Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by James Bovard
“The Trump administration effectively condemned the downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), portraying it as unfit for federal workers. HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced: ‘It is time to turn the page on the Weaver Building and relocate to a new headquarters that prioritizes the well-being of HUD employees and properly reflects the passion and excellence of our team.’ HUD posted a video exposing the ramshackle condition of its existing headquarters in D.C. and touting its new much fancier offices in Alexandria, Virginia. The video took its title from Secretary Turner’s promise of ‘The New Golden Age of HUD.’ And if you believe HUD will have a Golden Age, I have some bridge in Brooklyn I will sell you at a fire sale price.” (12/08/25)
“The stock market has made gains at rates that are several multiples more than the growth of the real economy for three years running. Investor euphoria is always a sign of danger ahead, but this time there are other special factors signaling a pending crash. And of course, they all interact. Once investors head for the exits, others start bailing. I. Deregulation of Increasing Risk. Trump’s bank regulators are systematically dismantling the safeguards that were put in place after the financial collapse of 2008. That crash was caused by opaque financial instruments such as credit derivatives that allowed almost infinite amounts of leverage. When they turned out to be worthless, the collapse was also nearly infinite. In the aftermath, Congress and the regulators limited the risks that banks could take. In classic Wall Street form, the wise guys responded by creating non-banks that could do most of what banks do.” (12/09/25)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Most of what I know is based on secondhand information; I have never seen Antarctica but am confident that it exists. Some, however, is first hand. I mentioned one example in my previous post, an experience during a summer spent in Washington as a congressional intern in my early twenties that demonstrated that competent academics, people I liked, were willing to do deliberately dishonest work. That was convincing in a way that second-hand information, an article arguing that published work was dishonest — I have written some — would not have been. Thinking about that started me looking for other examples of views of mine based on my own experiences. Here are some of them.” (12/08/25)
“Since its creation in 1949, NATO has been the keystone of U.S. foreign policy in Europe. Indeed, the alliance has been the most important feature of Washington’s overall strategy of global primacy. America’s political and policy elites have embraced two key assumptions and continue to do so. One is that NATO is essential to the peace and security of the entire transatlantic region and will remain so for the indefinite future. The other sacred assumption is that the alliance is highly beneficial to America’s own core security and economic interests. Whatever validity those assumptions may have had at one time, they are dangerously obsolete today. The toxic, militaristic views toward Russia that too many European leaders are adopting have made NATO into a snare that could entangle the United States in a large-scale war with ominous nuclear implications.” (12/08/25)
“‘Affordability’ epitomizes how Trump is floundering on what had been one of his strongest issues. A Gallup survey found that only 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s economic performance while a Fox News poll found that 76% of voters disapprove of Trump’s economy — an even worse rating than Joe Biden scored at the end of his presidency. The White House acts as if more bluster can solve the problem. But is the Trump administration now targeting its economic message solely to people who failed high-school mathematics? On Truth Social last month, Trump proclaimed, ‘DRUG PRICES ARE FALLING AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, 500%, 600%, 700%, and more.’ Actually, drug prices cannot fall more than 100% unless people are getting paid to swallow the durn free pills. But it’s worse than that. Prescription-drug prices have in fact increased roughly 2% this year, according to federal data.” (12/08/25)
“In these fraught political times when our political choices are largely limited to authoritarian Republicans and totalitarian Democrats and federal agencies vie for opportunities to violate individual rights, it’s difficult to feel anything other than contempt for government. It’s worth remembering, though, that the current mess isn’t a good representation of the Founding ideals of our republic. In particular, consider the protections for liberty embodied in the Bill of Rights, which is celebrated every December 15.” (12/08/25)
“In one sense, the global crackdown on online speech is understandable. Most people support freedom of speech, but balance this support with their support of other priorities, such as their desire to cultivate a culture that respects the rights and dignity of minorities. In the last decade, social media has shocked many of us with evidence of how heinous the views of some of our fellow citizens are. It’s understandable that someone might see a post on X with thousands of likes that implies that black Americans are genetically inferior to white Americans, and conclude that the government ought to do something to punish this kind of hateful speech. But for all that the impulse to censor can be noble-hearted, it’s also wrong-headed. In practice, attempts to punish so-called hate speech run into several big problems.” (12/08/25)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The U.S. Navy has a Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) that is comparable to the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) in the army. These are awarded to military personnel who engage in combat during wartime. Does the U.S. Navy plan on handing out the CAR to all the Navy personnel who have participated in the attacks on those small boats on the high seas near Venezuela, which have resulted in the killings of more than 80 people? Given President Trump’s and the Pentagon’s ‘we-are-at-war’ assertion, I don’t see why they wouldn’t hand out that combat ribbon. But if I were one of those Navy personnel, I’d be embarrassed to wear that ‘combat’ ribbon on my uniform. … In fact, I think the Navy should issue a brand new ribbon — the Combat Cowardice Ribbon — to all the Navy personnel who have participated in those drug-war killings.” (12/08/25)
“It is hard now even for Democrats to defend illegal [sic] immigration, given that the Biden administration allowed in more than 10 million entrants. Among them were an estimated 500,000 criminals. No one believes that was wise or should ever be repeated. Worse, the message went out that there would be few, if any, deportations* and no real ICE kinetic activity beyond the border. The world’s poor, sick, both law-abiding and criminal, young and old, understood that anyone could now enter the U.S. at will. Deterrence and legality were lost. In its place, the message went out that if it was permissible to cross the border unlawfully [sic], then, by extension, it would be seen as equally fine to reside illegally [sic] as well, and perhaps further to ignore laws, on the theory that the host had sanctioned all such exemptions.” [editor’s note: * Trump still hasn’t caught up with Biden’s deportation numbers. Or Obama’s – TLK] (12/08/25)
Source: Independent Institute
by Abigail R Hall & Patrik Ward
“As tensions between Washington and Caracas intensify, over 250,000 Venezuelans living legally in the United States are set to lose their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a temporary immigration status that allows individuals from certain countries to live and work in the United States if their home country is considered unsafe. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has framed keeping these Venezuelans in the country as ‘contrary to national interest.’ In reality, revoking TPS is not sound policy; it is bad economics aligned with worse ethics. This policy does nothing to help the American public. It does, however, endanger thousands of people who fled an erratic authoritarian regime and lays bare the overwhelming hypocrisy coming from Washington.” (12/08/25)
