“The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy isn’t a strategy. Despite its pedantic condescension of explaining that ‘a ‘strategy’ is a concrete, realistic plan that explains the essential connection between ends and means,’ the document, released on Dec. 5, fails to meet that standard itself. This ‘strategy’ is instead a statement of values. And those values are vandalism against the very things that have made the United States of America strong, safe, and prosperous.” (12/08/25)
“The federal government spends $750 billion annually on contracts with private businesses. A lot of contracts start with a solicitation, which asks vendors to explain how they would complete the contract and why the government should hire them. Solicitations are a roadmap, so if too many billion-dollar contracts don’t get us where we want to go, part of the problem is solicitations that send us down the wrong path.” (12/08/25)
“In late October, the Federal Reserve adjusted its target interest rate downward. The decision was reached with some dissent, showing a divergence of economic perspectives among the Federal Reserve’s members. Soon afterward, some Fed officials voiced divergent views about what to do in December. Due to the recent government shutdown, key economic data, including inflation reports, unemployment statistics, and GDP growth numbers, were delayed or canceled, thereby complicating the Federal Reserve’s ability to make informed decisions based on comprehensive data. However, even if the Fed had all the necessary data, it would once again face a fundamental problem: the same twelve people, examining lagging data, are expected to set a rate of short-term credit that affects borrowing costs for the entire economy.” (12/08/25)
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead
“We now live in a nation where constitutional rights exist in theory, not in practice. Yet what good are rights on paper when every branch of government is allowed to ignore, circumvent, chip away at or hollow them out in practice? Two hundred and thirty-four years after the ratification of the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791, the safeguards meant to shield ‘We the people’ from government abuse are barely recognizable. In ways the Founders could scarcely have imagined — and would never have tolerated — the safeguards meant to restrain government overreach have become little more than empty platitudes.” (12/08/25)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by James Bovard
“The Trump administration effectively condemned the downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), portraying it as unfit for federal workers. HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced: ‘It is time to turn the page on the Weaver Building and relocate to a new headquarters that prioritizes the well-being of HUD employees and properly reflects the passion and excellence of our team.’ HUD posted a video exposing the ramshackle condition of its existing headquarters in D.C. and touting its new much fancier offices in Alexandria, Virginia. The video took its title from Secretary Turner’s promise of ‘The New Golden Age of HUD.’ And if you believe HUD will have a Golden Age, I have some bridge in Brooklyn I will sell you at a fire sale price.” (12/08/25)
“The stock market has made gains at rates that are several multiples more than the growth of the real economy for three years running. Investor euphoria is always a sign of danger ahead, but this time there are other special factors signaling a pending crash. And of course, they all interact. Once investors head for the exits, others start bailing. I. Deregulation of Increasing Risk. Trump’s bank regulators are systematically dismantling the safeguards that were put in place after the financial collapse of 2008. That crash was caused by opaque financial instruments such as credit derivatives that allowed almost infinite amounts of leverage. When they turned out to be worthless, the collapse was also nearly infinite. In the aftermath, Congress and the regulators limited the risks that banks could take. In classic Wall Street form, the wise guys responded by creating non-banks that could do most of what banks do.” (12/09/25)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Most of what I know is based on secondhand information; I have never seen Antarctica but am confident that it exists. Some, however, is first hand. I mentioned one example in my previous post, an experience during a summer spent in Washington as a congressional intern in my early twenties that demonstrated that competent academics, people I liked, were willing to do deliberately dishonest work. That was convincing in a way that second-hand information, an article arguing that published work was dishonest — I have written some — would not have been. Thinking about that started me looking for other examples of views of mine based on my own experiences. Here are some of them.” (12/08/25)
“Since its creation in 1949, NATO has been the keystone of U.S. foreign policy in Europe. Indeed, the alliance has been the most important feature of Washington’s overall strategy of global primacy. America’s political and policy elites have embraced two key assumptions and continue to do so. One is that NATO is essential to the peace and security of the entire transatlantic region and will remain so for the indefinite future. The other sacred assumption is that the alliance is highly beneficial to America’s own core security and economic interests. Whatever validity those assumptions may have had at one time, they are dangerously obsolete today. The toxic, militaristic views toward Russia that too many European leaders are adopting have made NATO into a snare that could entangle the United States in a large-scale war with ominous nuclear implications.” (12/08/25)
“‘Affordability’ epitomizes how Trump is floundering on what had been one of his strongest issues. A Gallup survey found that only 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s economic performance while a Fox News poll found that 76% of voters disapprove of Trump’s economy — an even worse rating than Joe Biden scored at the end of his presidency. The White House acts as if more bluster can solve the problem. But is the Trump administration now targeting its economic message solely to people who failed high-school mathematics? On Truth Social last month, Trump proclaimed, ‘DRUG PRICES ARE FALLING AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, 500%, 600%, 700%, and more.’ Actually, drug prices cannot fall more than 100% unless people are getting paid to swallow the durn free pills. But it’s worse than that. Prescription-drug prices have in fact increased roughly 2% this year, according to federal data.” (12/08/25)
“In these fraught political times when our political choices are largely limited to authoritarian Republicans and totalitarian Democrats and federal agencies vie for opportunities to violate individual rights, it’s difficult to feel anything other than contempt for government. It’s worth remembering, though, that the current mess isn’t a good representation of the Founding ideals of our republic. In particular, consider the protections for liberty embodied in the Bill of Rights, which is celebrated every December 15.” (12/08/25)
