMICHAEL MARLOW, California

RONALD SCHMIDT, Univ. of Rochester

SCOTT BRADFORD, Brigham Young University

MICHAEL GIBBS, Univ. of Chicago

Polytechnic State University

CARLOS SEIGLIE, Rutgers University

GENEVIEVE BRIAND, Eastern Washington University

STEPHAN GOHMANN, Univ. of Louisville

DERYL MARTIN, Tennessee Tech University

WILLIAM SHUGHART II, Univ. of Mississippi

GEORGE BROWER, Moravian CollegeRODOLFO GONZALEZ, San Jose State University

DALE MATCHECK, Northwood University

CHARLES SKIPTON, Univ. of Tampa

JAMES BUCHANAN, Nobel laureate

RICHARD GORDON, Penn State University

DEIRDRE MCCLOSKEY, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago

JAMES SMITH, Western Carolina University

RICHARD BURDEKIN, Claremont McKenna CollegePETER GORDON, Univ. of Southern California

JOHN MCDERMOTT, Univ. of South Carolina

VERNON SMITH, Nobel laureate

HENRY BUTLER, Northwestern University

ERNIE GOSS, Creighton University

JOSEPH MCGARRITY, Univ. of Central Arkansas

LAWRENCE SOUTHWICK, JR., Univ. at Buffalo

WILLIAM BUTOS, Trinity CollegePAUL GREGORY, Univ. of Houston

ROGER MEINERS, Univ. of Texas at Arlington

DEAN STANSEL, Florida Gulf Coast University

PETER CALCAGNO, College of Charleston

EARL GRINOLS, Baylor University

ALLAN MELTZER, Carnegie Mellon University

HOUSTON STOKES, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago

BRYAN CAPLAN, George Mason University

DANIEL GROPPER, Auburn University

JOHN MERRIFIELD, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio

BRIAN STROW, Western Kentucky University

ART CARDEN, Rhodes CollegeR.W. HAFER, Southern Illinois

JAMES MILLER III, George Mason University

SHIRLEY SVORNY, California StateJAMES CARDON, Brigham Young University

University, Edwardsville

JEFFREY MIRON, Harvard UniversityUniversity, Northridge

DUSTIN CHAMBERS, Salisbury University

ARTHUR HALL, Univ. of Kansas

THOMAS MOELLER, Texas Christian University

JOHN TATOM, Indiana State University

EMILY CHAMLEE-WRIGHT, Beloit CollegeSTEVE HANKE, John Hopkins

JOHN MOORHOUSE, Wake Forest University

WADE THOMAS, State University

V.V. CHARI, Univ. of Minnesota

STEPHEN HAPPEL, Arizona State University

ANDREA MORO, Vanderbilt Universityof New York at Oneonta

BARRY CHISWICK, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago

FRANK HEFNER, College of Charleston

ANDREW MORRISS, Univ. of Illinois

HENRY THOMPSON, Auburn University

LAWRENCE CIMA, John Carroll University

RONALD HEINER, George Mason Universityat Urbana-Champaign

ALEX TOKAREV, The King’s CollegeJ.R. CLARK, Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga

DAVID HENDERSON, Hoover Institution,

MICHAEL MUNGER, Duke University

EDWARD TOWER, Duke University

GIAN LUCA CLEMENTI, New York University

Stanford University

KEVIN MURPHY, Univ. of Southern California

LEO TROY, Rutgers University

R. MORRIS COATS, Nicholls State University

ROBERT HERREN, North Dakota State University

RICHARD MUTH, Emory University

DAVID TUERCK, Suffolk University

JOHN COCHRAN, Metropolitan State CollegeGAILEN HITE, Columbia University

CHARLES NELSON, Univ. of WashingtonCHARLOTTE TWIGHT, Boise State University

JOHN COCHRANE, Univ. of Chicago

STEVEN HORWITZ, St. Lawrence University

SETH NORTON, Wheaton CollegeKAMAL UPADHYAYA, Univ. of New Haven

JOHN COGAN, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

JOHN HOWE, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia

LEE OHANIAN, Univ. of California, Los Angeles

CHARLES UPTON, Kent State University

JOHN COLEMAN, Duke University

JEFFREY HUMMEL, San Jose State University

LYDIA ORTEGA, San Jose State University

T. NORMAN VAN COTT, Ball State University

BOYD COLLIER, Tarleton State University

BRUCE HUTCHINSON, Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga

EVAN OSBORNE, Wright State University

RICHARD VEDDER, Ohio University

ROBERT COLLINGE, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio

BRIAN JACOBSEN, Wisconsin Lutheran CollegeRANDALL PARKER, East Carolina University

RICHARD WAGNER, George Mason University

LEE COPPOCK, Univ. of Virginia

JASON JOHNSTON, Univ. of Pennsylvania

DONALD PARSONS, George Washington University

DOUGLAS M. WALKER, College of Charleston

MARIO CRUCINI, Vanderbilt University

BOYAN JOVANOVIC, New York University

SAM PELTZMAN, Univ. of Chicago

DOUGLAS O. WALKER, Regent University

CHRISTOPHER CULP, Univ. of Chicago

JONATHAN KARPOFF, Univ. of Washington

MARK PERRY, Univ. of Michigan, FlintCHRISTOPHER WESTLEY, Jacksonville

KIRBY CUNDIFF, Northeastern State University

BARRY KEATING, Univ. of Notre DameCHRISTOPHER PHELAN, Univ. of Minnesota

State University

ANTONY DAVIES, Duquesne University

NAVEEN KHANNA, Michigan State University

GORDON PHILLIPS, Univ. of Maryland

LAWRENCE WHITE, Univ. of Missouri at St. LouisJOHN DAWSON, Appalachian State University

NICHOLAS KIEFER, Cornell University

MICHAEL PIPPENGER, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks

WALTER WILLIAMS, George Mason University

CLARENCE DEITSCH, Ball State University

DANIEL KLEIN, George Mason UniversityTOMASZ PISKORSKI, Columbia University

DOUG WILLS, Univ. of Washington Tacoma

ARTHUR DIAMOND, JR., Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha

PAUL KOCH, Univ. of Kansas

BRENNAN PLATT, Brigham Young University

DENNIS WILSON, Western Kentucky University

JOHN DOBRA, Univ. of Nevada, Reno

NARAYANA KOCHERLAKOTA, Univ. of Minnesota

JOSEPH POMYKALA, Towson University

GARY WOLFRAM, Hillsdale CollegeJAMES DORN, Towson University

MAREK KOLAR, Delta CollegeWILLIAM POOLE, Univ. of Delaware

HUIZHONG ZHOU, Western Michigan UniversityP A I D F O R B Y T H E C A T O I N S T I T U T E , W W W. C A T O . O R G