Source: Semafor
by David Weigel

“Last month, at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s conference in Indianapolis, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts [proposed]: ‘When we have cities like Austin, or Nashville, or other capital cities whose local government is not representative of the will of the people, de-charter them and establish them as state municipal districts in the name of common sense.’ What do you do with cities that elect progressive Democrats, give sanctuary to illegal immigrants, and do not put enough criminals in jail? You don’t let them run themselves. You certainly don’t let them run the country.” (08/08/25)

https://www.semafor.com/article/08/08/2025/the-gerrymander-wars-are-just-beginning

Source: In These Times
by Conor Lynch

“For decades, Republicans have promoted the stereotype of the shiftless and unscrupulous poor person — along with its quasi-mythical counterpart, the self-made businessman who bootstrapped his way out of poverty — to justify their reactionary economic project. That project, which is driven by the dual aims of dismantling the ​’welfare state’ and slashing taxes for the rich, has never been particularly popular with voters on its own terms. So conservatives have long cloaked it in populist rhetoric and presented it in terms that obscure class lines and turn working people against one another.” (08/07/25)

https://inthesetimes.com/article/big-beautiful-bill-gop-medicaid-snap-labor

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Colorado mechanic Troy Lake, former and (we hope) future operator of Elite Diesel, was incarcerated by the Biden administration. The 65-year-old fixed diesel vehicles. Unfortunately for him, he did so by removing EPA-mandated emissions systems that supposedly help keep the air clean. By forcing vehicles to recirculate exhaust, the systems also make it harder for them to function properly. … In December 2024, a judge sentenced Troy to 12 months in prison and fined him $52,500 for ‘conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.'” (08/08/25)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/08/08/free-troy-lake/

Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp

“America treats its politicians like the kid in that old Seinfeld episode, ‘The Bubble Boy’ — isolated and coddled lest contact with regular human beings harm them. The rest of us apparently exist only to provide these power-mongers with votes, and occasionally with audiences carefully curated for high levels of adoration and applause. Outside those contexts, we’re to be neither seen nor heard. Okay, that’s not completely true. We also fork over $3 billion per year for the Secret Service, $800 million for the Capitol Police Department, and heaven only knows how much for military air cover, etc., to ensure that Very Special Important People never experience  discomfort  due to  unintentional contact with us mere mortals.” (08/07/25)

https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/19861