Jack Kemp, R.I.P.

Jack Kemp, one of the great crusaders for supply-side economics, passed away today. I was fortunate and honored to have met him and to have seen him in action many times, while attending Jude Wanniski's memorable Polyconomics conferences. He was one of the very few people I have known that have changed the world for the better.

It's sad to think that one of the great champions for the power of lower taxes to stimulate the economy has left us at a time when the Obama administration is advancing an agenda which calls for higher taxes to redistribute wealth and more government spending to stimulate the economy. Jack understood that wealth and prosperity can only come from the efforts of entrepreneurs and those willing to work harder and risk more, not from the coffers of government.

Jack was an inspiration to me, and one of the reasons I work on this blog is to return some of what I have learned over the years to the community. I think supply-side economics has a lot to offer, and I was very lucky to have people like Jack, Jude, Art Laffer, and Larry Kudlow as my teachers.

You can find out more about supply-side economics through the voluminous writings of the late Jude Wanniski here. Jack would have recommended them too.