Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed
“Armed with weapons and a monopoly on the use of legal force, one man (or woman) can do a world of harm. Add ego, arrogance, and dictatorship to the mix, and the harm can spread far and wide, even across generations. One tyrant’s fancies become curses upon society, the effects of which may linger long after the tyrant is gone. This is an iron law of the human experience. The ancient Chinese emperor Wang Mang provides a prime example. If you’re curious what an absolute dictatorship looks like — one of the very worst in all history — this is a story you’ll want to read.” (06/26/25)
“The desperation from the Republican leadership on the Big Beautiful Bill would be funny if I thought it would stick. The bill is clearly not ready for the Senate floor, with numerous Republicans saying they would not vote to advance it. Yet Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is sticking to his original plan of passing the bill this week, a bill that remains invisible, without final text, without CBO scores (which are critical for compliance with budget rules), without fixes to some of the items ruled not germane to a reconciliation bill, and without adjudication on many of the other items, including most of the all-important Senate Finance Committee language that covers taxes and Medicaid. The more severe cuts in the Senate Finance version … have really set off several Republicans, especially those in rural states who know that their hospitals will not survive the carnage.” (06/26/25)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“For decades, Americans have been told that modest inflation is a sign of a healthy economy. Central bankers and mainstream economists have repeated the mantra that 2% annual inflation is a desirable target, something to be managed rather than avoided. But as [Jason] Degner lays out with devastating clarity, this kind of thinking is disconnected from the lived experience of ordinary people — particularly families trying to build stable, secure lives amid the wreckage of decades of monetary expansion. One of the most glaring and immediate effects of persistent inflation has been on asset prices, particularly housing.” (06/26/25)
“In game theory, a ‘first-mover advantage’ gives the opening player the power to set the rules of engagement. President Donald Trump built much of his political brand — and his Art of the Deal persona — on this idea: act big, set the tone, make others play defense. The strategy is simple: push hard up front, frame the deal, and only backtrack if necessary. It’s a tactic that can yield results in business, where individual stakes are limited and profit-and-loss signals keep players accountable. But politics and governance aren’t business transactions. They’re repeated, dynamic games with millions of stakeholders, unclear incentives, and no bottom-line feedback. In this setting, the first-mover tactic, combined with erratic unpredictability, doesn’t create leverage — it creates dysfunction.” (06/26/25)
“There’s a video going around social media of a man named Narciso Barranco being beaten while pinned on the ground by Border Patrol agents in Orange County. The 48-year-old father of three Marines was working a landscaping job when he was approached – before officers subdued Barranco and punched him multiple times in the back of the head, footage shows Barranco running while holding a weedwacker. On Twitter, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that Barranco swung the weedwacker at agents – of the several angles available of Barranco holding the machine, none show him swinging it or assaulting border agents. … What the videos do show is that at least four agents directly holding the roughly 5 ‘6’’ Barranco down on the ground wasn’t enough for them to consider him neutralized – they also had to beat him in the back of the head.” (06/26/25)
“As Republican tax-cut legislation struggles to get through Congress under the weight of its staggering cost, party leaders have responded to criticism by trying to shift the blame. They’re assailing the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office for the transgression of honestly describing the ugly $2.4 trillion reality of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as the legislation is titled. GOP leaders have rallied around the talking point that the CBO’s egghead economists just don’t understand that tax cuts will unleash economic growth so stupendous that the additional tax revenue will offset the bill’s entire cost. What began with a May strategy memo from Newt Gingrich has grown to a chorus of condemnation of the CBO from congressional leaders, the White House press secretary and President Donald Trump. Don’t fall for this spin.” (06/26/25)
“The recent rupture between Donald Trump and Elon Musk occasioned dark chuckling in many corners. Nearly everyone saw this coming. Both men are used to running the show. Neither plays well with others. But the Trump-Musk fracture was more overdetermined than most realize. The personality conflicts mask deeper ideological tensions with implications beyond two oversized egos. The right now hosts a strange blend of populism, Catholic postliberalism, and techno-optimism. These elements don’t mix well, as recent tensions in the conservative movement show us.” (06/26/25)
“For 80 years, the president of the United States has remained the sole authority who can order the use of American nuclear weapons. If the commander in chief wishes to launch a sudden, unprovoked strike, or escalate a conventional conflict, or retaliate against a single nuclear aggression with all-out nuclear war, the choice is his and his alone. The order cannot be countermanded by anyone in the government or the military. … Nearly every president has had moments of personal instability and perhaps impaired judgment, however brief. … And at this very moment, a small plastic card of top-secret codes — the president’s personal key to America’s nuclear arsenal — is resting in one of President Donald Trump’s pockets as he fixates on shows of dominance, fumes about enemies (real and perceived), and allows misinformation to sway his decision making — all while regional wars simmer around the world.” (06/26/25)
“California drivers are about to get hit – again – at the pump. On July 1, gas prices are set to rise thanks to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s relentless climate crusade when higher gas tax and stricter fuel regulations take effect, punishing working families under the guise of environmental virtue. Despite our state’s plentiful oil reserves, Californians are forced by Democrat ‘climate’ policies to pay the nation’s highest gas prices (now around $5.00 per gallon), surpassing even Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Extortionate gas prices are not just an inconvenience; they are a crushing burden for working families, who typically face far longer commutes than the leftist work-from home elites who impose these policies. And they’re a disaster for small businesses operating on tight margins and are already struggling under the weight of the nation’s highest taxes and most burdensome regulations.” (06/26/25)
“The culture of cities is a culture of dependence. It is a society in which freedom of action is restrained, not just by government edict, but by the need to conform and restrict. Even self-governors give up most of their freedom in the most libertarian of urban settings. You have to be careful that your elbow does not accidentally end up coming in contact with someone else’s nose (or worse). On the other hand, rural and especially frontier areas (that is, areas with low population density and ‘elbow room’) give you more opportunity for liberty. Not just as self-reliant individuals (though that is possible far more than in cities) but for voluntary cooperation between people.” (06/25/25)
