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How the GOP Tax Bill Bails Out Obamacare

by | Dec 28, 2017 | ,

The GOP Tax Bill has been passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, proving that Republicans are indeed capable of passing more than month-long spending extensions (if only just). The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes several big changes to the US tax code--some good, others less so. The bill also has major implications for the US healthcare system because it repeals the individual mandate of Obamacare. In the short-run, this repeal will provide limited tax relief for healthy individuals that would prefer to go without health insurance. Unfortunately, it will make things much worse for...

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Incompetence Can Be a Virtue

by | Dec 27, 2017 |

When it comes to government. This piece from The Hill explains that President Trump managed to deport 26% fewer people back to Mexico this year than President Obama did in 2016. Needless to say, this probably isn't due to a lack of trying on Trump's part. So, all else equal, it appears the victimless crime of illegal immigration is now being less effectively enforced and fewer lives were needlessly disrupted. Incompetence FTW!  

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By Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital, Trump Removes US Pretense of Neutrality

By Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital, Trump Removes US Pretense of Neutrality

by | Dec 12, 2017 | ,

Last week, President Trump announced that the US would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The move was widely panned on the international stage, with many world leaders expressly condemning the action. Protests broke out in parts of Israel and the occupied territories. Demonstrations also took place in front of the US consulates in nearby Jordan and Turkey. Recognizing the reaction, the US State Department also provided a helpful travel advisory to inform Americans that the US government has endangered its citizens more than normal this month. To readers unfamiliar with the...

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By Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital, Trump Removes US Pretense of Neutrality

By Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, Trump Removes US Pretense of Neutrality

by | Dec 12, 2017 | ,

Last week, President Trump announced that the US would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The move was widely panned on the international stage, with many world leaders expressly condemning the action. Protests broke out in parts of Israel and the occupied territories. Demonstrations also took place in front of the US consulates in nearby Jordan and Turkey. Recognizing the reaction, the US State Department also provided a helpful travel advisory to inform Americans that the US government has endangered its citizens more than normal this month. To readers unfamiliar with the...

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After Trump Order, Dems Outraged That Health Insurers May Suffer

by | Oct 18, 2017 |

Last week was strange. On Friday, President Trump issued a new executive order, and many Democrats and media outlets promptly denounced it. For instance, Yahoo! Finance ran with the subtle title, "Trump's Obamacare cut is timed for maximum destruction." Meanwhile, 20 state AGs have taken legal action to try to stop the order from taking effect. All of that was normal. But things get weird when you understand what the executive order does, and who it actually harms. In fact, Trump's order is only likely to hurt the health insurance companies, a group that few Americans hold in high regard and...

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What The New York Times Gets Right About the Second Amendment–It Exists

What The New York Times Gets Right About the Second Amendment–It Exists

by | Oct 11, 2017 | ,

In a recent op-ed for The New York Times, Bret Stephens argues that America should repeal the Second Amendment. The case is not a persuasive one; indeed, the article borders on self-refuting. Even so, Stephens deserves credit for getting the constitutional issues basically correct. In short, the Second Amendment exists. Thus, the only constitutional way to implement gun control legislation would be to repeal the Second Amendment first. This line of reasoning seems like it should be the default. After all, the Second Amendment is strongly worded to preclude gun control, and the Founders...

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NPR Pretends FISA Court Is Not a Rubber Stamp

NPR Pretends FISA Court Is Not a Rubber Stamp

by | Sep 21, 2017 | ,

On Tuesday's episode of Up First (9/19/2017), NPR briefly reported on the news that Paul Manafort, President Trump's sometime campaign manager, had been subject to wiretapping, both during the campaign and after the election. This is a big news story and NPR was certainly right to cover it. The problem lies in the way they covered it--with a predictable, but completely unjustified deference to the national security state. Let's take a quick look at what they said so you can see for yourself. The exchange begins right after a guest journalist explained, correctly, that the new report on...

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The Debt Ceiling and Magical Government Accounting

The Debt Ceiling and Magical Government Accounting

by | Sep 14, 2017 | ,

Last Friday, on September 8, President Trump signed into law a new 3-month suspension on the debt ceiling. On that same day, the US Treasury decided to celebrate the event by borrowing an additional $318 billion, increasing the national debt to over $20 trillion for the first time in US history. Or at least, that's how it appears in the official government financial figures. In fact, the situation is probably even worse. On paper, the US's official indebtedness grew by $318 billion Friday. In reality, the US government had already incurred this debt weeks ago. Welcome to the strange world of...

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