“I AM THAT I AM. Thus spake God to Moses, instructing him to ‘say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ President Donald Trump has been saying something similar lately: I AM MAGA! Trump’s latest declaration of his MAGA-ness came in a long post on Truth Social defending the Israel-first blowhard Mark Levin, who has gotten into recent spats on social media with conservatives who criticize the war with Iran. … Many Trump voters have been surprised to learn that ‘MAGA is about’ war on Iran. To be sure, Trump hasn’t always been rhetorically consistent on matters of war and peace, but in 2016 he distinguished himself in the Republican primary by lambasting the Forever Wars, in particular the one in Iraq. And in the 2020 and 2024 elections he bragged about not starting any new wars in his first term.” (03/18/26)
“Stephen Miller has reportedly set a quota that federal immigration officers deport 3,000 people per day. Do you think arrest/deportation quotas are good policy? Miller’s reported ultimate goal is to deport more than a million people per year. No country has ever forcibly displaced that many people without mass casualties, particularly in such a short period of time. Do you think this is a realistic goal? Do you think the U.S. currently has the infrastructure to deport that many people humanely? Does it matter if it’s done humanely? DHS has routinely denied members of Congress access to immigration detention facilities despite a federal law that authorizes members to enter and inspect any facility unannounced. Will you enforce that law, or will DHS continue to ignore it under your watch?” (03/18/26)
“Over the next several days, perhaps even stretching into next week, the United States Senate, that grave and august deliberative body, will performatively waste time with impassioned speeches over the SAVE America Act, which they all know will never pass. There may, however, be an off ramp to this Mobius loop of legislative futility: A proposal from Sen. John Fetterman [D-PA] would have the upper body vote on a clean, simple, voter ID bill, without provisions regarding mail-in ballots or citizenship. Make no mistake, President Donald Trump is correct that all the provisions of the SAVE America Act, including one banning men from women’s sports have broad popular support, and are of vital importance. But if the bill cannot pass, then so what?” (03/18/26)
“During his inauguration ceremony, the newly elected mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani pledged to run the city as he had run his campaign, as a committed socialist. He stirred much discussion during his speech when he claimed that ‘We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.’ A variety of public thinkers and politicians commented on this statement, taking it as a moment to reflect on what they perceived as a referendum on uniquely American ideals.” (03/18/26)
“‘F*ck this sh*t.’ That’s how the erudite opponents of Michigan’s Citizen Only Voting Amendment responded to supporters submitting a petition with more than 750,000 voter signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. Sans the asterisks, actually, which I supplied. Back in 2022, these oppositionists, fraudulently calling themselves Voters Not Politicians (VNP), helped politicians weaken Michigan’s voter-enacted term limits. Now they’re fighting an initiative that I’m promoting, which would: (1) clarify that only U.S. citizens are eligible voters at the state and local level, (2) mandate that the Secretary of State check the voter rolls to ensure it contains only citizens, and (3) require photo ID to vote.” (03/18/26)
“Smith attributes the remarkable economic growth that Scotland experienced in the 18th century to the development of a vigorous banking system, made prudent through competition. In the 18th century, banks are a bit controversial. Some believe that banks, by introducing paper money, increase the quantity of money in a country, thus making it richer. Others claim that banks make a country poorer instead, because paper money substitutes for gold and silver as a means of domestic payment, thus decreasing the quantity of gold and silver, thereby decreasing the country’s wealth. Smith differs. For Smith, banks do help an economy to grow richer (not poorer) by decreasing (not increasing) the quantity of gold and silver in the country! Smith’s logic relies on economic forces and government regulations to generate the prudent financial conduct needed for stable growth.” (03/18/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“It is an almost constant frustration for Democratic members of Congress, their ideological supporters, and the American left more broadly that — whenever they propose a new social program or demand-side subsidy — Republicans immediately push back that the program is unworkable because the federal government is drowning in debt and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. And yet, after Republicans launched this extremely expensive war, nearly all the same politicians who had been preaching fiscal restraint have now rallied behind an operation that has already cost billions of dollars in the first few days alone. Democrats have been quick to point out this hypocrisy. … However, the left-wingers leading this charge right now are wrong to imply that the GOP’s hypocrisy is actually evidence that there is plenty to spend on all these government programs. There isn’t.” (03/18/26)
“anity can make people do stupid things. Want to look better in a bathing suit? Great goal, now with a small potential wrinkle: the treatment your doctor prescribes might be so good you won’t see your fat anymore, because that treatment made you go blind. This latest dispatch from the world of pharmaceutical safety comes from that drug class that is a gift that keeps on giving, the blockbuster weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1s. Branded as Ozempic, Wegovy, or the pill version Rybelsus, these drugs continue to be hailed as modern miracles …. According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, people taking Wegovy may face a five-fold greater risk of a condition charmingly known as NAION for non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. The European Medicines Agency released a warning last year about this risk, known in plainer English as an ‘eye stroke.'” (03/18/26)
“Freedom of speech is a natural right, not a privilege dispensed by governments when convenient. It precedes the state itself. Behind the vowels and consonants that leave our lips lie creative expression, communication, and ultimately liberty. As captured memorably in Good Will Hunting, ‘Liberty is the soul’s right to breathe.’ Yet in the digital age, speech is increasingly treated not as something to be protected but as something to be managed, licensed, monitored, and punished when it produces discomfort.” (03/18/26)
