MONTAUK, NY—A brisk early season nor’easter kept many local boats in that week, but with Saturday’s forecast looking better, Montauk fisherman Dave Aripotch is willing—he’s weathered much worse than a little cold and a little wind. By 5 a.m., he’s dockside at the fishing vessel Caitlin & Mairead. For now, he lets his crew sleep....
“Eva, dear, did your father teach you anything last night?” My grandmother, Eva Hahn, received this question almost daily at school in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. While the question seems innocent enough at first glance, the teachers were actually fishing for proof that my great-grandfather, Jaroslav, was teaching his daughters “non-communist” ideas, such as the...
The hidden tax of inflation prevents people from getting out of poverty. Inflation isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a huge obstacle to prosperity for the vulnerable and low-income. And even if Congress and the Fed have good intentions, their next steps could make the current bad situation worse. The latest inflation data from the consumer...
Rest easy Mr. Raccoon, Louisiana law protects you from receiving care from a convicted felon. A few months ago, my dog, Oscar, encountered a family of raccoons raiding my neighbor’s garden. The lone prisoner was a young raccoon. I separated the injured raccoon from Oscar in the hopes I could save its life. I’m that...
“Trainwreck” isn’t a bad description of my academic career. Bored, more interested in reading real books than textbooks, not caring about the things I was expected to in junior high and high school—athletics and social status—I ignored assignments, skipped classes and eventually dropped out. I got nothing from Mesquite High School, and to be fair,...
Green, But Not With Envy What to know: Europe has some energy lessons for America—namely, that green political agendas inevitably lead to higher fuel and electricity prices for consumers. The TPPF take: The Green New Deal (tucked inside the reconciliation bill) would make life harder for millions of Americans. “Low-income households—which represent nearly 44 percent...
High Anxiety What to know: A new survey says that 56% of young people worldwide think “humanity is doomed” by climate change, and 75% say the future is “frightening.” The TPPF take: Parents can counter eco-anxiety with facts and hope. “Saddling our next generation of leaders with the burden of fatalistic pessimism is wrong for...
This Is Getting Misérable. What to know: Food prices continue to skyrocket; bread, vegetable oils and meat are at their highest prices (relative to household incomes) since the 1970s. The TPPF take: Inflation is a hidden tax on all of us. “Inflation is much worse than Washington seems willing to admit,” says TPPF’s E.J. Antoni....
The border crisis is a humanitarian crisis. Violence in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras has created a mass migration, creating more demand for human traffickers whose empty promises and exorbitant fees drive and direct the flow of migrants to the border. Human trafficking has become a multi-billion dollar business, trapping thousands into...
Val Verde County is like a lot of South Texas counties: sparsely populated, rugged, dry, and vast. It’s also ground zero for the border crisis. What we learned on a recent trip — talking with the sheriff, talking with Border Patrol officers and veterans, and most of all talking to the men and women who...
June 2021 southern border encounters were the highest since March 2000. If the Biden Administration won’t act, Texas must. More on the Border Crisis: https://thecannononline.com/commentaries/?issues=immigration *source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
California’s green mafia has done it again. Rather than letting people choose what kind of landscaping tools they want to use—including lawn mowers and leaf blowers—California is imposing a ban on the sale of new gas-powered small off-road engines (SORE) in the name of reducing engine exhaust and evaporative emissions. The bill, signed by Gov....
Medicaid expansion is not a panacea. The data do not support the argument that expansion would bring substantial benefits to many Texans with little to no cost. Instead of expanding an already flawed government program, Texans in need would be better off with targeted assistance from the state or private sector. Key points: KFF’s research...
In recent years it has become fashionable to incorporate green energy solutions like solar wiring and electric vehicle charging stations in homes and buildings. California leads the way in the attempt to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy alternatives— with limited success — but the unintended financial consequences of these sanctimonious initiatives fall invariably...
While President Donald Trump cut the 2021 Obamacare open enrollment period (OEP) in half, President Joe Biden has hastily doubled up and overlapped successive enrollment periods, despite stagnating ACA Marketplace enrollment rates. Every year, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes an OEP for eligible individuals to select a qualified health plan (QHP)...