“Reiner deserves to be remembered because he inspired great affection in millions and millions of people, for, as of now, two generations. Since it’s Christmas, it would be best to remember him by going back to The Princess Bride, which is less of its time than the other movies and more fitting for a family viewing. … More than the funny dialogue or the irony of pointing out the structure of a fairy tale, what makes The Princess Bride such a clever story is the skill with which it brings out what it feels like to be a boy.” (12/19/25)
“Capability-based budgeting is not a wholesale reorganization. It’s a way of making the budget legible: first to yourself, then to leadership, then to oversight. Capability-based budgeting is an approach to budgeting that can apply to any kind of team — whether or not you are providing direct support to public facing or mission critical work. You can begin with a single portfolio, a single project, or even a single conversation about what outcomes your team is truly accountable for. Below is a practical roadmap for getting started, based on real federal implementations and the lessons learned along the way.” (12/19/25)
“The letters started coming in October 2025. In the first wave, according to the Florida Policy Institute (FPI), “at least 22 school districts in Florida” got letters alerting them that charter school operators, including a for-profit charter school management company based in Miami, intended to use a state law recently enacted to open new charter schools on the campuses of existing public schools beginning August 2027. … With school enrollments in steep decline in nearly every district in the state, fear of a potential mass charter school industry takeover of public school spaces—along with the costs local districts will incur—looms over district leaders across the state and strikes them as a clear existential threat.” [editor’s note: Not sure how this is a bad thing. It exposes “charter schools” as what they are (part of the “public education” monopoly), meaning that monopoly might die off more quickly – TLK] (12/19/25)
“Last week, I reported on concerns that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was discouraging support for a bipartisan discharge petition to finally advance the exceedingly popular policy of ending congressional stock trading. Discharge petitions signed by a majority of House members get a guaranteed floor vote. The speculation was that Jeffries would rather keep the concept of a trading ban alive for campaigning (and maybe protect Democrats who want to keep trading) than take advantage of the ongoing rebellion against House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to make tangible progress. I would say this is wholly confirmed now. The Democratic leadership is filing their own discharge petition on a stock trading ban, countering one from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) that has 74 signatures, including 15 Republicans, more than enough for a House majority if all Democrats sign on.” (12/19/25)
Source: The American Conservative
by Josh Shifrinson
“A security guarantee for Ukraine is a terrible idea. Even as it would reverse Trump’s long-standing opposition to further enmeshing the United States with Ukraine, a guarantee carries a range of dangers for the United States, Ukraine, and the European NATO allies while delivering few benefits. Whether offered as part of a peace deal or ceasefire, the guarantee may do little to deter Russia. Further, should a conflict break out, the arrangement is poised to trigger a fundamental crisis in U.S.–European relations. Above all, the guarantee promises to complicate rather than ameliorate Ukraine’s own understandable desire to find security for itself in the shadow of its Russian neighbor.” (12/19/25)
“The Trump administration’s assault on alleged drug boats has killed about one person per day since early September. These are murders, and basic humanity demands that we not get complacent about them.” (12/19/25)
“Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency in no small part thanks to his promise to enforce immigration restrictions that the Biden administration largely ignored. Election year polls found more voters preferred Trump over then-president Joe Biden on the issue and even favored his proposals for mass deportations. But the reality of tough border policies is a harsh reality check; since the current administration took office, Americans have cooled on its policies and warmed to immigration. That’s not to say the country is embracing Biden’s nudge-and-wink approach to border crossings. Instead, people seem to want a middle ground combining enforcement with a touch of humanity.” (12/19/25)
“The United States government first launched a War on Drugs on June 17, 1971, when President Richard Nixon declared: ‘America’s public enemy number one … is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new all-out offensive. … This will be a worldwide offensive dealing with the problems of sources of supply.’ The war has ebbed and flowed over the past 54 years, but the results are clear. Drugs won. But instead of learning the requisite lessons, the Trump administration is ramping up anti-drug-war rhetoric to lunatic levels.” (12/19/25)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kristian Guise
“Wealth taxes are over-reliant upon the few, making the tax superficially attractive to money-hungry legislators, but the tax revenue is unstable. A pseudo-wealth tax was proposed in the State of Washington of 1% on assets over $250 million, but once this was announced/expected, Jeff Bezos moved himself and many of his assets to Florida, costing Washington State nearly 45% ($1.44 billion) of the predicted $3.2 billion/year revenue. The people with the highest assets are also highly mobile; threatened with a wealth tax, many will just leave. Applying the tax itself also has high administrative costs.” (12/19/25)
“Contrary to most beliefs, major changes in our world can occur very quickly, and in fact they often have. Take the fall of the Soviet Union, for example; it vanished in a shockingly short period of time, and to the utter surprise of nearly all the world. In certain cities, like Prague, the fall was faster still. Precisely how these events form is a rather deep study, of course, and more than we’ll cover today. Nonetheless, there is a sort of geometry to these changes; a very powerful one. And so I’ll familiarize you with it.” (12/19/25)
