“Multiple news outlets reported in September 2025 that the Justice Department was weighing a ban on gun possession by transgender people, on the theory that they are ‘mentally ill’ and therefore ‘unstable.’ That constitutionally dubious proposal provoked objections from gun rights groups that typically align with the Trump administration, including the National Rifle Association (NRA). … the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit held that ‘nothing in our tradition allows disarmament simply because [someone] belongs to a category of people’ that ‘Congress has categorically deemed dangerous.’ Such a ban would be even more constitutionally questionable if it were imposed by bureaucratic fiat.” (for publication 01/26)
“Trump first announced his massive tariffs on ‘Liberation Day,’ which was April 2. This was supposed to be the beginning of the United States rebuilding its manufacturing capacity. Since Liberation Day, the economy has lost 60,000 manufacturing jobs, factory construction is down at least 5 percent, and inflation has risen to 3.0 percent. It is also clear that businesses and consumers here have paid Trump’s tariffs, not foreigners as Trump seems to believe. Import prices have risen since Liberation Day. These are the price of the goods we import before Trump imposes his tariffs. If exporters are eating the tariffs, then the import price index should have fallen considerably. The data show this is not true. That is all pretty much textbook on what to expect from a set of ill-considered tariffs designed by a president who knows next to nothing about economics.” (12/09/25)
“While few people really think scrolling through social media is the best use of kids’ time, there are good reasons why the Labor government’s plan should and will almost certainly fail. First of all, Labor does not seem to be remotely confident in its own ability to enforce it. … A second, and more significant, problem for the Australian government is that parents are far from unified in support of the ban. In fact, some polls suggest that more than 50 per cent oppose it. Probably this is because they do not want the government telling them how to raise their children. … It won’t be bad news if the Australian government does fail, something it does most of the time, anyway. Not least because the social-media ban, while couched in terms of compassion, is part of a broader push for internet censorship, not just for children, but for adults, too.” (12/09/25)
“It is held by a popular thinking that a growing economy requires a growing money supply in order to provide support to economic growth. The idea that the money supply must grow in order to support the growth rate of an economy gives the impression that money is the means of sustenance that sustains economic activity. However, money’s main function is to fulfill the role of the medium of exchange. Money does not sustain economic activity. The means of sustenance are provided by the saved consumer goods.” (12/09/25)
“Ten years after Donald Trump first ran for president, he stands at the helm of Titanic America. How did this happen? No factors were more pivotal than the outlooks and actions of the Democratic Party leadership. Scrutinizing them now is vital not only for clarity about the past. It also makes possible a clear focus on ways to prevent further catastrophe. Here’s the actual history that corporate Democrats pretend didn’t happen: 2016: Hillary Clinton offers more of the status quo. Her allies in the Democratic Party pull out all the stops so she can win the party’s presidential nomination. With a big assist from the Democratic National Committee, she prevails over the strong primary challenge from Bernie Sanders, but her campaign trail goes downhill from there.” (12/09/25)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya
“One of the most basic threats to liberty, which is often overlooked, is that the defense of individual liberty as an ideal is seldom heard in political debate. The ideal of liberty is often overshadowed by quotidian political concerns that follow the latest outrage. In public debates on policies designed to advance social justice goals, the disputants generally argue about the effectiveness of the policies without questioning the underlying ideological premise or its implications for liberty. Most critiques attempt to show that for one reason or another the policy will not work as intended, or that the costs of the policy outweigh any benefits. They focus on problems of scope and implementation. This is why both sides of the political divide are often referred to as a ‘uniparty’ –two sides of the same coin that merely debate the speed at which government policies should unfold.” (12/09/25)
“Despite unsteady economic winds, housing remains unaffordable in many parts of the country, with high soft costs — expenses for planning, zoning approvals, and engineering — bearing much of the blame. Recent efforts in Michigan and Ohio, however, aim to reduce these costs through statewide catalogs of preapproved building plans for homes and small multifamily buildings. These follow locally led efforts in places like South Bend, Indiana, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, which built out their own catalogs of preapproved residential buildings, enabling a growing number of homes built to be open to source specifications. Are these statewide plan catalogs the right approach to affordability? And is there a helpful federal role in all this?” (12/09/25)
Source: The American Conservative
by Abdelhalim Abdelrahman
“Current Venezuela discourse within the Trump administration is eerily reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Fox News are beating the drums of war, perpetuating falsehoods that grossly exaggerate Venezuela’s threat to the U.S. Over the last few weeks, inaccurate claims that Caracas bears responsibility for America’s fentanyl crisis, supplies Hamas with uranium, or directly conspires against America with Iran and Hezbollah have become the new ‘Saddam has WMDs’ deception to justify a sham war and regime change in Venezuela. … If Congress does not immediately assert its rightful authority, under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, to stop the escalating intervention, then the United States risks following the same dark path that laid the groundwork for the horrific invasion of Iraq.” (12/09/25)
“Peace is preferable. In Europe, new drums are beating, joining those drums of war already present in Eastern Europe. The Russo-Ukrainian War drags on, despite efforts by The Donald and a few others to negotiate at least a longer-lasting ceasefire. To believe the news stories on mainstream media sources, both Russia and Ukraine are bleeding themselves dry. According to many (whom we once viewed as rational, neutral, and observant commentators), Russia has failed, is doomed, and Putin and his entire regime are toast. … Of course, it just might be that once again the MSM (and various and sundry governments) are lying to their audience, figuring they have cozened the public. Again. Such fun! Such profits!” (12/08/25)
“The Canada-US trade relationship is over 150 years old and remains one of the world’s most closely aligned economic partnerships. The two countries conduct annual trade valued at $1.3 trillion. Currently, that relationship is in shambles. Tariff negotiations have stalled, and Prime Minister Mark Carney is redirecting Canadian trade away from the U.S. He is committed to doubling Canada’s non-U.S. exports over the next decade. … While Carney has prioritized the economy in his government’s policy initiatives, he often overpromises and fails to deliver on commitments made.” (12/09/25)
