Every Christmas we are inundated with songs such as “let there be peace on earth.” The song and its sentiments are shared among many. So, what happened to peace?

Perhaps, the best example of laying down arms for a moment of peace is reflected in the Christmas Truce of World War I. As Judge John V. Denson noted ,

President Trump’s sanctions against Iran have intersected with his trade war against China. The intersection comes in the form of the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, an executive with Huawei Technologies, one of the most prominent companies in China. Meng was arrested by Canadian officials on the request of U.S. officials as she was changing planes in Vancouver.

U.S. officials are now seeking Meng’s extradition to face criminal charges in the United States. The charges? Get this: They are alleging that she violated Trump’s sanctions against Iran.

Imagine doing the same task over 12 hours a day with few breaks in sweltering equatorial heat for a measly six cents an hour in a stuffy factory, absent an ounce of natural light. The manager of the floor censures your fellow workers for falling short of unrealistic standards in absurdly crowded conditions that are dangerous, at best. For millions across the Global South, this isn’t an exercise in imagination, but the reality of working in a “sweatshop”. However, for these same millions, it’s also a lifeline out of destitution.

In the summer of 1945, President Harry Truman found himself searching for a decisive blow against the Empire of Japan. Despite the many Allied victories during 1944 and 1945, Truman believed Emperor Hirohito would urge his generals to fight on. America suffered 76,000 casualties at the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the Truman administration anticipated that a prolonged invasion of mainland Japan would bring even more devastating numbers. Even so, plans were drawn up to invade Japan under the name Operation Downfall.

Recently, the announcement that a scientist in China has apparently created gene-edited humans caused widespread panic and concern. Twins from two embryos that had an altered genetic segment (for mediation of potential future disease), using a relatively new technique called CRISPR, were born.

The destruction of sound money over the past century stems from actions at the federal level, but there are steps which states can take —and even have already taken —to move toward real, sound, constitutional money.

As state legislatures reconvene in the next few weeks, let’s take a look at the current state of play…

Richard Cantillon is the most important economist you’ve never heard of.

Born in Ireland sometime in the mid- to late-1600s, Richard Cantillon’s contributions to economics are found in his major work,Essai sur la Nature du Commerce en General ( Essay on the Nature of Commerce in General).

In 1734, Cantillon was mysteriously murdered by a disgruntled former employee, and his home was set ablaze. Essai, which survived the fire, was published in 1755.

As tech executives continue to be grilled in front of Congress, the growing Bernie Sanders-wing of the Democratic Party is preparing to push its misnamed “Medicare for All” into the political mainstream after its political gains in the midterms. While these two stories seem to have very little in common, it’s not difficult to imagine a not-so-distant future where the two are dangerously connected. After all, so long as the scope of government grows, the continued politicization of all aspect of life will follow – the inevitable consequences of which could be quite horrific.