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Degraded Schools
Opinion -Nat Malkus, a senior fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, oversees the Return to Learn Tracker, which monitors chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools. His latest report, released in early February, includes data from 39 states and Washington, DC. He states that after reaching a high of 29 percent in the 2021–22 […] -
Could California Be a National Security Risk For America?
Opinion -With no crude oil pipelines over the Sierra Mountains, California is an energy island separated from the crude oil supply, and the infrastructure of oil refineries from the other 49 States. Thus, all in-state California transportation fuel demands for ships, airports, cars, and trucks is stressing in-state refineries: Beyond chemistry, hydrocarbons underpin physical mobility. Collectively, […] -
Seattle Socialists Should Be Sleepless
Opinion -While New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been in the national limelight for many months, his democratic socialist colleague in Seattle, Mayor Katie Wilson, has mostly remained under the radar. A few weeks ago, Mamdani released his Fiscal Year 2027 Preliminary Budget, which calls for $14 billion in new spending, even though New York […] -
State Education Standards Should Matter More
Opinion -In the United States, education is primarily under the purview of the states. Although the federal government has taken a larger role since the creation of the Department of Education in 1979 and the passage of laws like No Child Left Behind in 2002, education pedagogy generally remains under the sole discretion of state entities. […] -
Global Elites Clinging to Green Policies Are Clueless
Opinion -Global elites who cling to “green” policies cannot explain how the more than 341,000 wind turbines currently on the planet will make: Wind turbines only generate electricity but cannot make any products for life as we know it. The world populated from one to eight billion in less than 200 years from the more than […] -
Mamdani’s Socialist Agenda Will Squeeze the Middle Class
Opinion -New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his Fiscal Year 2027 Preliminary Budget, which includes $14 billion in new spending, while warning that he might have to “ balance the budget on the backs of working and middle class New Yorkers.” Unlike the federal government, which can print money to cover budget deficits, states and […] -
A Strong Economy Doesn’t Have a Citizenry That Is $18.8 Trillion in Debt
Opinion -Starting in the 1970s, the U.S. government began stupidly helping Big Business convert America into a 70 percent consumption economy. Which now means: For every $10 of U.S. economic activity, $7 is spending money. Which means any little economic hiccup – is awful for the U.S. economy. And explains why anytime there is even a little […] -
New York City Cannot Afford Democratic Socialism
Opinion -On February 17, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his Fiscal Year 2027 Preliminary Budget, which includes $14 billion in new spending, bringing the grand total of what he wants to spend in FY 2027 to more than $127 billion. Mamdani notes that he “inherited” a “fiscal crisis” “from the prior Administration,” which is […] -
The Impact of New York City’s Rental Stabilization Laws
Opinion -Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani now has a nearly clear path to implement rent freezes in New York City for rent stabilized tenants after three Rent Guidelines Board members resigned this month, allowing Mamdani to appoint six new members to the nine-member board. If the board decides to vote in favor rent […] -
Curriculum Standards Should Mandate that Teachers Teach the Truth About Socialism
Opinion -As a long-time libertarian and former public high school teacher, I generally resist mandates designed to micromanage how educators perform their craft. -
Net Zero Is Unaffordable for the Six Billion Living in Poverty
Opinion -After the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro in early January 2026, Venezuela has been receiving a lot of press the past few weeks. Of particular interest is that as of today, more than 90 percent of the 30 million Venezuelans, i.e. 27 million, live in poverty. Nearly 70 percent are stuck in extreme poverty. Shockingly, 80 percent of […] -
EPA Plans One of Largest Deregulation Moves in U.S. History
Opinion -The EPA is set to repeal an Obama-era greenhouse gas rule, in what the EPA is describing as “the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States.” The new rule will reportedly eliminate requirements to measure, report, certify, and comply with the federal greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles that were […] -
‘Zohran’s Green Schools for a Healthier New York City’ Is a Monumental Waste of Money
Opinion -New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is an ardent climate alarmist who oversees the nation’s largest school district, the New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) system. Frankly, NYCPS is failing on all fronts. It is doing an abysmal job educating and protecting the 900,000 students in the district. It also is in massive debt and […] -
The Future of California’s Energy Infrastructure Is Fragile
Opinion -The net zero emission goals of California government leaders cannot ignore the fundamental reality that wind turbines and solar panels only generate electricity. -
Rejecting Climatism: Trump Withdraws from UNFCCC and 66 International Organizations
Opinion -The Trump administration has issued an executive order that withdraws the United States from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other international bodies. The order pulls the United States back from organizations pursuing climate policies and other efforts that the administration does not consider to be in the national interest. The […] -
Greenland and Land Acknowledgements
Opinion -President Trump initially left all options, presumably including military options, open to secure U.S. interests in Greenland. Wars fueled U.S. territorial expansion during the nineteenth century. A peaceful acquisition of Greenland would demonstrate the folly of the progressive left’s “land acknowledgements.” President Harry Truman tried to buy Greenland from Denmark after World War II. Little […] -
About That Divorce
Opinion -Relations between red and blue America continue deteriorating. A national divorce refers to the peaceful dissolution of a country by consent. Contemplating a national divorce as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday might seem sacrilegious, but few leaders seem to care about rebuilding the bonds of trust among Americans. Precedents exist, most notably the 1992 dissolution […] -
Price Ceilings Do Not Help
Opinion -President Trump takes Americans’ affordability concerns seriously. He recently capped credit card interest rates at 10 percent. Unfortunately, price controls address symptoms and not causes of affordability. The President’s legal authority to limit interest rates is unclear. My discussion presumes that the cap takes effect. People do not like high prices for things we buy. […] -
The Year of Water
Opinion -Leaders from around the world met in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting to discuss rapid technological advancements, pollution, and other issues facing the globe. Among the big topics for this years’ meeting was the UN declaring 2026 to be the “Year of Water.” “This year’s Annual Meeting in Davos will have […] -
Trump’s Proposed Health Care Plan Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Opinion -President Trump announced last week the outline of what he is referring to as “The Great Healthcare Plan.” According to a White House Fact Sheet, the proposal would codify previous deals between the Trump administration and more than a dozen major drugmakers to significantly lower the cost of certain prescription drugs in exchange for a […] -
Palisade to Fruita in 15 Minutes?
Opinion -At Club 20 in the 1990s, we often fought against diverting highway funds for non-highway purposes, such as mass transit. -
Trump Selects Fed Critic to Replace Powell for Fed Chair
Opinion -President Trump has selected Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor and current Hoover Institute fellow, to replace Jerome Powell as the chair of the Federal Reserve. While it is unclear what Warsh would actually do, assuming that he is confirmed to be the next chairman, his past criticisms of the Federal Reserve provide hope […] -
Schools Should Teach Basic Science, Not Climate Alarmist Propaganda
Opinion -Since 2009, American eighth graders have taken the National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Assessment to measure “their ability to engage in scientific inquiry and to conduct scientific investigations in real-world contexts.” In 2024, the average score on the NAEP Science Assessment decreased by four points from 2019. Even worse, the Nation’s Report Card notes […] -
Davos Derangement Disorder
Opinion -For more than 50 years, globalists have descended upon Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting to push “stakeholder capitalism,” a synonym for global socialism. Meanwhile, the first-ever World Prosperity Forum (WPF) is taking place in nearby Zurich with a decidedly different message: “freedom, markets, and human flourishing.” “While the World Economic Forum […]
