Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter C Earle

“Eye-catching statistics about executive compensation tell us nothing about fairness, and distract from the real drivers of wage growth and worker prosperity.” (12/19/25)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/stop-fixating-on-ceo-pay-ratios-and-start-fixing-labor-markets/

Source: Show-Me Institute
by Elias Tsapelas

“Over the past several months, I’ve written about the many changes coming to Missouri’s welfare programs as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). One of the most impactful changes involves the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In short, if Missouri doesn’t get its SNAP payment error rate below 6%, state taxpayers will start paying for a portion of the program’s benefit costs (the federal government currently covers 100% of benefits), which could potentially increase the state taxpayer cost to $400 million per year. A similar change is coming to Medicaid.” (12/19/25)

https://showmeinstitute.org/blog/health-care/medicaids-wake-up-call/

Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander

“Hating Boomers is the new cool thing. … ‘You don’t hate Boomers enough’ has become a popular Twitter catchphrase. Richard Hanania, who has tried hating every group once, has decided that hating Boomers is his favorite. Some people might say we just experienced a historic upwelling of identity politics, that it was pretty terrible for everyone involved, and that perhaps we need a new us-vs-them conflict like we need a punch to the face. This, the Boomer-haters will tell you, would be a mistaken generalization. This time, we have finally discovered a form of identity politics which carves reality at its joints, truly separating the good and bad people. I think these arguments fall short. Even if they didn’t, the usual bias against identity politics should make us think twice about pursuing them too zealously.” (12/19/25)

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/against-against-boomers

Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter

“It seems like a lifetime ago, mostly because it was, when I was a health policy analyst at a conservative think tank. During my interview for the job, my future boss said something true then, and it still rings true today: On the issue of health care, Democrats are evil and Republicans are stupid. While Republicans are, generally, stupid on health care, it doesn’t have to be that way. Republican Members of Congress view health care as ‘a Democrat issue,’ much the way Democrats view national defense as a Republican one. It’s not like they can’t understand the issues involved, it’s that they’re afraid to – they’re afraid to get out over their skis. They have the mental capacity, but more content in the back of their underpants than the front to really engage with it.” (12/21/25)

https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2025/12/21/time-for-the-gop-to-grow-a-pair-on-health-care-n2668248

Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan

“You very rarely see President Trump address the nation the way presidents used to. You know the drill: seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, talking candidly and intimately to the American people. Trump tried it with Covid in 2020 and it didn’t quite work. Stiff, awkward, rote, interspersed with sniffs, it’s a bit sad in retrospect. He just can’t do intimacy. He can’t do reassurance. His fireside manner has always been gasoline. This is a real weakness for a president, who may, from time to time, be required to comfort — as Clinton did after the Oklahoma bombing, Bush after 9/11, and Obama after the church mass shooting in Charleston. It’s also a serious flaw if you need to rally people in tough or challenging times. But Trump just can’t do that. He can do other things. But not that.” (12/19/25)

https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-trials-of-an-unpopular-populist-e64