Debt is one person's liability, but another person's asset.

People respond to incentives. If unemployment becomes more attractive because of the unemployment benefit, some unemployed workers may no longer try to find a job or may not try to find one as quickly as they would without the benefit.

In fact, I'd say that the sources of the economy's expansion from 2003 to 2007 were, in order, the housing bubble, the war, and - very much in third place - tax cuts.

The French, unfortunately, actually believe what they say, and that has been very destructive.

People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.

There has been plenty to criticize about President Obama’s handling of the economy. Yet the overriding story of the past few years is not Mr. Obama’s mistakes but the scorched-earth opposition of Republicans, who have done everything they can to get in his way - and who now, having blocked the president’s policies, hope to win the White House by claiming that his policies have failed.

We should try to create the society each of us would want if we didn't know in advance who we'd be.