“You may have heard talk about making soda ineligible for purchase under the SNAP program (food stamps). Among others, the HHS Secretary (RJK Jr. points out the problems with such consumables. We don’t think he considers them to be ‘food.’) Oddly, a number of supposed pro-Trump influencers suddenly began arguing against the idea on social media. ‘This is government overreach! People’s choices shouldn’t be dictated by government! Even Donald Trump enjoys his Diet Coke!’ Of course, it comes as no surprise that anti-Trumpers, especially of the Transzi (Regressive) persuasion, would object to limiting the use of welfare funds. But some so-called libertarians also seem to be critical.” (02/02/26)
Source: Independent Institute
by Kritstian Fors & Jonathan Hofer
“The emphasis on buying a home has likely contributed to a widespread misconception that owning a home is the ‘best’ investment compared to renting. Certainly, homeownership can be advantageous, particularly when interest rates are low, home prices are reasonable and stock market returns are poor to modest. Emotional and behavioral factors also play a role. For some individuals, a mortgage acts as a motivating force, encouraging people who might not otherwise invest to commit to building wealth through homeownership. However, for others, their home represents their largest investment, mainly because it is the only investment they ever make and the belief that renting is ‘throwing money away’ often does not align with the mathematical realities of financial investment.” (02/02/26)
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Lazare, Thomas Birmingham, & Ari Bloomekatz
“Roughly one in four Minnesota voters either participated in the January 23 day of shutdown and protest against ICE, or have a loved one who did, according to new polling data. Of those participants, 38% percent stayed off the job, either because they did not go to work, or because their employer closed for the day of action. The data does not distinguish between those who made the choice to stay out, and those who saw their workplaces close. (Some workplaces were shuttered that day due to worker pressure.) The poll was commissioned by the May Day Strong coalition, a network of local and national unions and community organizations, and was conducted by polling firm Blue Rose Research. McKenzie Wilson, director of external affairs and message strategy at the firm, explained that researchers surveyed 1,940 Minnesotans who voted in 2024.” (02/02/25)
Source: Orange County Register
by Fabian Naranjo Gonzalez
“The brutal killing of Alex Pretti is just the latest reminder of the reality that has been setting in across the nation: we are living through dark times in America, a regression after centuries and decades of progress; and if we continue down this path, the light from Lady Liberty’s torch will almost certainly be extinguished. How did we get here? Since our nation’s founding, every subsequent generation of Americans has fought to make our country, and the world, a better, more inclusive place. And for a long time, we got it right. … Unfortunately, the care-free, inclusive attitude that was born during the 1960’s counter-culture revolution and extended well into the 90’s feel good era of ‘anything goes’ has been co-opted and repurposed by modern day demagogues by creating space for hatred and ideas that past generations gave their very lives to defeat.” (02/02/26)
“On January 24, protester and legal gun owner Alex Pretti was shot and killed by United States Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, making national news. … Many conservatives, both influencers and politicians, rushed to justify the agents’ actions, with a particular emphasis on the reported politics and past behavior of Pretti. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh even went so far as to say that Pretti ‘got what was coming to him.’ Aren’t conservatives traditionally in favor of free speech, and perhaps even more so, gun rights? Some were. But so many weren’t that it was left to libertarians to actually defend the First and Second Amendments and to note that Americans shouldn’t be murdered by the state for exercising them and their deaths justified by lying politicians.” (02/02/26)
“Donald Trump wants lower interest rates. He has said so openly and has pressured the Federal Reserve accordingly. The political logic seems obvious: easier money boosts asset prices, juices consumer spending, and appears to support headline growth. With midterms approaching, that sugar high is tempting. But it’s also a mistake — economically, politically, and strategically. Lower rates at this point in the cycle would almost certainly reignite inflation. And except in the very short run, they would not make capital more affordable in real terms. Instead, they would worsen the affordability crisis (which voters are already upset about) and undermine the GOP’s reputation as the party of economic responsibility.” (02/02/26)
“The U.S. should not be in the business of regime change. Our regime change policies tend to fail and produce even worse outcomes, but those aren’t the only reasons not to do it. We shouldn’t have these policies in the first place. … There is no ‘right’ way to pursue regime change because the interference and coercion required make the attempt inherently illegitimate.” (02/02/26)
“You have to give Donald Trump some credit. He was making plenty of money selling pardons, ripping off Venezuela’s oil, and selling seats on his ‘Board of Peace,’ but all of these required something resembling work. … Trump’s latest grift is far simpler. He just sues the government and then orders Attorney General Pam Bondi to give him the money. He already did this several months back when he filed a $230 million suit because the government tried to prosecute him for the crimes he committed. … now Trump has decided he needs more money, so he’s demanding more than 40 times as much, suing the Internal Revenue Service for $10 billion for releasing information from his tax returns. One of the ironies of this story is that the leak took place in Trump’s first term, so ostensibly, as president, he is responsible for the harm for which he is suing the government.” (02/02/26)
“There are two morals to today’s quixotic quest. First: ‘All theories are false’ is false. Some theories are true. Indeed, we’re awash in true theories. Many of these are only true to a few decimal places, but that’s fine. Some theories are true only under normal conditions, but that, too, is fine. Most listeners take such qualifications for granted — and any remaining ambiguity is easy enough to fix with explicit caveats. Second: Scientists are bad at philosophy of science.” (02/02/26)
“It’s the first thing you learn when you go to some rough-and-tumble new school—if you run into a bully, the trick is to stand up to them. More than the particular situation, what matters is the underlying psychology. The point is that, whatever else seems to be going on, bullies usually prefer to puff up than to follow through, and, once they sniff strength, they’ll tend to move on to someone they can more readily pick on. After ten years of Trumpism — ten-and-a-half if we date our current era to Trump’s descent down the golden escalator — the great wisdom of our time may simply be to confirm the schoolyard adage.” (02/02/26)
