Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson

“Good news for housing-hungry Californians: A new development in Orange County was approved in May. The bad news: Approval took almost 50 years. The Saddleback Meadows project in Trabuco Canyon, California, first appeared on the Orange County supervisors’ agenda in 1978—when your favorite correspondent, who passed the eligibility age for unrestricted AARP membership a few years back, was in kindergarten. As my Competitive Enterprise Institute colleague Steve Swedberg points out, most projects do not undergo such incredible delays, but the ordinary approval process is enough to add almost $40,000 to the cost of building an average new home—not only in California but across the United States.” (09/03/26)

https://thedispatch.com/article/california-housing-market-subsidies/

Source: Niskanen Center
by Sylvia Bryan

“When the Council of the District of Columbia finalized its version of the municipal FY2027 budget, it set the city on a path toward a troubling milestone: As of October 1, D.C. will become the first jurisdiction in the country to implement cuts to paid family and medical leave (PFML). A majority of the program’s dedicated payroll tax revenue, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, will be diverted to unrelated expenditures. Meanwhile, the maximum weekly benefit will be decreased for all PFML categories, the maximum leave duration will be reduced for some, and D.C. will continue collecting the program’s dedicated payroll tax at a rate of 0.75 percent.” (09/03/26)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/d-c-s-paid-family-leave-cuts-take-the-trust-out-of-trust-fund

Source: Law & Liberty
by Sary Levy-Carciente

“In contemporary political economy, it is sometimes helpful to draw a distinction between a Proper State and an Improper State. The distinction tracks the relationship of the state’s public sector apparatuses to the productivity and fiscal consent of its citizenry. When a state is properly accountable to its citizens, it uses taxpayer revenue to support functions that the people broadly approve. If that traditional bond of institutional accountability is severed, a more pathological configuration materializes wherein the state operates independently, decoupling its structural survival from the prosperity of its people. The improper state maintains its power with two primary tools: narrative and institutional control.” (09/03/26)

https://lawliberty.org/the-benevolent-smokescreen/

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
by Marj Halperin

“Raise your hand if you have affordable, accessible healthcare. Anyone? Yeah, that’s what I thought. With independent studies showing that close to half of all Americans struggle to afford healthcare, I expect I got the rest of you with the addition of the word ‘accessible.’ That’s because, while rising costs are a barrier for too many, even those who can afford comprehensive health insurance are finding money can’t buy you a timely appointment with most doctors.” (09/03/26)

https://triblive.com/opinion/marj-halperin-healthcare-is-more-badly-broken-than-political-leaders-admit/

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott

“This month, there will be over 400 Chinese officials in New Delhi—more than double the previous delegation in 2019—to discuss the future of Sino–Indian relations. For China, those relations have never been more favorable; India’s position on the world stage has declined, though not in ways caused by China, making the prospect of resumed and increased trade between the two nations increasingly likely.” (09/03/26)

https://fee.org/articles/new-delhis-strategy-shows-why-protectionism-fails/