100 ECONOMISTS WARN THAT WITH CURRENT WEAK FINANCIAL CONDITIONS BARACK OBAMA'S PROPOSALS RUN A HIGH RISK OF THROWING THE US ECONOMY INTO A DEEP RECESSION ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released the following statement signed by 100 distinguished and experienced economists at major American universities and research organizations, including five Nobel Prize winners Gary Becker, James Buchanan, Robert Mundell, Edward Prescott, and Vernon Smith. The economists explain why Barack Obama's proposals, including "misguided tax hikes," would "decrease the number of jobs in America." The prospects of such tax rate increases under Barack Obama are already harming the economy. The economists conclude that "Barack Obama's economic proposals are wrong for the American economy." The proposals "defy both economic reason and economic experience." The full economists' statement on Barack Obama's economic proposals and a complete list of economists who support it follows: Barack Obama argues that his proposals to raise tax rates and halt international trade agreements would benefit the American economy. They would do nothing of the sort. Economic analysis and historical experience show that they would do the opposite. They would reduce economic growth and decrease the number of jobs in America. Moreover, with the credit crunch, the housing slump, and high energy prices weakening the U.S. economy, his proposals run a high risk of throwing the economy into a deep recession. It was exactly such misguided tax hikes and protectionism, enacted when the U.S. economy was weak in the early 1930s, that greatly increased the severity of the Great Depression. We are very concerned with Barack Obama's opposition to trade agreements such as the pending one with Colombia, the new one with Central America, or the established one with Canada and Mexico. Exports from the United States to other countries create jobs for Americans. Imports make goods available to Americans at lower prices and are a particular benefit to families and individuals with low incomes. International trade is also a powerful source of strength in a weak economy. In the second quarter of this year, for example, increased international trade did far more to stimulate the U.S. economy than the federal government's "stimulus" package. Ironically, rather than supporting international trade, Barack Obama is now proposing yet another so-called stimulus package, which would do very little to grow the economy. And his proposal to finance the package with higher taxes on oil would raise oil prices directly and by reducing exploration and production. We are equally concerned with his proposals to increase tax rates on labor income and investment. His dividend and capital gains tax increases would reduce investment and cut into the savings of millions of Americans. His proposals to increase income and payroll tax rates would discourage the formation and expansion of small businesses and reduce employment and take-home pay, as would his mandates on firms to provide expensive health insurance. After hearing such economic criticism of his proposals, Barack Obama has apparently suggested to some people that he might postpone his tax increases, perhaps to 2010. But it is a mistake to think that postponing such tax increases would prevent their harmful effect on the economy today. The prospect of such tax rate increases in 2010 is already a drag on the economy. Businesses considering whether to hire workers today and expand their operations have time horizons longer than a year or two, so the prospect of higher taxes starting in 2009 or 2010 reduces hiring and investment in 2008. In sum, Barack Obama's economic proposals are wrong for the American economy. They defy both economic reason and economic experience. Robert Barro, Harvard University Gary Becker, University of Chicago Sanjai Bhagat, University of Colorado Michael Block, University of Arizona Brock Blomberg, Claremont-McKenna University Michael Bordo, Rutgers University Michael Boskin, Stanford University Ike Brannon, McCain-Palin 2008 James Buchanan, George Mason University Todd Buchholtz, Two Oceans Fund Charles Calomiris, Columbia University Jim Carter, Vienna VA Barry Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago John Cogan, Hoover Institution Kathleen Cooper, Southern Methodist University Ted Covey, McLean VA Dan Crippen, former CBO Director Mario Crucini, Vanderbilt Steve Davis, University of Chicago Christopher DeMuth, American Enterprise Institute William Dewald, Ohio State University Frank Diebold, University of Pennsylvania Isaac Ehrlich, State University of New York at Buffalo Paul Evans, Ohio State University Dan Feenberg, NBER Martin Feldstein, Harvard University Eric Fishe, California Polytechnic State Universtity Kristin Forbes, MIT Timothy Fuerst, Bowling Green State University Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Hudson Institute Paul Gregory, University of Houston Earl Grinols, Baylor University Rik Hafer, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Gary Hansen, UCLA Eric Hanushek, Hoover Institutions Kevin Hassett, American Enterprise Institute Arlene Holen, Technology Policy Institute Douglas Holtz-Eakin, McCain-Palin 2008 Glenn Hubbard, Columbia University Owen Irvine, Michigan State University Mike Jensen, Harvard University Steven Kaplan, University of Chicago Robert King, Boston University Meir Kohn, Dartmouth Marvin Kosters, American Enterprise Institute Anne Krueger, Johns Hopkins University Phil Levy, American Enterprise Institute Larry Lindsey, The Lindsey Group Paul W. MacAvoy. Yale University John Makin, American Enterprise Institute Burton Malkiel, Princeton University Bennett McCallum, Carnegie-Mellon University Paul McCracken, University of Michigan Will Melick, Kenyon College Allan Meltzer, Carnegie-Mellon University Enrique Mendoza, University of Maryland Jim Miller, George Mason University Michael Moore, George Washington University Robert Mundell, Columbia University Tim Muris, George Mason University Kevin Murphy, University of Chicago Richard Muth, Emory University |