“The U.S. Treasury Department has been publishing its consolidated financial statements annually since 1997. In every single one, the U.S. government’s projected liabilities over the next 75 years from when the reports were published have outweighed the projected value of its assets. What has been true throughout these years, and also in 2026, is that the U.S. government doesn’t really face the risk of insolvency. To be insolvent, the U.S. government would have to have no way of paying its bills. If a business had a similar balance sheet, it would be headed to bankruptcy court. Unlike a business, the U.S. government has options. It can raise taxes. It can inflate the nation’s currency. It can use tools of financial repression to artificially lower its borrowing costs, making it seem more affordable. These are all things the U.S. government is already doing and has been for years” (04/17/26)
“Elon Musk claims AI-driven growth could fund UBI transfers without inflation. But relative prices — not just totals — still drive economic allocation.” (04/17/26)
“Counseling, by its very nature, is value-laden, and the process and results are greatly influenced by both the therapist’s and the client’s worldview. One critical question that must be asked is what to do when there appears to be a conflict of values related to the therapeutic process. How should a treatment provider respond if a client seeks therapy because his or her behavior is incongruent with their deeply held spiritual or religious values, and those values appear to take precedent above all others? Which set of values is more valid? Should the client have the autonomy to make that decision? The ethical answer to the last question is an unequivocal ‘Yes!'” (04/19/26)
“What could be more presidential than Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats? Millions of people, threatened by economic collapse and endangered by world war, huddled around their radios to hear the avuncular FDR speak plain, reassuring words that Americans could rise together and conquer the nation’s challenges. That’s the way FDR’s leadership is remembered, anyway. Forgotten is the way Roosevelt used his radio addresses to spin conspiracy theories.” (04/17/26)
“Among the great many bogeymen of the current moment is social media, which stands accused of making young people anxious and unhappy. Whatever the merits of those charges — and they’re debatable — politicians have predictably tried to address concerns by applying the blunt instrument of coercive law to kids’ online activities rather than simply let parents help their children make better choices. The experience in Australia now shows the subjects of the law have, once again, proven cleverer than law enforcers.” (04/17/26)
“We tracked how the collapse of federal rural energy support is ending solar projects across farm country — and costing some developers millions they’ll never get back.” (04/17/26)
Source: Kent’s Hooligan Libertarian Blog
by Kent McManigal
“Beyond mere non-compliance, there is defiance. Defiance is more ‘in your face’ than non-compliance, and is more dangerous, but you can be smart about it. Practice non-compliance until you get comfortable dipping into defiance. Storming a government building only works if there’s a big enough crowd, and they don’t simply go home to be hunted down later. It’s the same with refusing to be taxed, refusing to have illegal gun rules imposed on you, and rejecting all licenses and permits. There’s safety in numbers. … There’s a tipping point at which defiance is less dangerous because of the number of people participating. It’s not here yet. Until then, you can at least work toward reaching that tipping point.” (04/17/26)
“Delaware and Vermont only have one Congressional representative each, elected statewide. It is literally impossible to gerrymander a statewide district. There is no process of drawing boundary lines; the state’s borders are the boundary lines. This in itself should be enough to completely discredit the argument being put forth. Anyone claiming a nefarious Democratic Congressional gerrymander of Delaware should take a big step back. If, after all, they have been fed and subsequently repeated a lie so moronic on its face, then what subtler lies are they also being fed and repeating?” (04/17/26)
“The US/Israeli war is indisputably unlawful. It constitutes one of the gravest crimes under international law — the crime of aggression. The legality of Iran’s regulation of the Strait is, however, less clear-cut. Though Iran has not formally blockaded the Strait, it required ships to coordinate with it and abide by its regulatory regime in order to pass through during the war and ceasefire. … Iran has also reportedly charged a fee to some passing ships. Unlike the United States, however, Iran can make a reasonable case that it is within its rights to do all these things under international law.” (04/17/26)
