Thoughts on oligarchy 5

Source: The Peaceful Revolutionist
by David S D’Amato

“What I want to suggest is that the true divide within the political world is between indulging this – the strictly fictional entertainment world of hate-your-neighborism, GDPism, and meaningless abstraction – and recognizing others as your equals. The former is designed as a series of business plans, and as reports from pollsters and consultants, all to make you confuse a coherent politics with dutiful obedience to the state and a shrinking set of global companies. To me, this could never be a valid mode of political life, but is only the cynical embrace of a thoroughly commercialized and powerless performance of identity.” (11/04/25)

https://dsdamato.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-oligarchy-5

Thomas L. Knapp

Adoption and the Welfare State: Reply to Critics

Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan

“Suppose taxpayers are subsidizing air pollution. ‘Cutting the subsidies wouldn’t have a large effect on pollution, and the people getting subsidies are poor’ is a good argument that the subsidies aren’t awful. But it hardly shows that subsidizing air pollution is actually a good idea. I say the same logic is at play here. As long as middle-class families are eager to adopt, why should government subsidize non-adoption?” (11/04/25)

https://www.betonit.ai/p/adoption-and-the-welfare-state-reply

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump’s Supreme Court tariff case tests the limits of presidential power

Source: New York Post
by Daniel McCarthy

“In times of national emergency, should the Supreme Court dictate America’s grand strategy and international economic policies? This question confronts the justices this week in Learning Resources v. Trump, a case that puts the president’s tariff powers to the test. If President Donald Trump loses, the Treasury faces having to refund more than $100 billion in tariff revenue, and the president’s trade strategy will be thrown into chaos. Businesses that have already changed their operations because of the tariffs, drawing jobs and supply chains back to America, will be subject to grave new uncertainties: Will Trump find other legal grounds for his tariffs — or will his project collapse, throwing the country back to an era of unfettered globalization?” [editor’s note: “But if he has to follow the law, it will go back to being like it was when he had to follow the law!” doesn’t seem like much of an argument – TLK] (11/04/25)

https://nypost.com/2025/11/04/opinion/trumps-scotus-tariff-case-tests-the-limits-of-presidential-power/

Steve Trinward

ID: Kohberger’s restitution hearing ends with no decision, but prosecutor admits slip-up

Source: Fox News

“Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson admitted to a major miscalculation in what the University of Idaho victims’ families should be owed in restitution, telling a judge Wednesday that he would no longer be seeking roughly $27,000 in travel expenses that were not outlined in Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal — asking the court to award about a tenth of that in funeral expenses instead. Kohberger’s lawyers noted that the travel expenses were not part of the plea deal after Thompson mistakenly thought they would be covered by a victims’ compensation fund and agreed that the funeral expenses amount to $3,075.58. … A plea deal is essentially a contract, [Judge Steven] Hippler said, and as a result, the prosecution can’t seek restitution for travel expenses outside the terms of the deal.” (11/05/25)

https://www.foxnews.com/us/bryan-kohberger-fights-27k-restitution-victims-families-while-taking-money-behind-bars

Thomas L. Knapp

Why I Oppose Race-Consciousness

Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg

“Race-consciousness is not something that belongs in the minds of children; rather than being a virtue, it’s far more of a poison. I want children to be entirely separated from and ignorant of racial issues. Rather, they should simply see people, with their pigmentation being an accidental triviality. Race-consciousness robs that from them, and I think it’s tragic.” (11/04/25)

https://thefindings.substack.com/p/why-i-oppose-race-consciousness

Thomas L. Knapp