Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“Despite US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s warning that anyone seeking stronger trade ties with Beijing would be ‘cutting their own throat,’ Donald Trump’s weaponized tariffs are causing many countries to seek closer relations with China. There has been a barrage of diplomacy in the first few months of 2026, especially from European leaders concerned about the effects of Chinese competitiveness on domestic industries.” (04/27/26)
“A job’s wage is not a measure of dignity — it’s a reflection of economic value. Confusing the two leads to policies that undermine opportunity.” (04/27/26)
“The city has long been a beacon of opportunity, where folks flock to make it big. But metropolises the world over are wasting a major opportunity — many, many square feet of it: Flat rooftops are painted white, when really they should be green. Not, mind you, shades of mint green, forest green, or lime green, but with the lushness of actual plants. Adding vegetation to roofs — even if it’s just a coating of grass, moss, and succulents — bestows many overlapping, reinforcing benefits not only on a building’s occupants and owner, but on the surrounding community. Like parks on the ground, gardens in the sky reduce local temperatures and help prevent flooding, all while improving urban biodiversity and feeding pollinators like bees.” (04/27/26)
“As Virginia heads to the state Supreme Court, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) will have to up his game a bit. For starters, he will have to actually defend the redistricting resolution as constitutional when prompted. In a recent interview with CNN, even the host of the friendly network expressed frustration that Jones could not seem to get himself to actually defend the dubious language of the ballot measure. Many of us have expressed skepticism over the process and language of the resolution that passed this week, effectively wiping out all but one GOP district in the purple state. Virginia was considered the gold standard among states rejecting gerrymandering with fairly divided districts in a state that is divided right down the middle.” (04/26/26)
“The warmaking president is shedding his base. But the last ones on the MAGA bus may be the first to leap off at any sign of political trouble.” (04/27/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick J Lee
“A man stands at a farmers market stall. His wife is talking to the farmer. He picks up a chicken. Paper-wrapped, no barcode, a handwritten tag on the twine. He holds it close to read the label and sets it back down fast. The price is an insult. What are these people thinking? A minute later, another man reaches for the same bird, reads the same label, and smiles. What a deal. Same chicken, same label, same words. … Mises was clear that prices don’t emerge from some objective measure of worth. They emerge from subjective valuations, each party to an exchange believing—at the moment of transaction—that what he receives is worth more than what he gives up. The price is not a fact about the chicken. It is the meeting point of two different minds reading the world differently.” (04/27/26)
