In his book, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, Jefferson Davis explained (vol. 2) the Southern cause, as he saw it: “When the cause was lost, what cause was it?

Tariffs are often portrayed as a simple solution to protect domestic industries and create jobs. Politicians, like Trump, have used them as a political tool, promising immediate benefits through reduced competition and increased domestic production. However, this narrative overlooks the fundamental economic lesson articulated by Frédéric Bastiat in his principle of the seen and the unseen. When applied to tariffs, this lesson reveals the hidden and long-term damage that protectionist policies can inflict on an economy.

[Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction by Jim Downs. Oxford University Press, 2012; 266 pp.]

In a post on X, Governor Ron Desantis implied his support for a constitutional amendment limiting, or even eliminating property taxes in Florida. He said,

Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them…

We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%…

As the DOGE revelations continue to emerge—revealing everything from the hilarious to the outrageous projects that Americans have been forced to fund—we should not be surprised by the shrieking of the political caste, the castes who benefit from it, or the rare true believer who receives none of this money, is angry at the exposure of this spending, and believes it is necessary and just.

Near the beginning of his ten-hour lecture series on the history of political thought, the great free-market historian Ralph Raico takes a little time to define his terms. In the first lecture he says: