Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Rewarding Good Governance: How Foot-Voters Benefit Society

Source: The Daily Economy
by Emile Phaneuf III

“Governance improves when people and businesses are free to leave high-tax, low-value jurisdictions. Competition can improve public policy just as it improves products and services.” (07/07/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/rewarding-good-governance-how-foot-voters-benefit-society/

Thomas L. Knapp

Return-to-office mandates are a pay cut in disguise

Source: The Hill
by Gleb Tsipursky

“Return-to-office is a compensation decision that hits wallets first and morale soon after. If leaders want people in seats, the fair move is simple: cover the costs or raise the pay. When workers go to the office, they pay to work. The typical in-office day now runs roughly $15 for the commute, $9 for parking, $13 for breakfast or coffee, and $18 for lunch, all detailed in the 2025 Owl Labs report.” [editor’s note: While I agree that it’s a pay cut, if you’re spending $13 for breakfast/coffee and $18 for lunch on a daily basis, I suggest Googling terms like “lunch box” and “insulated mug” – TLK] (07/07/26)

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5955528-office-commute-costs-employees/

Thomas L. Knapp

France: Le Pen says she will run for president after court shortens ban on holding office

Source: Reuters

“French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced that she will run for president in 2027. Le Pen made the announcement during a prime-time TV interview, hours after an appeals court shortened her ban on holding public office. Her presidential hopes had been in limbo since March 2025, when she received the five-year ban for using money from the European Parliament to pay wages for staff at her anti-immigrant National Rally (RN) party in France. The appeals court in Paris upheld her conviction but significantly shortened the ban, so that in effect it is already over. However, the court said she would need to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for a year. Le Pen said she would appeal against the ruling to France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation. That would suspend her sentence and the order to wear the tag until the court delivers its own decision, allowing her to campaign freely, she said.” (07/07/26)

https://www.reuters.com/world/marine-le-pen-verdict-live-frances-far-right-leader-awaits-appeal-ruling-with-2026-07-07/

Thomas L. Knapp

Freedom Versus the Income Tax

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“[F]or more than 100 years, Americans were free to keep everything they earned — 100 percent — and there was nothing that U.S. officials could do about. That’s what it once meant to be an American. That’s what it once meant to be free. By the time the late 1800s came along, the standard of living of the American people was skyrocketing. A big reason for that phenomenon was that there had been no income tax for almost 100 years.” (07/07/26)

https://www.fff.org/2026/07/07/freedom-versus-the-income-tax/

Thomas L. Knapp

UT: Regime revokes license for boarding school where Paris Hilton says she was abused as a teen

Source: Seattle Times

“The state of Utah has revoked the license of a boarding school where socialite Paris Hilton said she was abused as a teenager, saying the school has ‘failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients.’ The state’s action, which took effect Monday, cites multiple noncompliance issues against the Provo Canyon School’s campus in Springville. The school has 15 days to request a hearing before the Department of Health & Human Services. … ‘For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma,’ Hilton said in a statement provided Tuesday. ‘Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care. I was one of those children.’ … She alleges staff members beat her, watched her shower, fed her unknown pills and locked her in solitary confinement without clothing.” (07/07/26)

https://archive.is/c8rWK

Thomas L. Knapp

A Mutual Sympathy of Sentiments

Source: EconLog
by Art Carden

“In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith explains that we want to establish a ‘mutual sympathy of sentiments.’ We want people to agree with our views, and we want to agree with their views. Smith first expanded on this idea … before he developed his broader theory of a commercial society in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The implications were astounding: a complex division of labor and division of knowledge, and the kind of prosperity we see today. That’s what every bid and ask in a market is: a request to cooperate through mutual sympathy with another person. It can be plainly rejected by someone who doesn’t share similar sentiments, but every opportunity to exchange is a sacred opportunity to work together with someone to mutual advantage.” (07/07/26)

https://www.econlib.org/econlog/a-mutual-sympathy-of-sentiments

Thomas L. Knapp

NATO picks Swedish Saab early-warning planes over US rival

Source: Reuters

“NATO announced a roughly $4.5 billion plan on Tuesday to buy up to 10 ‌Saab GlobalEye surveillance planes to replace ageing AWACS early warning aircraft, backing a Swedish system over a rival solution from U.S. planemaker Boeing. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the replacement of Cold War-era Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) planes, best known for their rotating radomes, ​with a new system based on smaller business jets would tackle threats like drone swarms. … With U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly pressing allies to ​spend more on defence and buy more U.S. equipment, Rutte took pains to underline the international pedigree of the ​system which is mounted on top of Bombardier Global 6500 business jets. … GlobalEye competes with Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail, an early warning ‌and command-and-control ⁠aircraft based on the 737 jetliner and designed to oversee and direct battle.” (07/07/26)

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-picks-swedish-saab-early-warning-planes-over-us-rival-2026-07-07/

Thomas L. Knapp