Recent research highlights a concerning trend: 84 percent of Americans are afraid to exercise their freedom of speech, according to a New York Times Opinion/Siena College Poll. While this statistic alone is alarming, it only scratches the surface of a broader issue—the gradual erosion of personal liberties.
Tip O’Neil, a legendary House Speaker and friend of Ronald Reagan said, “All politics is local.” Heading west from Milwaukee, you will see fields of corn and cows. The cows are cogs in a huge international market. Wisconsin is a major milk and cheese producer. Bessie the cow and her Wisconsin friends produce 25 percent of all US cheese.
The heated exchange that broke out between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office last Friday has captured the world’s attention. One reason is simply that it’s rare to see genuine face-to-face arguments between world leaders happen out in front of the cameras. But, adding to that, it was striking to watch Vance and Trump issue a sharp rebuke to a leader that virtually all government officials in the West have treated like an unassailable saint.
Rand Paul, Elon Musk, and several others, have recently called for an audit of the US government’s gold holdings. This has reminded many Americans that the US government owns a hoard of gold—of 261 million ounces—at Fort Knox and other places. On the other hand, the debate over the audit will be something new altogether for some who have never given much thought at all to the fact that the federal government owns approximately $750 billion in gold.
If you want medical care in a timely manner in Las Vegas, you must find a concierge doctor who is taking patients and pay $2000+ a year to be able to see the doctor and to be referred to specialists as needed.
Private schools have provided an escape hatch for parents fed up with poor quality government schooling. While the cost is considerable, parents make the sacrifice while still funding government schools with their tax dollars.
When considering the prospect of a minimal or even non-existent state, many are understandably concerned about how society would function. Doesn’t the government provide vital services “behind the scenes” that keep society running? Wouldn’t there be chaos and disorder without those services?
Over the weekend, President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk made quite a stir with just two words posted on his social media platform, X. Responding to a post that, “It’s time to leave NATO and the UN,” Musk replied, “I agree.” The comment immediately made the rounds on social media and also on mainstream and alternative media.
Joe Sobran was one of my greatest friends, and I often thought about him over this past week, because February 23 was the anniversary of his death. He was a man of courage and of the utmost integrity. He began writing about politics for National Review, but he broke with the editor, CIA agent William F. Buckley, Jr., over his refusal to support Israel. Additionally, his own penetrating intellect had led him to find attractive the thought of Murray Rothbard, and this too Buckley could not abide, as he hated Rothbard, a hatred that even Rothbard’s death did not end.
Written in 1972, this was the first piece of Rand revisionism from the libertarian standpoint.
When Benjamin Franklin’s older brother, James, used his anti-establishment newspaper to criticize the Crown’s lax attitude towards pirating along the Atlantic coast, he was tossed in jail. Until his brother’s release, young Benjamin took control of the newspaper—an experience he certainly benefited from, professionally speaking, evidenced by his future industriousness. The incident no doubt left an indelible mark on him personally as well.
