“Americans live in a perpetual state of war. Although Congress has not formally declared war since 1942, U.S. presidents have repeatedly deployed troops overseas based on United Nations resolutions, congressional authorizations, or their own executive power—as President Donald Trump has in Iran. But the power that presidents possess in matters of national security is not the product of an inevitable expansion of the executive authority. Congress builds the imperial presidency one step at a time. At key moments in U.S. history and in response to international threats, Congress has made deliberate decisions that have resulted in presidents being allowed to deploy troops and assert executive power over civil liberties. One of the most consequential moments came in the aftermath of the horrific attacks of 9/11.” (09/14/26)
“For much of human history, moving house has been a death-defying ordeal. When pioneer Loren Hastings reached Portland, Oregon, in 1847, he looked back on the Oregon Trail and called it a ‘graveyard.’ Today, you can pack up everything you own and move anywhere in the country without risking life and limb. Convenience has made nomads of us all, turning a tedious and life-threatening experience into one that requires minimal time and effort. It does not matter whether you live in a Texas Hill Country ranch house or in a 500-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the click-and-tap world of same-day delivery made possible by capitalism, it has never been easier to pull up stakes and move to new digs.” (for publication 10/26)
“Ronald Reagan famously said that he didn’t leave the Democrats, the Democrats left him — and now the party threatens to do the same to Sen. John Fetterman. The Pennsylvanian’s video appearance at the Republican midterm convention, praising GOP colleague Dave McCormick as a bipartisan ally as they ‘work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life’, drove his critics around the bend. The left loathes Fetterman even though he votes with his caucus most of the time, and stands by policies central to the Democratic identity … at least until 15 minutes ago … simply because he refuses to go along with the lunacy he calls an ‘orgy of socialism’.” (09/14/26)
“If you’ve followed my interviews, you know I’ve been warning about the high likelihood of a third round of the war – one that would almost certainly be far more intense than the previous two. I’ve also argued that, given Trump’s erroneous reading of the current balance, perhaps the only diplomatic wildcard that could pull us back from this looming disaster is Beijing deciding to step in and force a settlement. I discussed precisely this with Glenn Diesen on his show just yesterday. Hours later, President Xi Jinping declared China’s willingness to use its diplomatic clout to help end the war.” (09/14/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jennie Jones
“I spent my whole day today trying to save a $200 Chromebook. When I think about the hourly rate, it really wasn’t the best use of my time. School starts in less than a week, and I had many other things on my to-do list. But alas, Gemini made me feel like I could solve it, so I kept troubleshooting, and before I knew it, it was 5:00. This is an ironic pattern I have noticed lately as I use chatbots more and more for work. It makes me feel like I can do anything. Things I wouldn’t have ever considered even attempting (read: most tech-related projects), I suddenly feel like trying because there is no harm in asking. And when it works, it does feel so good. ‘I did it myself!’ I cry out like a small child learning to tie her shoes. But there have been a few times now where I realized that just because ChatGPT makes me feel like I could doesn’t always mean that I should.” (09/14/26)
“Donald Trump is an instrument of this age, a force propelling capitalism and the global economy into a critical stage of their historical development. Since the beginning of village life some 10,000 years ago, commerce among villages and rural economies intensified as cities emerged and over centuries forged trade networks across regions into a global system of commerce. At the same time, from the beginning of markets, traders, merchants, industries, and governments engaged in the struggle for control of local, regional, and inter-regional markets. Today this struggle continues, but now with devastating consequences: the concentration of wealth on a global scale; the vast productive power and technological innovation; the multiplying flow of market-related information, and the explosive potential of artificial intelligence. Each of these factors is channeling private and public resources to elites, and spurring worldwide trade wars, technological dependency, and military confrontations that threaten humanity’s survival.” (09/14/26)
“For all the Republican fear-mongering over Democratic Party socialism, the Democrats have had a non-existent record of getting their much-touted socialist schemes enacted; even when President Barack Obama had an electoral mandate for a ‘public option’ on health care and a majority in both the U.S. House and Senate, Democrats couldn’t get it passed. But President Donald Trump’s copying of China’s ‘golden share’ concept via executive order by taking shares in private companies is, unfortunately, a much more real, damaging, and sustainable form of socialism.” (09/14/26)
“There was a time when 80% of the nation was involved in growing the food to feed 100% of the nation. Something it achieved patchily, in some years didn’t achieve. Then came the tractor – a catchall for the reaping machine, combine, tractor, seed drill and on – plus ocean going steamships to transport food and on again. We currently use some 2% of the labour of the nation to feed 100% of the nation. That 78% of the nation’s labour is not involved in the production nor maintenance of tractors. Sure, sure, tractors produced new jobs for mechanics and drivers and so on. But that’s not what made us richer. … Rather, it’s the freeing of labour from that now automated task which allows other things to be done.” (09/14/26)
“[I]s the Donald in fact the worst president in American history? He certainly seems to be breaking his back trying but there is some very stiff competition, and I’m not convinced that the majority of the navel gazing wonk class are using the proper criteria for judgement. When too many people talk about the worst president in American history, the focus always seems to veer heavily towards dysfunction and scandal. Nixon ransacking the Oval Office like a feral werepig gagging on a fist full of ludes while J. Edna lines up the dudes …. But all of this cracked reasoning negates the simple fact that what we seem to be asking for here is what amounts to a functional conductor for a killing machine.” (09/13/26)
