Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Expression
by Chapin Lenthall-Cleary

“I’ve previously discussed surprising results around tolerance for hypothetical controversial speakers, including the fact that male college students are substantially more tolerant — so much so, in fact, that male students are often more tolerant of their political enemies than female students are of their own allies. One might wonder whether this is true of the general population as well. Our data on the general population is less comprehensive than our student data. We don’t ask the same speaker-tolerance questions. But we do ask people whether they agree with the claim, ‘Words can be violence.'” (04/11/26)

https://expression.fire.org/p/conservative-women-are-as-likely

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“Out of one crisis and into another. It never stops. It’s a never-ending cycle of chaos, death, and destruction. Moreover, this paradigm of interventionism necessarily involves an ever-increasing loss of liberty for the American people as well as the destruction of their economic well-being, especially with the out-of-control spending and debt that comes with this system. … Is this any way to live? Is this what America should be all about? Is this what Americans want for the rest of their lives and for the lives of their children and grandchildren? Is it really necessary? Is it beneficial to anyone other than the ‘defense’ industry?” (04/10/26)

https://www.fff.org/2026/04/10/americans-need-to-engage-in-paradigm-shifting/

Source: Los Angeles Times
by Matt K Lewis

“Humans can’t perpetually stay on high alert. So when every statement sounds like it could trigger World War III — but then nothing happens — one response is to become inured to the chaos. And once those outrage receptors burn out, we won’t magically reset to normal if and when a serious, competent leader finally emerges. Which raises an uncomfortable question: After years of this high-drama, reality-show version of governance, could a normal, competent politician even hold our attention? For those who aren’t conditioned to crave copious amounts of drama, the other temptation during and after a dramatic rein is to tune out entirely. … Then again, Trump may see American apathy as a feature, not a bug.” (04/10/26)

https://archive.is/cRzIu

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“The Commerce Department released data on consumption and prices for the month of February today, and the picture is not good. Consumption is slowing and inflation is rising. Also, spending on health care continues to increase rapidly, which is bad news for the affordability gang.” (04/10/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/10/the-news-on-prices-and-consumption-is-not-good/

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Marcos Giansante

“Periods of crisis reveal something unsettling about human behavior. Faced with uncertainty, individuals and institutions alike tend to accept measures that would otherwise be unthinkable. Restrictions on movement, suspension of rights, and centralized decision-making often emerge not gradually, but almost effortlessly, as if they were the natural response to danger. This pattern is frequently interpreted as a political or institutional failure. But such an explanation remains incomplete. Crises do not merely alter policies, they alter the very structure of human action.” (04/10/26)

https://mises.org/power-market/fear-time-preference-and-distortion-human-action

Source: Persuasion
by Shalom Auslander

“We are increasingly powerless. Oligarchs control the media and governments. Our votes may or may not matter. Even if they’re counted, the results may not be accepted. If we take to the streets, we’ll either be shot, tear-gassed, or accused of being paid for, or the media won’t even report on it because Bryon Noem wears fake breasts. We need fuck. Obscenity is all we have. And so to hear the powerful use the words of the powerless drives me fucking insane. Are they just posturing? Of course. Is it performative? Yes. Is it meant to convince us they care? No doubt. But more than anything, to me, it’s a violation. If the government can’t come and take our guns, then they shouldn’t be able to come and take our obscenities.” (04/10/26)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/swearing-belongs-to-the-people-not

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Sam Aaron

“As the great Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.’ In South Carolina, there might as well be another — government spending. Over the past decade, one pattern has held constant: the General Fund grows nearly every year, typically outpacing both inflation and population growth.” (04/10/26)

https://fee.org/articles/south-carolina-in-a-spending-spiral/