Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe

[T]he political establishment’s fantasy about controlling every inch of the globe needs to be put to rest, especially while parts of this country remain so unsafe and the situation at the border grows even more chaotic. Washington’s imperial ambitions cost a lot of money and create unnecessary enemies. It’s clear many Republican voters understand, at least at a high level, what needs to happen. Every Republican candidate claims to support spending cuts. And recently, Republicans have had to navigate their base growing more skeptical of Washington’s hyperactive foreign policy. And when FISA was due to be renewed, numerous Republicans worked to implement restrictions on warrantless surveillance. To their credit, some Republicans were serious enough to try to use their small House majority to make as big a dent in the above problems as possible. … But in the end, Mike Johnson and the so-called moderate Republicans gave in on all three fronts.” (04/24/24)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/cowardice-not-courage-led-house-republicans-side-democrats

Source: Orange County Register
by John Phillips

“On April 1st, California’s brand new $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers took effect, and surprise surprise fast food chains are jacking up their menu prices across the board. According to data from Kalinowski Equity Research and cited in The New York Post, Wendy’s has hiked prices by roughly 8 percent, while Chipotle raised theirs by 7.5 percent, Starbucks went up by about 7 percent, Taco Bell by 3 percent, and Burger King increased theirs by 2 percent, the report found. What’s next? The McDonald’s drive-thru lane may have to start charging tolls. Burger King could offer free estimates. A lay-away plan at Wendy’s? Also, Wendy has an OnlyFans page now. Some franchises even raised their prices ahead of time, in anticipation of the new law. … I guess we should count our blessings. At least America wasn’t experiencing record-breaking inflation when all of this nonsense happened.” (04/23/24)

https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/23/john-phillips-californias-fast-food-follies/

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“A recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times demonstrates what is a warped interpretation of the term ‘patriotism.’ The op-ed is about former football player Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan twenty years ago. It’s written by Bill Dwyre, a former sports editor for the Times. Dwyre reminds us that Tillman was motivated to join the military after the 9/11 attacks. He gave up a $3.6 million football contract to join the U.S. military and was hoping to be sent to Afghanistan to fight the terrorists. … One of the fascinating aspects of Dwyre’s op-ed glorifying Tillman’s patriotism is what he leaves out of the op-ed. Tillman was an outspoken opponent of Bush’s invasion and war of aggression against Iraq. Dwyre doesn’t even mention that, which is revealing.” (04/24/24)

https://www.fff.org/2024/04/24/a-warped-view-of-patriotism-on-pat-tillman/

Source: Washington Post
by Ramesh Ponnuru

“Of course Donald Trump is being persecuted. That’s not to say that he is innocent of all charges, or to deny that the prosecutors — and the millions of Americans rooting for them — are partly motivated by their conviction that he is a serial lawbreaker. But he wouldn’t be facing all of these charges all at once if he were not a serious contender for president. … Trump isn’t just playing the victim. He is a victim of unfair, law-bending prosecution. When we think about political persecution, however, we typically have in mind someone who has done nothing wrong but challenge the powerful. That’s not the picture here: In each of these cases, Trump’s underlying conduct is indefensible. That fact helps to explain the widespread support for the legal campaign against Trump. His efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election, especially, were despicable.” (04/23/24)

https://archive.is/m2IoF