“The recent proposal to require federal employees to return to the office full-time has sparked debate about how best to streamline government operations while ensuring effective public service. Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur and head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has argued that mandating in-office attendance could encourage voluntary departures among federal workers, potentially reducing what he sees as bureaucratic inefficiencies. … Ramaswamy believes a return-to-office mandate would lead to about 550,000 resignations, potentially saving $27.5 billion annually. However, these numbers fail to account for the high costs of recruiting and training replacements, the loss of institutional knowledge, and the operational delays that would result from a sudden mass exodus of skilled employees.” (11/21/24)
“On November 1, 2018 then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the launch of the ‘China Initiative’ – a whole-of-government effort ostensibly designed to thwart espionage and technology theft by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Chinese American groups and activists immediately denounced the program as racially biased and its investigations improperly predicated, and in 2021 two studies provided them with ample proof that their allegations were correct. The first was a study showing how rare it was for Chinese Americans to actually engage in espionage on behalf of the PRC. The second study chronicled the extremely high number of ‘China Initiative’ cases that resulted in acquittals or dismissed cases.” (11/21/24)
“My inbox is full of lament (and encouragement). My Instagram feed is full of anger and ‘the arc of the moral universe bends slow but… ‘ My Facebook brims with exhortations to focus on the positive, on what we can control, on the next fight. I live in a poor Democratic stronghold in southeastern Connecticut. Kamala Harris won our state by more than 200,000 votes. Our seven paltry electoral votes went blue. Here, Jill Stein got a lot more votes than Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., but nowhere near enough to swing the Nutmeg State red. I didn’t plant a Harris/Walz sign on my front walk. I didn’t knock on doors in Pennsylvania. I didn’t give any money in response to the desperate and constant text messages I received from Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and dozens of other Democratic pen pals. I also never figured out how to stop those texts from crowding onto my phone.” (11/21/24)
“If Trump’s first cabinet picks are any indication of his policy toward Latin America, figures like Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, who have been nominated as secretary of state and national security adviser, respectively, could be a sign of a harsher posture, especially as U.S. competition with China plays out in the region.” (11/21/24)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Dylynn Lasky
“Halloween has come and gone, but the witch hunt continues at Syracuse University. Have you been offended? No need to worry. The university’s ever-vigilant ‘STOP bias’ hotline will track down the culprit. Students can report any perceived transgression — no matter how trivial — with the click of a button. Another click, and the Department of Public Safety will be on it; let a recent incident on campus be your proof! On Nov. 10, Syracuse investigated a report that a ‘Hitler-like mustache’ was drawn on, and then erased from, a whiteboard illustration of an ‘unrelated cartoon character,’ along with the words ‘Nein Nein.'” (11/20/24)
Source: Niskanan Center
by Kenneth Sercy, Grace Olson, & Jia-Shen Tsai
“The clean energy sector has seen substantial growth over the past two decades, and with supportive policies, its expansion could accelerate even further. This growth is driven by direct benefits from energy system improvements, including reduced energy costs, improved reliability, and cleaner air — outcomes achieved by strengthening transmission networks and integrating clean technologies into the grid. However, the broader economic impacts of these projects are also crucial and should be central to discussions and policymaking.” (11/20/24)
“In the days following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, I reached out to a longtime Northern California family farmer to gauge his level of concern. Trump has, after all, already made full-throated declarations that his administration will conduct the largest deportation of undocumented residents in U.S. history. That should resonate in a place like California, with its estimated 1.8 million undocumented immigrants—and it certainly would shake up a state agriculture industry in which nearly half of all workers are undocumented. But the farmer, who asked not to be identified to avoid political conflict with business partners, was unruffled. A self-described social moderate and fiscal conservative, he and his family have spent generations in the business. While his own seasonal employees are on work visas, his understanding of the industry’s historical reliance on undocumented workers runs deep, through direct experience, colleagues and a seat on the board of an agriculture lending institution.” (11/21/24)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Daphne Posadas
“Milei has been called many things, but his methods and philosophy thrive under scrutiny. In a free society, being questioned is both a challenge and an opportunity. What sets Milei apart is his ability to answer tough questions with logic, evidence, and, most importantly, results. His anarchist rhetoric is — as he said — rooted in a libertarianism that has an ‘unrestricted respect for the life project of others based on the principle of non-aggression and in defense of the rights to life, liberty, and property,’ a definition championed by Alberto Benegas Lynch, Jr., and that follows John Locke’s ideas. Milei’s reforms haven’t gone unnoticed in the U.S., especially after the announcement of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.” (11/20/24)
“Reelecting the Insurrectionist who provoked the January 6 attack is a monumental dereliction of civic duty by the American people. Donald Trump was provided a plurality mandate — enough of a match for him to burn America down. The electorate affirmed that the worst human being to hold the presidency deserves a second turn in the job. Despite Trump being eight years older and obviously losing his mind; despite the fact that he ran a corrosive campaign on naked malevolence; and despite his having promised to mass arrest, cage, and deport immigrants, Americans rewarded him with ultimate power. Toward the end of the 2024 election, the candidates made their closing arguments. Trump painted the United States as a dark, terrifying and infested place, festering with pet-eating immigrants, violent criminals, and deviant trans people.” (11/21/24)
