Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“After having lived in California the past four years, I can attest to the near-insanity of progressive politics in this state, yet California’s very progressive governor, Gavin Newsom, is considered a front-runner for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 2028. Given how the Trump administration has helped to tank the economy through its tariffs, inflation, and outright regime uncertainty, there is a real possibility that Newsom can make California governance a reality for the entire country. In other words, politically speaking, their seems to be no ceiling for the damage that progressive politicians in California can do with no objections from their constituents.” (02/05/26)
“Evidence of grade inflation continues to mount in K-12 education and at universities (e.g., see here and here). The rising grades reflect a degradation of academic standards. There is clear evidence that when expectations of students are lowered, they (intuitively) respond with less effort. A recent example of a low-standards grading philosophy is equity-based grading. The philosophy, intended to promote equity by recognizing the varied circumstances and challenges students face, emphasizes measures of student engagement rather than results. However, by de-emphasizing important skills such as turning in assignments on time and demonstrating skills on assessments, it lowers academic standards, reducing effort for true mastery.” (02/05/26)
“While the sheer pomposity, Trumpian megalomania, and painfully paradoxical context surrounding the so-called ‘Board of Peace’ (BoP) might tempt some to dismiss it as mere spectacle or farce, its criminal, inhumane, and hegemonic nature makes it far too dangerous to ignore.” (02/05/26)
“Shoplifting is the theft of goods from a store during business hours. Colleges increasingly engage in a legal, modified form of shoplifting: using inside accomplices, they legally ‘steal’ public funds during business hours through a complex, often convoluted appropriations process. This occurs at both the state and federal levels, but Open the Books recently exposed the extent of this form of legalized theft engineered by members of the U.S. Senate. Regarding the 2026 federal budget, 24 senators have requested $636 million in earmarks for universities they themselves attended.” (02/05/26)
“[T]oday’s price action shouldn’t change your view about Bitcoin’s usefulness or lack thereof. If, like me, you consider the whole thing a delusion — BTC isn’t a medium of exchange, nor is it a reliable store of value — then you already knew that and the fact that we seem to be having a Wile E. Coyote moment isn’t information about the fundamentals. (There are no fundamentals.) If you have some story about why this aging financial innovation is actually useful — do tell — you should HODL through the panic.” (02/05/26)
Source: The American Prospect
by Kenny Stancil, Julian Scoffield, & Chris Lewis
“The Revolving Door Project recently published a comprehensive accounting of Trump 2.0’s deadly rampage across the federal government. ‘DOGE: From Meme to Government Erosion Machine’ is a nearly 70-page audit of the Department of Government Efficiency’s origins, architects, and scorched-earth [sic] campaign against the federal government’s public-interest responsibilities. More than a timeline of DOGE’s infiltration of the Treasury Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to name a few of the agencies covered, the report details how former shadow president Elon Musk and current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought ‘eagerly shred political, professional, and legal precedent in their effort to dismantle the essential functions of the federal government (and most importantly, democracy [sic] at large).'” (02/05/25)
“The federal case against the former CNN anchor hinges on conduct that can plausibly be viewed as part of a journalist’s work, combined with the obvious partiality of that work.” (02/05/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“With no external enforcement, functional forbearance, and vested interests at play, an outright ban seems unlikely, perpetuating a system where public polls scream for accountability, but Capitol Hill remains defiantly inert.” (02/05/26)
“There are two explanations for why the United States ends up with the policies it does. The first blames corruption. For example, six in ten Americans favor a national health plan like Medicare-for-all. That we haven’t adopted such a policy, and instead maintain an awkwardly assembled Rube Goldberg system — hybrid, employer-based, inconsistent — should be taken as damning evidence for the perversion of the democratic process. So you follow the money. … The second explanation appreciates just how complicated politics can be.” (02/04/26)
