Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Thiago VS Coelho
“Civilization does not usually fail because every participant is stupid, vicious, or indifferent. It fails because people are placed inside systems where the locally-prudent action sustains a globally-absurd result. ‘Moloch’ is Eliezer Yudkowsky’s name for these impersonal traps: arrangements in which nearly everyone would prefer a better world, but no individual can safely move there alone. The broad failures fall into three recurring types. First, the decisionmaker is not the beneficiary. A regulator, hospital administrator, licensing board, journal editor, or politician makes a rule whose costs are borne mainly by others. Second, there is asymmetric information. Someone knows the relevant fact, but cannot credibly transmit it through the institutional fog. Third, society is stuck in an inferior equilibrium: everyone responds rationally to the incentives in front of him, while the system as a whole remains inferior to another possible arrangement.” (06/15/26)
“Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it ‘a big moment for our country.’ Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, intended to [grandstand on the fantasy of ‘protecting’] children from harmful content and excessive screen time. He said he is ‘not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.’ The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.” (06/15/26)
“In my past two columns, I made the case for the Democratic Party to take the lead in pushing for Trump’s Impeachment. The majority of people favor firing Trump and the massive number of blatant, impeachable acts by the lawless, corrupt, violent, unstable, dangerous Tyrant Trump increases by the day. If it helps the passive Democratic Party leadership, constitutional law specialists agree that were the Founding Fathers (who signed the Declaration of Independence and crafted the Constitution against would-be monarchs) here today, not one would oppose Impeachment.” (06/15/26)
Source: Persuasion
by Dan Storyev & Maria Kuznetsova
“If Americans want to actually enact change, they seriously need to re-think their strategy. Take it from us: we both grew up in Putin’s Russia and saw well-intentioned protests fail to stop an aspiring despot. We know that authoritarians are typically unwilling to respond to the kind of protest No Kings exemplifies: loud, raucous, and ultimately harmless. These ‘festival protests,’ as we call them, are convenient for their participants. They are fun and usually do not require much sacrifice or risk. They also look good on TV and TikTok feeds. But they often achieve next to nothing. Why are so many people convinced they work?” (06/14/26)
“Four tons of invasive Burmese pythons were removed from South Florida ecosystems during the latest breeding season, setting a record for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The achievement marks a new milestone in the fight against the giant snakes, which are considered one of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem because of their ability to prey on mammals, birds and other native wildlife. The Conservancy said it removed more python biomass this season than at any point since launching its research and removal program in 2013. … the team captured 177 invasive Burmese pythons with a combined weight of 8,080 pounds.” (06/14/26)
“Scott interviews libertarian activist Eric Fowler about the so-called Flock cameras being put up in cities to illegally surveil Americans. Fowler explains what the cameras are, how they work, what laws they violate and how libertarians in Arizona are fighting back.” (06/14/26)
“[O]n July 1, convinced that while Independence might one day be necessary, it was as yet premature, Dickinson rose to make his case against the pending declaration. Only by understanding the risks and terrors Dickinson predicted can we fully appreciate the courage of those who were determined to face them. Let us, as President Richard Nixon used to say, make one thing perfectly clear: Dickinson was no coward. He was brave and a patriot. When Britain adopted the Townshend Duties in 1767, it was Dickinson who inspired the opposition. It was Dickinson who, again and again, had served as penman and point man for the colonial resistance. Yet Dickinson also loved the mother country.” (06/14/26)
