“Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges Monday. Mangione, 26, replied ‘not guilty’ as he was presented the 11 charges in connection with the shooting, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. If convicted of the state charges, Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office said he has been working with federal authorities to make the arraignment happen even though a time has not been set.” (12/23/24)
“Charity naturally has circles and gradients. A charitable soul will perforce soon go bankrupt unless she targets and calibrates her gifts. Individual philanthropy might ignore the neediest, who tend to be socially remote from prosperous potential donors. Private institutions — for example, churches and charitable foundations — might partly specialize in extending the scope of sympathy and charity, if they, too, can reliably identify true need and desert. However, A Christmas Carol focusses narrowly on the issue of individual philanthropy by businessmen. Dickens ignores the invisible hand of markets-and-competition. Given the stark fallout of rapid industrialization and urbanization, his focus is understandable. Nonetheless the focus on Scrooge’s redemption implicitly oversells the potential effectiveness of seasonal charity in business circles as a remedy to destitution.” (12/23/24)
“A federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional two provisions of a state law aimed at criminalizing the furnishing of obscene materials to minors at public libraries and bookstores. The law was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and others on behalf of a coalition of public libraries, booksellers, patrons of bookstores, boookseller associations and author associations. … Plaintiffs argued the law was vague and contained undefined terms that could subject the librarian and bookstore plaintiffs to a credible fear of prosecution, as they are uncertain what lengths they must go to in order to comply with the law. [U.S. District Judge Timothy L.] Brooks said it also follows that to avoid criminal prosecution, librarians and booksellers would have no other choice but to burden older minors’ and adults’ access to books that contain even a modicum of sexual content.” (12/23/24)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Roger Koopman
“Reproducing this story fifty years later delivers an especially poignant message. It is just as relevant now as it was in 1974, and none of the federal harassments Santa faced back then have gone away! They have only grown more pervasive and more crushing of our liberties.” (12/23/24)
“The office of French President Emmanuel Macron presented a new government under new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday, almost three weeks after the collapse of the previous administration. This is France’s fourth government in 2024.” (12/23/24)
“Syria. Bangladesh. Poland. South African democracy. The Ukrainian defense forces. The Greek economy. If there is a lesson to be learned from the events of 2024, it is this: There are no lost causes.” (12/23/24)
“Honda and Nissan have formally agreed to hold talks over the next six months on a possible merger, a deal that would create the world’s third-largest automaker and give them more resources to compete with a growing threat from Chinese carmakers. A third, smaller Japanese automaker, Mitsubishi, which is already in an alliance with Nissan, will also participate in the talks. The combined company, should it be created, would trail only Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen in global sales.” (12/23/24)
“A few years ago, family therapist Joshua Coleman wrote a piece in The Atlantic on a distressing phenomenon he was witnessing more and more frequently: generational estrangement. Parents and adult children are cutting ties more than ever before, usually because one party decides unilaterally that a relationship with the other is no longer wanted. Most frequently, it’s the kids who break the link. Is anyone really surprised by this trend? As the nation polarizes and culture fragments, individuals have become very good at building ‘safe spaces’ for themselves, in which their own views, preferences, and personal choices are continually affirmed. Anyone unwilling to play by the rules of our personal fiefdom can be shown the door. Much has already been written on the political implications, but at Christmas especially, it’s worth thinking more about the personal costs of this approach.” (12/23/24)
