The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (No. 27)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (No. 27)
November 9, 2021
**In the light of recent debates about whether parents have a right to determine how and in what their children will be educated, I’m hoping to publish some long-form essays very soon on the question of “rights” and how the concept applies to parents, children, and government.
THE GOOD
THE BEST DARN NEWS IN A LONG TIME. I have long been an advocate of creating new colleges and universities and now, finally, we have one! Congratulations to my friend, Pano Kanelos, the new President of THE UNIVERSITY OF AUSTIN, which is dedicated to the relentless pursuit of Truth. Let this be just the first!
Pano Kanelos: “New University To Fight Censorship And Fear In Academia.”
Niall Ferguson: “I'm Helping to Start a New College Because Higher Ed Is Broken.”
IN THE MAIL: A beautiful book on the subject of beauty! Sandra Shaw, an accomplished sculptor, has written and published an important new book, Windows on Humanity: A History of How Art Reflects Our Ideas About Our Lives & World. This is a book on the history of visual art from the Paleolithic period to the Roman world, but it’s more than the standard art history book. Ms. Shaw presents a view of art integrated with philosophy, history, and culture. I cannot wait to read this book.
From the description:
“Art is presented here as a visual record of thought and values. This approach to exploring the history of art offers a coherent, clarifying perspective on why artworks from different periods and cultures look the way they do, and why they changed the way they did. Artworks are described in terms of how artists imbue their work with meaning, and descriptions include observations rooted in the author’s own experience as an artist.”
Ms. Shaw’s book would make a great Christmas present!
MAN’S BEST FRIEND: “Police K9 saves neighbor from vicious dog attack.”
SWEET: “Watch: Bride Travels 800 Miles to Surprise Grandfather After Stroke Causes Him to Miss Wedding.”
I’M JEALOUS. Why you ask? Because I’ve lost at least two wedding rings and haven’t worn one for the last 21 years. “Cayman Islands snorkeler follows squid to man's lost wedding ring.”
GOOD NEWS, INDEED: “US Household Incomes Increased More in 2018 Than in the Previous 20 Years—Combined.” But then came the lockdowns and really bad economic policies.
THE FIGHTERS ARE FIGHTING BACK: “Dana White says he won't mandate vaccines for fighters: 'This is a free country, do what you want'.”
BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERY. Our social scientists are really, really smart: “Study: Young boys who play sports less likely to have anxiety, depression.”
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AMERICA:
Name: Winsome Sears
Place of Birth: Jamaica
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Military Service: U.S. Marine Corps
Party: Republican
Occupation: Lieutenant Governor-elect, VA
THE BAD
CHANT OF AMERICA’S SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS: “WHAT DO WE WANT? THE DESTRUCTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!!!!” Just in case you were uncertain of their motives and goals, here is what Shardé Nabors, a social justice activist, said recently on Tik Tok:
I’m glad that you’re listening to me, but I really want to make sure that you’re hearing what I’m saying. There will never be black liberation or indigenous sovereignty as long as the United States of America exists. If you want black folks around the globe and in this country liberated, if you want indigenous folks to be able to have sovereignty over the lands that their indigenous to, then the United States of America needs to cease to exist. And I don’t know if y’all are ready for that, I don’t know if that’s what y’all signed up for. I’m not sure if anti-racist work is just something you do to lessen the inconvenience of racism in your life, but I hope you’re ready for this. It’s not for the weak.”
See the video here:
And analysis from Robert Stacy McCain: “Identity, Opposition and Hate”
CLOWN SHOW—Brian Stelter edition: “Brian Stelter says 'whitelash' against 1619 project is result of 'white Americans' being afraid to 'deal with the reality'.”
On Sunday, CNN's Brian Stelter sat down with 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones to talk about the widespread backlash the controversial project has received in the American public.
"I think we're gonna look back someday and say, 'Wait, they tried to ban the 1619 project?' Like, we're gonna look back, it's gonna make no sense in 30 or 40 years," said Stelter on Sunday's airing of Reliable Sources.
"But is this just the whitelash in another form Nicole, just, you know, some white Americans afraid to deal with the realities, so they don't want to hear it, they try to ban it, and then someday their kids are going to laugh it off," Stelter continued.
My idea of hell would be to be forced to watch reruns of Brian Stelter interviews for eternity.
REAP WHAT YOU SOW: “US Would Have Highest Top Income Tax Rate Among Developed Nations Under Biden Plan, New Analysis Warns.”
Nobel-prize-winning economist Milton Friedman famously quipped that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Well, despite the Biden administration’s rhetorical spin, there’s also no such thing as a multi-trillion-dollar spending plan that costs “zero dollars.” Indeed, Biden’s plans include a vast suite of tax hikes to “pay for” the proposed spending—hikes that would leave the US with the highest top income tax rate among developed nations, according to one analysis.
The right-leaning, nonpartisan Tax Foundation examined the updated details of the president’s “Build Back Better” tax proposals. It reviewed the new proposed tax surcharges on high earners, proposed redefinition of certain tax bases to include more people, and already-scheduled increases in income tax rates. Under this tax regime, the Tax Foundation warns that accounting for federal, state, and local taxes, the US would reach a 57.4 percent top income tax rate—meaning that above a certain level of income, nearly 60 cents out of each additional dollar earned must go to the IRS.
As the below chart shows, the US would far surpass most other developed nations under the Biden administration’s proposals:
THE NEW LEISURE CLASS. Working is for chumps. Why work when you can live off the wealth of someone else? “New Report Shows Growth of the Welfare State Has Fueled Long-Term Declines in the Labor Force.”
A massive labor shortage continues to grip the nation and hold back our economic recovery. With countless pandemic and policy factors influencing the shortage, there’s a heated debate over what’s keeping so many workers out of the labor force. But a new study confirms that the growth of the welfare state is playing a massive role—and that this trend began long before the pandemic.
Published by experts on the Republican side of the Senate Joint Economic Committee, the analysis reports, “the U.S. has witnessed an unprecedented rise in disconnected prime-age workers over time.” As shown in the graph below, the men’s labor force participation rate has fallen from more than 97 percent in 1955 to 89 percent prior to the pandemic, while the women’s labor force participation rate has declined in recent decades as well.
What’s causing this decline? Well, the study examines popular explanations like displacement from immigration and technological advancements and finds that they do not account for this drastic drop. Rather, it suggests that the biggest factor is that “many would-be workers are voluntarily disconnected from work, and government programs and policies have likely made work less attractive for these Americans.”
THE UGLY
WATCH AND LISTEN TO NEW ZEALAND’S PRIME MINISTER. Watch her facial expressions, listen to the tone of her voice, and consider the substance of her comments. Now ask yourself two questions. When before in modern history have we seen this kind of psychology? And to what does it lead? Think.
The 21st century is not working out how I thought it would:
SHOT:
“China using stolen U.S. tech to 'to build a military that can defeat ours,' says ex-CIA officer.”
“Metallurgist admits faking steel-test results for Navy subs.”
CHASER:
“Rachel Levine: Transgender official sworn in as four-star admiral.”
“US Navy launches ship named for gay rights activist Harvey Milk.”
HANGOVER:
American foreign policy for the last 75 years has been one disaster after another. It’s almost as if our Ruling Class is intentionally trying to commit national suicide.