“As I pointed out exactly three years ago, on March 20, 2023, in the pages of The Spectator, the idea that there is a brewing ‘civil war’ within the Republican Party over foreign policy would be nice, if it were actually true. Then as now, stories appeared in Beltway broadsheets claiming that the GOP was at war with itself over foreign policy. … What is now unfolding isn’t a GOP civil war over Iran — it is simply a reassertion of control by the people who actually control the Republican Party. We should understand this group as distinct from Republican voters, who most assuredly do not control the President or the Party apparatus on Capitol Hill.” (03/20/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“Though introduced to improve the lives of society’s most vulnerable workers, mandated minimum wages often have the opposite effect, especially if increased at the rate seen in Spain over the previous six years. When labor becomes more expensive, companies, in particular smaller ones, try to reduce their staff bills, either by cutting hours or laying people off. Often, they fire the least-skilled in order to retain the better-skilled. That’s if they choose to pay the minimum wage at all, which is far from guaranteed in sectors with the highest concentration of workers on the SMI.” (03/20/26)
“Artificial intelligence has become the latest excuse for reviving one of the oldest bad ideas in economic policy: a universal basic income. Recent pieces in Newsweek, the LSE Business Review, and Fortune have all helped push the idea that AI may soon wipe out so many jobs that Washington will need to send everyone a check. That makes for a catchy headline. It also makes for terrible economics.” (03/20/26)
“A government takeover of the health insurance industry is on the verge of its second moment in the spotlight. Its first test in the glare came during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. It didn’t go well: Candidates first endorsed the idea, also called ‘single-payer,’ and then had to retreat when others scrutinized it. If any of its current enthusiasts gets close to a competitive general election — as Platner and El-Sayed could — the party could relive that experience. That’s because Medicare-for-all’s political and policy deficiencies become impossible to ignore as soon as the debate moves beyond slogans.” (30/20/26)
“For 30 years, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has protected online speech, shielding platforms from liability for content posted by third parties. Basically, comments sections, discussion boards, and social media are made possible by that law. But Section 230 has long suffered attacks from people who don’t like what they see published in the digital world. This week, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee heard arguments from both those who favor maintaining the current free environment for online speech and those who want to roll it back or outright repeal its protections.” (03/20/26)
“Just when you thought that the hare-brained schemes of the Democrats who run our beleaguered big cities couldn’t get goofier, Chicago has passed a new doozy. The Windy City is raising hotel taxes to, get this, increase tourism. Ordinance 2026-0022544 will raise the tax on hotel rooms within that district to 19% from the rate of 17.5%, with the proceeds going to an organization called Choose Chicago, which will use the cash for tourism marketing campaigns. The top target on Choose Chicago’s wish list of events is the 2028 Democratic National Convention, and now, everyone who books a room in Second City gets to chip in a bit on the effort. It’s quite a thing: Only a leftist Democrat could possibly think that making it more expensive to visit Chicago will increase tourism. Maybe they should throw in a complimentary mugging to sweeten the deal.” (03/21/26)
“The current population reality is the opposite of what the Ehrlichs said it would be. All over the world, except for places in Africa, legacy populations are declining. In the United States, our population would be declining were it not for immigration. Elsewhere, the replication rate is plummeting — and it’s not just the West, but in China and Taiwan; both Koreas, as different as they are; and in Japan. Without growing populations, our modern (if jury-rigged) social safety net pension systems are jeopardized, as is the possibility of finding caregivers to aging-and-dying populations. We cannot blame it all on Ehrlich of course. There are many factors at work. But is it possible to be more wrong than he was?” (03/20/26)
“On March 18th, an Ohio jury sided with rapper Joseph Foreman, better known by his stagename Afroman, in a civil tort case. Afroman, known for his over-the-top comedic style and the hit track ‘Crazy Rap,’ was in court this past week after sheriff’s deputies sued him for criticizing and making fun of them in several music videos and in interviews. In an important symbolic victory for freedom of expression, Afroman won the lawsuit. Had the government prevailed, it would have signaled that documenting government conduct and criticizing police could come at a steep price.” (03/20/26)
