Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“El Gordo is the world’s second longest-running lottery, behind the Netherlands’ Staatsloterji, which started in 1726. It was first held on December 18, 1812, in the southwestern city of Cádiz, the home of Spain’s government-in-exile during the Napoleonic Wars. Though it raised much-needed money for cannons and bullets, some thought it morally questionable. Agustín de Argüelles, a member of the national congress, claimed that it ‘would be desirable to adopt more decent means … to sustain public necessities because the lottery, raffles and other games are resources that conspire with immorality and, as a consequence, are incompatible with the virtuous character that should be what distinguishes Spaniards in the future.’ Argüelles’s fears proved unfounded: over two centuries on, El Gordo is surely one of the most wholesome instances of mass-gambling on the planet.” (12/22/25)
“The Constitution of the Roberts Court is not color-blind. It is a Constitution that permits discrimination on the basis of race, but forbids alleviating discrimination on the basis of race. And over the next year, the Court will face more cases that could further erode both the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, pushing America back toward what some on the right believe is the true, Antebellum Constitution.” (12/21/25)
“Many commenting on American politics use the term conservative to describe anyone on the right side of the political spectrum, but that is inaccurate. Conservatives, libertarians, nationalists and populists are all distinct from each other but are all too often lumped together as one. It’s just as false to say liberal, progressive and socialist are all the same. Sure, all three might want to raise my taxes, but that doesn’t mean they’re identical philosophies. … Trump doesn’t govern like someone interested in limited government. In fact, he’s expanded government power at times and attempted to consolidate power for himself at other times. Trump’s use of executive orders and his novel interpretations of the Constitution have sought to seize more power for the Executive Branch than many of his predecessors. In this he is much closer to Franklin D. Roosevelt than he is to George Washington.” (12/21/25)
“A family friend, a single mom of two small children, just got denied help from Tennessee’s Families First, a program that is supposed to, among other things, help offset skyrocketing daycare costs for working families. This program is obviously huge because for lower-income people, the cost of daycare can be equal to or even more than what they make working a job. … She relies on her around $16/hour entry-level full-time job to pay rent, utilities, gas, car, vehicle maintenance, clothing, and other expenses (she does get some help for food and healthcare). You would think this person would be a prime candidate for childcare help, especially since she is working full-time and genuinely trying to move up the income ladder and make good decisions after somewhat of a troubled past that includes some minor drug charges.” (12/22/25)
“It is with deep regret that I must resign my position as Senior Editor of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution. Indeed, I could not have even conceived of such an action only a few months ago when we launched the third edition of the guide. On Constitution Day, I proudly stood at the Heritage Foundation as we released this book to the world. But your actions have made my continued affiliation with Heritage untenable. … My resignation is effective immediately.” (12/21/25)
“President Donald Trump’s decision to allow Nvidia to sell chips to China has produced a flood of national security concerns, but that’s not all. His demand that the government also get a cut of the proceeds is raising a whole other set of questions, including: Did he just raise taxes? His demand that Nvidia and other semiconductor companies pay 25 percent on their China sales looks to some a lot like a tax increase, and it comes in the face of Republicans’ long-standing opposition to tax hikes and the fact that tax policy is supposed to be set by Congress, not the White House.” (12/21/25)
“The problem on the mainstream left today is almost identical to the problem on the right. They are both run by old white cis het men for old white cis het men. The only difference is that the right admits it while the left just uses minorities like human shields while they kill Muslims with drones and organize the global bourgeoisie beneath decaying relics of progressive internationalism like the EU and the UN. Well, no more. No more Weimar allies buttering us up with petty privileges while the Nazis gather their guns. We need our own goddamn guns, our own clinics, our own schools, our own parties and organizations run from the bottom up by our own people.” (12/21/25)
“People like [Alejandro] Flores-Muñoz — and other immigrants, legally present or not — are an important entrepreneurial force in the United States. They start businesses at a higher rate than native-born Americans, creating jobs and enriching communities in the process. Now they’re getting swept up in Trump’s mass deportation efforts. As entrepreneurial immigrants are detained and deported, it won’t just be newcomers and their families who suffer. The American workers, customers, and communities they support will suffer too.” (for publication 01/26)
