“Before examining the Iran case, it’s worth considering the United States’ disquieting record with militarily imposed regime change, both to contextualize the current operation and to shed light on the factors most conducive to its success. The scholarship on the subject is highly contested, but if there is any consensus, it is that regime change is a herculean task that seldom goes well. Especially when led by foreign militaries, efforts to install new governments rarely produce stable, friendlier regimes, to say nothing of democratic ones. It is more likely, in fact, to create political vacuums, civil war, and general political instability. This was our experience in Somalia, Haiti, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan in recent memory.” (03/12/26)
“This year’s Times Square Ball Drop marked not only the end of 2025, but also the end of the MetroCard. Now, New Yorkers must use their credit, debit, or One Metro New York (OMNY) card to navigate the city aboard Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) trains and buses. While some residents welcome the transition away from the notoriously finicky MetroCard, the speed and convenience of the OMNY system comes at a cost: privacy.” (03/12/26)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Having observed undergraduate education as an undergraduate, as a professor and as a parent visiting schools, I have some thoughts on the subject.” (03/11/26)
“Given the energy disruptions in the Middle East since the start of the war with Iran and the topsy-turvy fluctuations in the price of crude oil ever since, here are five facts Americans should be aware of regarding the geopolitics of energy. First, America is now producing more oil and gas than ever. Since 2022, we’ve produced more than any other nation, including Saudi Arabia. The best way to inoculate ourselves from foreign supply disruptions is to generate every barrel of oil we can here at home. Second, the Green New Deal was and continues to be an energy belly flop.” (03/12/26)
“War is an extreme action and, thus, triggers extreme reactions. Including extreme stupidity. It’s always disheartening — or ought to be — to see what should be a last resort comes to pass. It’s worse when a war is accompanied by cruelty, callousness, recklessness, and idiocy, though for obvious reasons that might be unavoidable. As for Trump’s war in Iran — which could well be an immense blunder — it has been enveloped in layers of excessive dumbness. I’m not talking about the strategic wisdom — or lack thereof — of this attack, which could precipitate calamities throughout the region and beyond. Or the madness of impulsively launching such a war without planning for what comes afterward. I’m referring to how it has prompted imbecility among its supporters, including at the White House.” (03/11/26)
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
“The argument that capitalists are needed to provide workers with means of production, and profit is their reward for doing so, is nonsense. All capitalists have are paper or digital claims on the right to allocate means of production or material resources. All of the actual material resources — means of production and raw materials — are entirely the product of labor acting on free gifts of nature. The entire point at issue is the legitimacy of the process by which capitalists happen to be in possession of those paper or digital claims, and how workers come to be dependent on those claims.” (03/11/26)
“At first glance, the latest Trumpian weirdness seems almost endearingly harmless: The Wall Street Journal reports that late last year, Trump developed a passion for black Florsheim Oxford shoes and started giving them as gifts. ‘All the boys have them,’ according to a female White House official. … if you read the Journal story closely, it starts to look more like a case of “beware of Trump bearing gifts.” For one, the gift shoes are not universally welcome — but recipients are reportedly ‘afraid not to wear them,’ especially since Trump badgers them with ‘Did you get the shoes?’ nudges at cabinet meetings. Some of the disgruntled recipients have issues with the downscale, non-designer brand. But also, it looks like many of the shoes just don’t fit …” (03/12/26)
“With Kansas City preparing to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Missouri lawmakers are considering a bill to simplify food truck licensing in Jackson County. The proposal would allow vendors licensed by the county to operate in any municipality without additional city permits. The change would remove a common barrier: multiple permits just to cross a city boundary. The idea makes sense. But if it will help entrepreneurs and visitors during the World Cup, why should the same principle not apply across Missouri?” (03/11/26)
