“Lawmakers in the Netherlands on Saturday rejected a motion that would recognize an independent Palestinian state and measures that would sanction Israel. The punitive measure would have banned the importation of products made in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and banned the Dutch government from buying Israeli-made weapons, Politico reported. A majority of ministers voted to ask the Israeli government to allow journalists into Gaza and to apply ‘maximum pressure’ on nations that condone the actions of Hamas leaders.” (08/23/25)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“Catalan secessionists are extracting so many concessions from the Spanish government that soon there will be no need to strive for independence. Their latest victory came last month — a tentative agreement from Spain’s Socialist-led government to allow the wealthy northeastern region, also controlled by a Socialist administration, to collect its own personal income tax. Fiscal autonomy has always been one of the separatists’ key goals; if this deal becomes reality, they will be considerably closer to achieving it.” (08/22/25)
“In the not-so-distant past, politicians — especially at the presidential level — have showed some decorum. Part of Donald Trump’s appeal is his rejection of those long-standing ground rules, but his humor is reminiscent of that of a schoolyard bully. He tirelessly trots out dopey insults and types out long, conspiracy-laden all-caps tirades. They seem unintelligent and mean, but are indeed authentic. Trump has been posting nonsense for years. … Democrats keep taking Trump’s bait, expressing outrage and playing politics along Marquis of Queensberry rules. Democrats often play dirty and do so here in California regularly given their supermajorities, but they currently are outmatched by Trump’s backyard-brawl tactics and keep getting shivved during these street fights. So Newsom hired a brass-knuckled social-media team to fight fire with fire — and he has gotten Trump’s and MAGA’s attention.” (08/22/25)
“Opposition lawmakers easily survived recall votes in Taiwan on Saturday, but an opposition-backed referendum to bring back nuclear power failed. The recall votes, the second in a month, were an attempt to restore ruling party control of the legislature after the Democratic Progressive Party lost its majority in a 2024 election. The recall results were a second straight setback for the ruling DPP. The seven lawmakers from the opposition Nationalist Party all held onto their seats, as did 24 members of other parties in a first round of recall votes on July 26.” (08/23/25)
“A strong claim can be made that the patterns of inequality in feudal societies and today’s state-corporate capitalist systems are more alike than not, even admitting important differences in way of life, economic forms, historical contexts, etc. Through both systems, across centuries, a pattern reveals itself, a startling one showing that a very small group at the top of the pyramid, perhaps one to five percent, have controlled half of all wealth or even more. A concentration of this kind becomes a durable power capable of maintaining hierarchies that run the political, economic, and social worlds. For all of their differences, and they are acknowledged, both systems siphon away the vast majority of the economic surplus to the hands of a privileged few in command of ‘our’ political and economic institutions.” (08/22/25)
“It is axiomatic: When an industry begs government to regulate it, assume that it is seeking protection from threats to the status quo with which the industry is comfortable. The universities are pleading with Congress, which you might think has more urgent priorities, to protect them from twin terrors: athletes being paid their market value, and antitrust litigation resulting from the cartels collaborating to stifle this. The conferences want, in effect, federal price controls …. Trump, who cannot see a parade without jumping in front of it, has issued (what else?) an executive order, saying that federal action is needed to ‘restore order.’ Translation: to suppress the disorder that results when society’s lower orders (here, athletes suddenly allowed serious compensation) acquire rights and aspirations.” (08/22/25)
