Source: The UnPopulist
by Janet Bufton & Tom G Palmer
“How a movement that poses the single biggest threat to open, liberal societies took control of the discourse and politics in America and abroad.” (02/21/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/your-comprehensive-guide-to-the-far-27f
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Ari Cohn
“The Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to sidestep the Constitution by labeling editorial decisions it doesn’t like as ‘unfair or deceptive trade practices’ won’t work.” (02/21/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/ftc-overstepping-its-authority-and-threatening-free-speech-online
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“There may be something more shocking than UFOs. Non-existent gold. Aliens and crash-landed flying saucers are not supposed to exist. Experts have been telling us they are mere fantasy and rumor for longer than I’ve been alive. Meanwhile, experts at the U.S. Mint insist that something very different does exist: ‘approximately 147.3 million troy ounces of gold stored at Fort Knox in Kentucky.'” (02/23/25)
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“What if I were to tell you about an obscure clique of consultants that concoct dubious economic analysis to convince regulators to side with corporations, enabling a massive rip-off of ordinary Americans? I think your curious, cautious response might be, ‘You’re going to have to be more specific’. OK, so this obscure clique has a name. They’re called the Society of Utility and Regulatory Financial Analysts, or SURFA. And they are a large part of the reason why you’re paying way too much for electricity.” (02/21/25)
https://prospect.org/environment/2025-02-21-secret-society-raising-your-electricity-bills/
Source: Antiwar.com
by Robert Koehler
“Is it possible that collective humanity is actually turning against war – seeing it more as the primary problem than the solution to our global ills?” (02/21/25)
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Trump’s tariffs and other trade war moves will cost the average household somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000 per year (estimates vary, but few other than Trump himself pretend his plans will drive your cost of living DOWN). You’ll pay more for food. You’ll pay more for clothes. You’ll pay more for consumer electronics. Unless you’re buying a car or a home the hurt will come in little bits — no single one especially traumatic, but the overall impact very unpleasant. That ‘DOGE Dividend’ check, if it comes, will just be Trump trying to buy back your love with your own money, to partially and insufficiently make up for the damage he’s doing to you.” (02/20/25)
Source: Orange County Register
by Veronique de Rugy
“As the Committee for a Responsible Budget explains, ‘the budget resolution’s instructions include a net $3.3 trillion in allowable deficit increases — or nearly $4 trillion including interest in additional debt by 2034.’ It also raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. Basically, we’re talking about offsetting as much as $4.8 trillion — mostly for tax-cut extensions — with only $1.5 trillion in supposed spending reductions. The plan projects that additional tax revenue from economic growth will temper the debt impact. While I’ve touted the potential for some tax-cut extensions to boost economic growth, this is a case of wishful thinking by Republicans. In part, it’s because the plan relies on the same kinds of budget gimmicks and unrealistic assumptions we’ve seen before, like counting on Congress to deliver on large future spending cuts to discretionary spending and Medicaid.” (02/20/25)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“If you want to get a sense of what President Kennedy was up against with his Peace Speech at American University a few months before he was taken out, just look at the reaction to President Trump’s friendly overtures toward Russia in the last few days. The mainstream media is up in arms over Trump’s actions. Multiply that reaction by about 1,000 and you’ll get a sense of what Kennedy was facing with his attempt to move America in a similar direction. … As detailed in FFF’s book JFK’s War with the National Security Establishment: Why Kennedy Was Assassinated by Douglas Horne, who served on the staff of the Assassination Records Review Board, it was Kennedy’s decision to move America in a different direction from that desired by the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA that got him killed.” (02/20/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/02/20/is-trump-risking-his-life-with-russia-and-ukraine/
Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
“Americans have subsidized the continent’s defense for eight decades. Despite complaints from Washington, Europeans have consistently minimized military expenditures, convinced that the U.S. would continue to do whatever was necessary to protect them. There were occasional American outbursts, such as by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates more than a decade ago. However, this political theater changed nothing — Gates retired three weeks after his famous speech — and the Pentagon continued to provide defense welfare for prosperous and populous nations across the pond and beyond.” (02/20/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-should-cut-off-europes-defense-welfare-queens/
Source: Washington Post
by Ramesh Ponnuru
“Elon Musk, leader of the new U.S. DOGE Service, is not one to shrink from making bold promises. By eliminating waste and fraud from the federal budget, he says, he will halve the deficit over the next year. Then, he adds, deregulation will so supercharge the economy that new revenue will erase the other half. President Donald Trump says Musk has already identified ‘tens of billions’ in fraud and abuse. Millions of Americans, this columnist included, would like to see the federal government slimmed down and made to focus on its core responsibilities. Musk is probably the smartest man to take on the job of downsizing government in modern times. Still, I’m betting that big government will beat the Musketeers.” (02/20/25)