• "Well written, well researched, and the thesis put forth is well argued.... Woods has opened up an area of historical analysis that should invite further study."
    -Journal of American History

  • "During these times that challenge our freedoms there is no one more qualified to make U.S. history relevant to the fight against big government than Thomas Woods."
    -Barry Goldwater Jr.
    Former Member of Congress

  • "I strongly recommend Woods's work."
    -The Honorable Ron Paul,
    U.S. House of Representatives

  • "Written with great clarity and fluency, making the complex philosophical and theological concepts approachable."
    -Journal of American Studies

  • "A must-read."
    -Barron's

  • "An excellent reading source for anyone interested in financial markets, and much more so for anyone interested in learning about capitalism without all the misinterpretations being thrown about in the financial media."
    -Asia Times

  • "Provocative, well-written, and deserves to be read."
    -Catholic Historical Review

  • "An engaging and important contribution to scholarship on the history of American Catholicism."
    -Journal of the Historical Society

  • "Woods and [co-author Kevin] Gutzman appeal to both left and right in this constitutionalist jeremiad…. The authors' exegeses of the Constitution and court decisions, heavy on original intent arguments, are lucid and telling."
    -Publishers Weekly

  • "A marvelous read. Every chapter taught me something new and unexpected."
    -Tom Bethell, senior editor,
    The American Spectator

  • "The hottest book today is Meltdown, by my friend Tom Woods."
    -Judge Andrew Napolitano, senior judicial analyst,
    FOX News Channel

  • "Should be required reading."
    -Economic Affairs (London)

  • "Woods, one of the best classical liberal [libertarian] scholars of his generation, has once more placed us in his debt with this lucid and tightly argued book."
    -David Gordon, The Mises Review

  • "Tom Woods is one of my dearest allies in the struggle against wrong-headed and dangerous economic policy."
    -Peter Schiff

Least Predatory States?

My wife forwarded me this article about the 66% tax hike in Illinois — temporary, you understand, and just to see the state through its budget crisis.  That got me to thinking: has anyone ranked the states according to tax burden — property, sales, and income?  I know taxes aren’t the only form of state predation, but they’re a big part of it.  A mass exodus from the more parasitic states would be pretty satisfying to see.

Unlearn the Propaganda!

  • http://PSCWatch.com Jim
  • http://blacksheepreport.com Richard Penney

    I would love to see a solid compilation of these types of statistics. Currently I live in NY and it is ridiculous. I would like to keep my daughter close to family, but this state is absurd. I am not sure I can tolerate the pillaging any further.

    I would love to see a reputable source build a list of with tax #s, poor business environment, overbearing regulation and so on.

  • Alex

    A temporary hike, right? It’s not enough that their undisciplined spending “necessitated” the tax hike to begin with, but these clowns actually believe that we are supposed to trust them not to make this hike permanent, or even raise it next time they create their own crises? Must be nice. I’d love to be able to go to my employer tomorrow and say, “I just spent more money than I have to pay the bills next month, so I’m just going to have you temporarily give me an increase in pay so that I can pay my bills.” I’ll then leave him wondering if I actually believe that he’ll trust me to be more responsible next month. Ridiculous!

  • Jordan

    Here’s what you’re looking for:

    http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/9.html

    This might be of interest too:

    http://www.statepolicyindex.com/?page_id=143

  • Erik

    It would be interesting to know how comprehensive some of these scores are. For example, here in California our public electric utility includes a charge for “Public Purpose Programs” – essentially a tax collected through the utility. Normally these things are minor annoyances, but at least in my case it’s over $100 / month. That’s a notable fraction of a percent of my overall income – and I’m willing to bet it’s not included in state tax statistics.