The Enduring Power of Bad Ideas

Charlatans, Cranks and Kansas (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times 
"Two years ago Kansas embarked on a remarkable fiscal experiment: It sharply slashed income taxes without any clear idea of what would replace the lost revenue. ... And Mr. Brownback predicted that the cuts would jump-start an economic boom — “Look out, Texas,” he proclaimed. But Kansas isn’t booming — in fact, its economy is lagging both neighboring states and America as a whole. Meanwhile, the state’s budget has plunged deep into deficit, provoking a Moody’s downgrade of its debt. ... The real lesson from Kansas is the enduring power of bad ideas, as long as those ideas serve the interests of the right people."