“Missouri lawmakers are considering a proposal to abolish the state’s income tax and replace it with a sales tax. They’re not alone: Last year, Mississippi approved legislation that will decrease the state income tax over several years until it’s eliminated. That follows in the footsteps of Kentucky and Oklahoma. New Hampshire, which has no income tax, phased out its tax on interest and dividends. Several states making the move are considering sales taxes to fill the revenue gap, and they have the backing of the White House. But a new report warns that sales taxes may have to be higher than anticipated to make up the difference — unless state governments shrink in size and expense.” (02/02/26)
“The Trump administration’s latest threat to impose secondary tariffs on any nation selling oil to Cuba represents a dramatic and catastrophic tightening of the six-decade-long, deliberate chokehold the United States has maintained on Cuba’s access to essential resources. This act of collective punishment against the Cuban people, for alleged crimes the US government has scarcely attempted to substantiate, will be felt across every aspect of daily life. According to Trump’s January 29 executive order, this latest escalation in economic warfare is framed as a response to the ‘unusual and extraordinary threat’ the Cuban government allegedly poses to US national security.” (02/02/25)
“Trump’s threat to annex Greenland has revealed the shakiness of America’s commitment to NATO. Europe urgently needs to create its own alternative.” (02/02/26)
“President Donald Trump has nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to lead the U.S. central bank, instantly reviving an old debate with real market consequences: Is Warsh a hard-money hawk, a quiet dove, or something closer to a modern-day Paul Volcker? The answer matters, because investors are already trading the nomination as if Volcker himself just walked back into the Federal Reserve building.” (02/02/26)
Source: The Daily Economy
by Emile Phaneuf III & Rahim Taghizadegan
“Governments claim monopoly, but we can choose between them. Flag theory explains how mobility, diversification, and ‘exit’ create a real marketplace for governance.” (02/02/26)
“The education ecosystem does not currently create an environment conducive to innovation for those on the front lines of teaching and learning.” (02/02/26)
“During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump continually promised to make life more ‘affordable’ for Americans battered by Bidenflation. But in Iowa, Trump scoffed that Democrats ‘come up with this word ‘affordability.’’ ‘First time you heard about it was like a few months ago,’ he said. ‘You’re not hearing it so much anymore … because the prices are coming down so much.’ Yet on Nov. 29, Trump proclaimed on Truth Social: ‘I AM THE AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT.’ Six weeks later, he sneered in Detroit that affordability is a ‘fake word by Democrats.’ For Donald Trump, the affordability issue conveniently appears and vanishes like the Cheshire Cat in ‘Alice in Wonderland.'” (02/01/26)
“In a big blow to the Trump-deranged community, Melania Trump’s eponymous movie knocked the lights out on its opening weekend. It came in at No. 3 overall, and its $7 million box office take in three days is almost unheard of for a documentary. ‘Melania’ is crushing it on Rotten Tomatoes, too, with a 99% audience score on the ‘popcornometer’ easily besting the sneering critics’ 10% on the Tomatometer ratings. Like everything to do with Donald Trump’s two presidencies, whatever the leftist media’s opinion, the American public thinks the opposite. The inverse media-ometer is one of the most reliable gauges of public sentiment in this country.” (02/01/25)
