“Democrats have a union problem. They have tied their political fortunes to unions, public and private, in ways that exacerbate intraparty conflict while stymieing both progressive and moderate goals. That’s not just a problem for the party. Democratic deference to unions creates economic hurdles for much of the country—almost everyone who isn’t in a union, and even some people who are—because today’s unions function as roadblocks to the future. To understand the party’s problem, consider that the two most powerful words in Democratic politics in 2026 are abundance and affordability. Both represent rival party factions.” (for publication 08/26)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“I receive a flattering email. The sender is very impressed with my work. She runs an elite reading group, would like to include one of my books. I, of course, respond that she is welcome to do so. At the second or third round of the exchange she mentions a small financial contribution by the featured author to help cover the costs of the project. … I think this is the third I have received in the past year. Considered as a scam, it makes sense only if targeting multiple authors, since it does not seem likely to get much money from any single author. Targeting multiple authors requires multiple versions of the emails, since they contain moderately detailed references to the author’s work, hardly likely to be worth the cost of hiring someone to compose them. Unless they are written by an AI.” (07/18/26)
“We’re used to it, of course, but it still demands repeating. The president is mentally unwell — a delusional, malignant sociopath incapable of absorbing any reality that is not pure wish-fulfillment. We have never elected anyone to that office as inadequate to it as this man. The stream of consciousness we were subjected to last night is merely the latest of a series of humiliations for a country dumb and desperate enough to re-elect a global laughingstock. Have I said this before? Yes, I have said this before. It remains a fact we are currently doing our best to ignore. For appearance’s sake.” (07/17/26)
“All is not yet lost in a country where the children rise up as one to evade mandatory age-check barriers to social media. Reclaim the Net reports the finding that, as judged by looking at 408 Australian teens, some 85 percent ‘of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still merrily logging on three months after the ban supposedly cut them off from the world.’ Maybe not merrily. Perhaps only sturdily or insouciantly. Anyway, rightly. Good job, guys. The ban is failing because kids know how to draw a mustache on their faces or borrow somebody else’s login.” (07/17/26)
“The numbers are mathematical, not political. Unless the United States begins restoring fiscal discipline, future generations will inherit a nation burdened by debt, weakened by chronic overspending, and headed to a bankruptcy that could be prevented. Washington is run by professional politicians, not statesmen, whose focus is on the next election, not the next generation. They have operated under a simple formula. Promise more benefits, avoid difficult decisions, and borrow the difference.” (07/17/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by John Coleman
“The internet is one of the main places where we read, learn, ask questions, and share ideas. It serves as a library, bookstore, classroom, and town square all at once. For decades, most people have been able to use those online spaces without first proving who they are. That may be changing. Legislatures across the United States are passing laws requiring online platforms and other digital services to determine users’ ages before granting access. … At first glance, these laws seem to ask a simple question: How old are you? But answering it isn’t so simple. Is checking a box enough? Can a company estimate your age from a selfie? Should it rely on information from your device or app store? Or must you verify your age by uploading a government-issued ID? What begins as age assurance can result in identity verification.” (07/17/26)
“California’s proposed wealth tax promises billions in new revenue. But early evidence suggests it will ultimately cost the state far more in investment, entrepreneurship, and future tax receipts.” (07/17/26)
“You would be forgiven, while walking down the street, for not stopping at every lamppost to read the hastily printed notices fastened to our street furniture. When you walk into a pub, restaurant, nail salon or shop, you would also be forgiven for completely ignoring the hastily printed letter from the council regarding planning application number 26/03570/FULL, for example. When erected on street furniture, the ink usually runs, and the notices collect dust, soot, cigarette stubs and chewing gum. Rather ugly indeed. What are these eminently ignorable wastes of fine British fir? They are planning notices. … There is no need for physical planning notices. They do not help anyone, and they make our public realm messier and uglier.” (07/18/26)
Source: The Daily Economy
by Logan Tantibanchachai
“Visa holders founded half of today’s Fortune 500 companies and a majority of billion-dollar startups. Current restrictions damage that competitive advantage and choke off future growth.” (07/17/26)
“[G]ive Donald Trump credit. People deal with him as if he were a unique figure in American history and in some ways, of course, he couldn’t be more so. But not, it turns out, when it comes to American-style war. There, he seems almost boringly part of a story (now more than three-quarters of a century old) of how the seemingly greatest power on Planet Earth in the endless decades after World War II simply couldn’t — no, not ever! — win a war.” (07/17/26)
