“Whenever I think about things from an economic perspective, I start with the assumption that the present state of affairs is efficient (my null hypothesis, if you will). That is to say, I start with the assumption that all profit opportunities have been eaten up and, at least at the present time, there are no failures in the market. Then I consider how likely it is that such an assumption is an approximate representation of reality. That is where methodological individualism and the economic way of thinking come in.” (01/22/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“In the comic theater of American politics, few spectacles are as reliably absurd as the utopian promises of protectionism. Donald Trump’s tariffs, hailed by their proponents as a bold strike against foreign exploitation, have instead proven to be a blunt instrument of economic self-sabotage — particularly for the nation’s farmers. From his first administration to the present day these policies have not only disrupted free markets but have necessitated a cascade of government bailouts, turning independent producers into wards of the state. Such interventions are not savvy trade strategy but are classic crony capitalism: politicians picking winners and losers, all while taxpayers foot the bill for the inevitable fallout.” (01/22/26)
“Donald Trump took to the stage at Davos yesterday and made clear what keen observers of American politics already knew: the old order is dead. This past week, international relations experts like Robert Kagan and Paul Musgrave and commentators like Jonathan V. Last have all detailed how Donald Trump’s aggression against Greenland, use of unilateral military action, and repeated rebukes of our global allies have finally brought an end to the post-war international order that sustained American power for eighty years. NATO has been rendered little more than a walking corpse. The same can be said domestically, particularly as Trump has applied federal power on American citizens in ways unseen in modern history. Nothing is as it was.” (01/22/26)
“Territorial seizures are hardly novel phenomena in international relations. What makes this crisis different is that the aggressor is the United States, a close ally of Denmark’s and the architect of the very international order designed to discourage such brazen territorial acquisitiveness. It is particularly absurd since America has had unlimited military access, an open invitation to station whatever forces it wants on Greenland, since World War II. It’s understandable why the Danes and Greenlanders are bewildered at supposed security motivations for the Arctic Anschluss. Throughout the postwar era, a defining tenet of American hegemony has been that military might does not confer territorial rights, and that America itself would resolutely defend weaker nations against the predations of their mightier neighbors. This president has reversed that mission entirely. Under Trump, on the international stage, the U.S. has gone from protector to predator.” (01/21/26)
“President Trump prosecutes his political opponents; deports immigrants, including some here legally, to foreign prisons without due process; solicits tribute payments from corporations and foreign governments; deploys soldiers to American cities that are not, in fact, in civil-war-level chaos; and puts his name and image on government buildings that quite obviously don’t belong to him. So, a question: What do you call this form of government? Authoritarian? Kleptocratic? Totalitarian? Fascist?” (01/21/26)
“If Americans thought the 2016 and 2020 elections were messy, just wait until Mr. Artificial Intelligence shows up for the 2026 midterms with his own election disruptions in hand. If you are an election official, an election integrity advocate, or even a candidate, you should start creating an anti-AI election disinformation plan – yesterday. Protecting elections has historically meant securing ballot boxes, counting rooms, and voting machines. In 2026, that will still matter, but will no longer be enough. The greatest threat now to confidence in elections may not be whether votes are counted accurately, but whether voters believe anything they see, hear, or read about the process.” (01/22/26)
“On January 16, the US Department of Education announced that it will delay the collection of defaulted federal student debt via wage garnishment and retention of federal funds such as Social Security payments. The reasons offered by the Trump administration are that the Biden administration left student debt repayment a confused mess that needs to be clarified before forced collection resumes, and the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — aka One Big Beautiful Bill — will simplify debt repayment starting this July, as well as allow a second chance for defaulted borrowers to rehabilitate their loans. … Even if legal, there is a huge problem with another delay: It will likely bolster the deleterious sentiment among borrowers for which the Trump administration blamed Biden.” (01/21/26)
“Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison declared Sunday that there are no federal grounds for prosecuting the mob that disrupted St. Paul’s Cities Church and characterized the conduct as ‘First Amendment activity.’ Ellison not only supported the protesters as exercising their First Amendment rights in an interview with CNN, but also signaled an unwillingness to enforce state laws allegedly violated by the protesters, including trespass and disorderly conduct. Ellison is infamous for his prior support for violent groups and has long-faced criticism for statements and associations involving extremist movements and figures linked to political unrest.” [editor’s note: Compare to Turley’s view of the “mob rule” in the Capitol riot – TLK] (01/22/25)
“It’s a safe assumption that any president would have a strong preference for an easing of monetary policy (lower policy rates at a minimum) as opposed to tightening monetary policy. Moreover, communicating that preference, although perhaps a lot more subtly than Trump, to the Fed Chairman has gone on for quite some time. However, by deploying extraordinary monetary policy from 2008 to 2018 and then from 2020 to 2022, the Fed has shown every president, both present and future, that those powers can juice the economy in ways that fiscal policy can rarely match. The temptation for a president to cajole a Fed chairman has risen dramatically since 2008 and I don’t expect it to end with the Trump presidency.” (01/21/26)
