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October 30, 2025
Welcome to The Lighthouse, the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute covering politics, economics, current events, and everything in between.
Dear Readers,
The federal government shutdown has now made it past the four-week mark. A short-term funding bill intended to reopen the government until November 21st failed earlier this week, marking the thirteenth attempt to reopen during this shutdown. Which begs the question: What makes government shutdowns drag on? On the other hand, how much does it matter?
Shutdown or no shutdown, President Trump’s tariffs are about to go before the Supreme Court; and in the meantime, the President keeps adjusting them pretty much every week. He also seems to be taking liberties in bombing accused drug boats off the coast of Venezuela. The latest episode of Independent Outlook tackles these issues—and more.
Craig Eyermann continues to cover the government shutdown, emphasizing that the interest on the national debt has become one of the largest categories of government spending.
Georgi Harizanov, Alex Tokarev, and Kristin Tokarev respond to the rhetorical appeal of socialism and how the real-life outcomes are poverty, repression, and lost liberty.
Raymond March warns that political crusades in public health risk hijacking science.
Scott Beyer argues that undoing the federal government’s grip on retirement income can help the very people that social security purports to assist.
Finally, in a follow-up article, Craig Eyermann poses a timely question in light of the shutdown: Are the days of the filibuster numbered?
Enjoy.
Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor
Top picks this week
** VIDEO
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** Shutdown Blues; Trumpy Tariffs; “Regime Change” War with venezuela? | Independent Outlook 73 ([link removed])
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From shutdowns, to shifting tariffs, to strikes at sea, Independent Outlook unpacks the latest power plays in Washington and beyond.
Watch Now ([link removed])
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** Feeding the U.S. Government Leviathan’s Spending Frenzy ([link removed])
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** by Craig Eyermann
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Of all the leviathan’s tentacles, net interest on the national debt is perhaps the scariest.
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** Socialism Is Not the Solution. It Is the Problem. ([link removed])
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** by Georgi Harizanov, Alex Tokarev, Kristin Tokarev
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Socialism may sound good in campus speeches and TikTok clips, but it always ends in poverty and repression.
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** RFK’s Campaign Against Autism: Misguided and Concerning ([link removed])
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** by Raymond J. March
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Government-influenced medical science can corrupt public understanding and research. RFK’s efforts could be our most recent example.
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** How Social Security Makes Us Poorer ([link removed])
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** The average American worker has millions less in net worth by contributing to SS rather than the stock market. ([link removed])
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** by Scott Beyer
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Social Security (SS) was created in 1935 with noble intentions—but it has quietly made Americans poorer.
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** Will the Filibuster Become a Casualty of the Shutdown? ([link removed])
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** by Craig Eyermann
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Isn’t it long past time to set the politicians’ spending ratchet in reverse?
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** FEATURED BOOK — OUT NOW!
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** Beyond Homeless ([link removed])
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** Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes, Transformative Solutions ([link removed])
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** Edited by Mary L. G. Theroux, Lawrence J. McQuillan, and Adam B. Summers
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“With an impressive array of scholars and data, Beyond Homeless should be essential reading for those curious about how to change course on homelessness.”
—Judge Glock, Director of Research and Senior Fellow at the
Manhattan Institute; contributing editor of City Journal
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