Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by George Ford Smith
“War is a special preoccupation of governments. And governments, we all learn at a young age, are the foundation of civilization. Without government who would protect us from foreign and domestic threats? Trump finds Iran a threat, as George W. Bush found Iraq under Saddam a threat. A threat to whom? The American people, most of whom happen to live on the other side of the Atlantic. In today’s world and for most of history, ‘government’ means an organization with a territorial monopoly of force and is usually called a state. It is sovereign within this territory. To be under its jurisdiction is to grant approval of government’s right to enforce its commands or laws, one of which is the demand that it be supported economically. … Imposing a state on society doesn’t make life better.” (09/28/260
“With Amtrak smashing ridership records and Brightline’s ridership rising, Americans appear increasingly willing to travel by rail. Brightline’s financial troubles raise a more difficult question: Who will pay to build the infrastructure needed to give more of them that option?” [editor’s note: It seems obvious to me, but not to the author, that the people who should pay for passenger rail infrastructure are the people who run companies hoping to offer rail travel profitable to paying customers. If people really “want more trains,” they’ll pay for those trains – TLK] (09/28/26)
“China and the United States have agreed to cut tariffs imposed on [buyers of] $60 billion worth of goods imported from each other, on an array of products ranging from U.S. corn to cosmetics, and from Chinese household appliances to toys. Under the U.S.-China Board of Trade, both countries have each recommended $30 billion of trade in non-sensitive goods for more favourable tariff treatment, United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement on Sunday. … The reciprocal tariff reduction as well as an extension of a trade truce were among the key takeaways from the second summit this year between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump, hosted in Washington last week.” (09/28/26)
“Amidst all the talk of the need for government regulation of AI, there has been too little discussion of the simplest route: criminal liability. The basic story is that the AI companies are being irresponsible in dealing with a product they know to be dangerous. The companies and the people who run them need to know that they face serious monetary risk from letting their little models run wild, and possibly criminal prosecution and jail time.” (09/28/26)
“The U.S. electric grid is fragmented, with limited to no power exchange between regions and interconnections. This fragmentation increases costs to consumers and risks blackouts from power shortages during winter storms and heatwaves. One solution is the development of a ‘macrogrid’— a network of high-voltage transmission lines that can span the country and move power between regions, with relatively little loss of power over long distances. Building a macrogrid may seem daunting because of the sheer scale of such an effort, but it does not have to be built all at once. With modern technology, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) lines can be built one at a time and linked later to form a macrogrid.” [editor’s note: The larger the grid, the more people can lose power from a single failure, as we’ve seen in the past. We need more localized/decentralized power generation and delivery, not more failed century-old tech – TLK] (09/28/26)
“The Washington, D.C. area has long had a reputation for being both wealthy and recession-proof, based on money forcibly extracted in the form of taxes from people living productive lives elsewhere in the United States. That may no longer be the case. Downsizing of the federal workforce concentrated in the DMV area—the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia—has hit many residents hard, and some are considering leaving or have already done so. While it’s not nice to wish troubles on anybody, there’s nothing wrong with introducing government employees to the same risks and uncertainty that participants in the private sector face every day.” (09/28/26)
“Attempts to form a new government in Sweden hit the buffers on Monday after Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson said she was unable to secure enough support, despite the centre-left bloc winning a narrow majority in this month’s election. … The speaker of Sweden’s parliament is now likely to turn to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to see if he can form a government. Kristersson’s Moderates are the next biggest party after the Social Democrats. … Andersson would likely get another shot at trying to form a government if any centre-right attempt fails. The speaker can put four candidates forward to parliament for approval, but if each is rejected, Sweden will hold a new election.” (09/28/26)
“Scott interviews Rich Baris about his new book and the broader political trends he’s uncovered through his work as a pollster. Baris shares some unique insights into the dramatic shifts happening on both the left and right—especially with younger Americans—that are going mostly unnoticed thanks to antiquated polling conventions.” (09/27/26)
