When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decides to quash the island nation of Taiwan’s successful run at democratic self-governance, will the Chinese try to limit the conflict to Taiwan and its immediate waters, or will they immediately embark on a wider conflict involving the United States, Japan, and other nations? It’s a big question. History...
California is a tax haven for the middle class? Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom made that risible claim during a Sacramento Bee editorial board meeting last month as he battles the Sept. 14 recall election. Newsom’s questionable boast came in response to a reporter who prefaced her question by noting that California has the nation’s “highest housing costs, highest...
Even as Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 1 into law in Tyler on Tuesday, Democrats and special interest groups were filing lawsuits to stop its implementation. They’ll challenge it on constitutional grounds, claiming it’s a blatant attempt to suppress minority votes. Yet that’s not the sole strategy at play here. Just as they used...
Inflation is much worse than Washington seems willing to admit. With each month that goes by, however, the evidence is increasing—just like prices. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently more than doubled its inflation forecast for the year. Their new estimate is 4.8% for 2021, but the numbers are not adding...
Texas owes $7 billion to the U.S. Treasury’s Unemployment Trust Fund. Lawmakers here in Texas can pay off that balance entirely, without any interest charges, and without using any state funds. The only catch is that the Texas Legislature and governor would need to do so by Sept. 6, so that’s unlikely—but they can keep...
The August jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was well below expectations, with nonfarm payrolls adding just 235,000 jobs, less than a third of the consensus estimate. The unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.2% while the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 61.7%. The number of unemployed declined to 8.4...
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...
If you’re poor and reside where there’s little economic freedom, then you have fewer opportunities to improve your livelihood compared with those living in more economically free places. The freedom to have the flexibility to control your future and leave a legacy to future generations with little influence by government supports human flourishing. This too-often...
Conservative criminal justice reformers have faced occasional skepticism over our tried-and-true criminal justice solutions, but never something quite so outlandish as a recent suggestion, by an avowed conservative, no less, that conservative reformers somehow bear blame for rising violent crime in liberal bastions such as New York City and Portland. Sean Kennedy, in his recent Washington Examiner article ,...
“Where is the NuVision Women’s Care clinic?” is the wrong question—but we’ll get to that in a moment. The real question is why was NuVision Women’s Care established in the first place? “It came about through my own experience,” says founder Aly Bond. “Like many women, I felt like my provider didn’t listen to me....
The debacle in Afghanistan is still unfolding, but it is already one of the signal disasters of American history. It’s usually premature to assess contemporary events in history’s light, so it’s a sign of just how bad things are in Kabul that I — a historian — am ready to put it alongside the Bay...
California voters have started casting their ballots on their second gubernatorial recall ever and their first in 18 years, deciding whether to give Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom a new lease on his political life. Polling shows the recall on a knife’s edge. At the time of this writing, “Yes” — remove — narrowly leads with 48 percent...