When I became a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand, we were judged as the most socialistic of nations. We had been one of the richest of countries at #3 in per capita income, but by 1984 we were only #27. We had gone for 23 years relying on deficits, without balancing our budget. The government was taking 44 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, and, in 1984, our forecast deficit was 15 percent of the GDP…
Economy
Don’t Fence Me In: Lianne’s Story
Family, then finances—and opportunity. Those are what brought Lianne Halpern back to tiny Shamrock, a small, dusty stop on the famous Route 66 in the Texas panhandle. Like generations of Americans before, Lianne and her family had traveled west along that route in search of the golden promises of California. Lianne’s father worked in the...
January 29, 2026