Donald Trump’s Anti-Regulatory Legacy

Commentary by , April 2, 2018

Five Things You Need to Read Today Here is your latest update, for subscribers only, recommending five stories that are worth catching. 1. Donald Trump’s Anti-Regulatory Legacy The Trump administration’s anti-regulatory agenda continues (at least, for things that don’t directly involve international trade, which is going to be regulated like all get-out). The latest: the […]

Comments are closed

“The American Notion of Free Speech”

Commentary by , March 29, 2018

Five Things You Need to Read Today Here is your second update of the week, for subscribers only, recommending five stories that are worth catching. Today, the main theme is the parlous state of “the American notion of free speech.” 1. The Freedom to Annoy I mentioned recently that the big social media companies are […]

Comments are closed

Helicopter Protesting

Feature Article by , March 28, 2018

The big “March for Our Lives” pro-gun-control demonstrations last weekend are being touted as the defining moment of the late Millennial generation. Much as I like to think ill of Millennials, second only to thinking ill of the Baby Boomers, such projections are unlikely to be true because, as Dave Marcus points out, they weren’t […]

Comments are closed

Five Things You Need to Read Today

Commentary by , March 27, 2018

I’ve been doing weekly updates on Sundays, for subscribers only, recommending five stories that are worth catching. But I’ve been finding too many interesting stories, so I’m now going to start experimenting with doing several of these updates per week. Today, the main theme is what you discover when you read beyond the headline. 1. […]

Comments are closed

Donald Trump’s One-Man Trade War

Feature Article by , March 26, 2018

Even the New York Times has been forced to recognize the totally surprising, unexpected, and completely predictable fact that Donald Trump’s anti-regulation drive has been a big boost to the economy. One of the main reasons is an increase in certainty for businesses. Even if existing regulations are not really being rolled back, at least […]

Comments are closed

Five Things You Need to Read Today

Commentary by , March 25, 2018

Here’s your weekly update, for subscribers only, drawing your attention to five stories that are worth catching. Today, the main theme is the technological dystopia Silicon Valley is creating for us. 1. Samizdat Social Media The Internet era was supposed to set information free, wasn’t it? So why is it becoming the new era of […]

Comments are closed

“The Advantage of Being Armed”

Feature Article by , March 21, 2018

Editor’s Note: Subscribers may recognize that the article below is partially based on comments I published last year in response to a controversy within the Objectivist movement. I was motivated to expand this to a larger piece, not just because it is relevant to the wider debate right now over gun control, but also because […]

Comments are closed

A Sign of the Apocalypse

Feature Article by , March 19, 2018

How come nobody really seems to care about Stormy Daniels? Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen credible reports that in 2016 Donald Trump’s lawyer paid $130,000 to Stephanie Clifford, an “adult film actress” who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels, to get her not to talk about liaisons she had with Trump some […]

Comments are closed

Five Things You Need to Read Today

Feature Article by , March 18, 2018

Here’s your weekly update, for subscribers only, drawing your attention to five stories that are worth catching. Today, the main theme is dissonance between principles and reality. 1. The Blue Dog Wave A weird special election held this week in Pennsylvania–it’s for a congressional district that is going to disappear this November due to redistricting–may […]

Comments are closed

Was Social Media a Mistake?

Feature Article by , March 16, 2018

Was social media a mistake? I’ve been wondering this recently, and my thinking was crystallized by two recent events. First, conservative comedian Steven Crowder had his Twitter account suspended for a week because he posted a video on YouTube that was critical of “gender fluidity” and used a Bad Word. The video was also pulled […]

Comments are closed