Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Ilya Somin

“[Davis’s] case has multiple flaws as a potential vehicle for the Obergefell issue. Among other things, that question is an appendage to a dubious religious-liberty claim, under which Davis claims that government officials have a First Amendment right to refuse to issue marriage licenses to couples they disapprove of on religious grounds. It’s worth noting, here, that some people have religious objections to interracial marriages and interfaith marriages, among other possibilities. Does a clerk with religious objections have a constitutional right to refuse to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple or to one involving an intermarriage between a Jew and a Christian? The question answers itself. … In the private sector, I think there often is a First Amendment free speech or religious liberty right to refuse to provide services …. Public employees engaged in their official duties are a very different matter.” (08/13/25)

https://reason.com/volokh/2025/08/13/why-the-supreme-court-is-highly-unlikely-to-overturn-obergefell-in-the-kim-davis-case/

Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal

“Government is an unnecessary evil. Every government, not just the ones you dislike. The governments you are encouraged to hate are no worse than the one you look to for advice on which ones to hate. In fact, they are less harmful to you since they aren’t able to rule or tax you. People who try to justify government often admit it’s evil. Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet Common Sense from 1776, wrote, ‘Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.’ This doesn’t hold water. If something is evil, it’s not necessary, and if it’s necessary, it can’t be evil. It’s like arguing for a square circle. It’s one or the other, and government is always intolerable.” (08/13/25)

https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/08/13/voices/opinion-government-should-become-extinct/231446.html

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“When the U.S. Constitution called the federal government into existence, it was on the condition that federal officials could exercise only those powers that the Constitution delegated to the federal government. If a power wasn’t delegated, it could not be exercised. … The responsibility of the judicial branch was to determine whether laws enacted by Congress or actions taken by the president were constitutional or not. The federal judiciary would have the final say over the constitutionality of laws and actions. … after the federal government was converted to a national-security state in the late 1940s, the national-security establishment (i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA) effectively became a fourth branch of government — and the most powerful branch at that, one to which the other three branches ended up deferring.” (08/13/25)

https://www.fff.org/2025/08/13/judicial-deference-to-unconstitutional-actions/

Source: The Hill
by Sheldon H Jacobson

“Tariffs will create a new market equilibrium. Higher prices will invariably shift consumer preferences and buying patterns. Given that consumers tend to be price sensitive, they may chase lower prices for the same goods by purchasing different brands, opt to purchase different goods (for example, switching from beef to chicken), or simply not make purchases. The net effect is less consumer spending, which invariably will lead to a shrinking economy. Recent GDP and labor force numbers support this trend, which will only accelerate as the tariffs become more widespread and ingrained into the economy.” (08/13/25)

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5448330-trump-tariffs-economic-scars/

Source: The Nation
by US Representative Rho Khanna (D-CA)

“On his podcast, Joe Rogan recently asked Senator Bernie Sanders a question that reflects a concern many Americans have today: Why should people pay more in taxes to ‘an incompetent, corrupt government’ that lacks accountability? The truth is, we should be investing more in government programs for education, healthcare, and the creation of well-paid jobs. But decades of corruption and the unchecked influence of money in politics have fueled a deep distrust in our institutions. Overcoming this distrust is one of our greatest challenges as a country. If we want to enact initiatives like a 21st-century Marshall Plan for America or Medicare for All, we need people to believe that government works for them — not just for the rich and powerful.” [editor’s note: Rho Khanna is a multi-millionaire congresscritter. Rich? Check. Powerful? Check – TLK] (08/13/25)

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/epstein-files-trump-transparency-corruption/