Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lipton Matthews

“Few slogans travel through modern politics with as much confidence and as little scrutiny as the claim that inequality is a social ill to be corrected at nearly any cost. Yet a fair reading of the evidence suggests the opposite conclusion. Inequality is not a defect in the system. It is the primary mechanism by which human achievement compounds, wealth spreads, and living standards rise for the great majority of people who never come close to the top of the distribution.” (08/18/26)

https://fee.org/articles/inequality-is-not-the-problem/

Source: The American Conservative
by W James Antle III

“he Flying Burrito Brothers were a classic country rock band that was at its best in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Evidently, later configurations persisted for years afterward even without the participation of key original members. There is now a new reason for the band, in whatever form it currently exists, to retire the name: It more accurately describes members of the very online conservative movement in the year of our Lord 2026. … even the most sage counsel, accompanied by detailed studies of fast-casual menu prices, ignores the macro-level problems. The country did not Door Dash its way to the highest inflation rate in 41 years under former President Joe Biden. Nor did it Uber Eats its way into a quagmire in Iran that has begun to consume the second presidency of Biden’s predecessor-turned-successor.” (08/18/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/your-20-burrito-was-made-in-washington/

Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher

“If Democrats focus on the vast terrain where liberals and moderates agree, they can build a durable center-left coalition.” (08/18/26)

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/18/jeffries-socialism-dsa-moderate-democrats/

Source: Reason
by Damon Root

“Less than two months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled his executive order on birthright citizenship to be unconstitutional, President Donald Trump has issued not one but two new executive orders on birthright citizenship that largely retread the same illegal grounds that the Supreme Court already rejected in Trump v. Barbara. Is this just a futile outburst from a consummate sore loser? Or does Trump actually stand a chance of faring any better in court this time around?” (08/18/26)

https://reason.com/2026/08/18/trump-courts-another-legal-defeat-on-birthright-citizenship/

Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley

“Just how badly would Missouri’s Amendment 4 have failed if Gov. Mike Kehoe had left the initiative on the ballot for November instead of moving it to August? That’s about the only question left after a mammoth beatdown of a measure designed to minimize the power of the voters in this deep-red state. Amendment 4 emerged from Republicans’ anger at the temerity of their citizens to display independent streaks rather than down-the-line conservatism. Beginning in 2020, voters unleashed a successful series of ballot initiatives legalizing abortion, approving recreational cannabis, expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage, and enabling sports betting. Voters also approved a paid sick leave mandate: one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Lawmakers managed to dispense with the last one: Since the measure was a state statute and not a constitutional amendment, legislators passed a law to repeal it.” (08/18/26)

https://prospect.org/2026/08/18/now-you-vote-maybe-you-wont-in-backsliding-missouri/