“‘Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power.’ — James Madison … Our biggest concern in America today is the Democratic Party’s abuse of power, their desire for tyrannical control, and an unlimited government (‘Our rights come from government, not God,’ Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said a few months ago). If government gives us our rights, then government can take them away at will, and that is as good a definition of totalitarian government as one could wish for. It is exactly what Communist China has today, what Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and every other tyranny the world has ever seen foisted upon their people. It is exactly what tyrants and government (and Democrats) want. So, patriotic Americans (following our Founding Fathers) fear unlimited, oppressive government.” (04/01/26)
“‘You’re only going to create a real problem for an FBI employee if you call ‘em direct this way.’ Senior FBI official Thomas Gregory Motta was upset that I dared to call him to talk about the bureau’s hidden experiments on humans. He joined the bureau in 1998 and was promoted to the FBI’s senior ranks nearly 20 years ago. During his tenure, the bureau has grown proficient at snooping on journalists — as documented in a secret government report published by Racket — without having to face their questions.” (04/01/26)
“For my BlueDot AGI Governance course, I’m reading AGI, Governments, and Free Societies by Justin B. Bullock, Samuel Hammond, and Séb Krier. I briefly lived with Sam Hammond many years ago. Great kisser. Mediocre housekeeper. I knew that kid was going places. Anyway, I stopped short at this line: ‘We already have AI models that can approximate and even surpass the decision making capabilities of humans in many domains.’ The authors aren’t saying that, necessarily. But they’re saying that people are saying it. Is that true? I don’t think so. I could be wrong. But I also don’t see much evidence for it.” (04/01/26)
“Ozempic sells for close to $300 for a month’s dosage in developing countries like China and India. It is expected to sell for around $15 for a month’s dosage when generics are introduced, and the price could eventually fall to around $3 when there is enough competition in the market. The price differentials in the United States and other wealthy countries are even larger. People without insurance can pay as much as $1,000 for a month’s dosage, although discounts are available that can cut this price in half. The drug still has several more years of patent protection in the United States …. With rare exceptions, drugs are cheap to manufacture and distribute; however, they can end up being expensive because governments give drug companies patent monopolies or other forms of protection.” (04/01/26)
“While Adam Smith has often been thought of as only the father of economics, most scholars now agree that the projects undertaken in the two books published during his lifetime, Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS) and Wealth of Nations (WN) are not separate endeavors of moral philosophy and political economy, respectively, but two ways of approaching one, unified project about realizing human flourishing. Though it is recognized that Smith’s moral philosophy informs, supplements, and supports his economic project, what has not been explored as much is that Smith’s political economy also has moral implications.” (04/01/26)
“At the start of this week, a four-day gathering of the World Trade Organization ended in deadlock over a disagreement between just two of its 166 member countries. The United States sought a 10-year extension to existing duty-free digital purchasing rules (for items such as software, music, and movies); Brazil would only agree to a two-year extension. Nevertheless, working on the sidelines, 66 other members – from Asia, Europe, and the Americas – forged their own agreement on the issue. The recent increase in such ‘minilateral’ solutions to global obstacles signifies more than mere impatience with time-consuming multilateral processes. Rather, it highlights the impetus and realization among the world’s middle powers about their changing role – and responsibility – in shaping a world order amid major geopolitical shifts.” (03/31/26)
“The rules-based international order, a system America largely built and championed after World War II, was predicated on the belief that global maritime and trade norms were foundational, applying equally to the weak and the strong. In the Middle East, memories of the Suez Crisis, combined with the threat of Soviet influence in the Persian Gulf, precipitated the creation of the Carter Doctrine to ensure this framework was upheld. The tanker wars of the 1980s challenged this doctrine, but the U.S. and Iraq emerged victorious, and, following a few years of international fighting, the United Nations’ ‘Law of the Sea’ was finally instituted in 1994. … Under Trump, however, status quo international agreements are being cast aside the moment they constrain his political impulses.” (04/01/26)
