Joe Biden’s scripted or no-questions press conferences, and the clean-up afterward by Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Jen Psaki...
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September 2, 2021 | Weekly Newsletter

Our Afghan Nightmare: Tanks for Nothing ([link removed])
By Victor Davis Hanson (American Greatness)
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Joe Biden’s scripted or no-questions press conferences, and the clean-up afterward by Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Jen Psaki on Biden’s Afghanistan debacle, have been some of the most misleading episodes in modern presidential history—mostly in what was not said rather than was exaggerated, warped, and misrepresented. READ MORE » ([link removed])
Crisis and LeviathanCritical Episodes in the Growth of American Government (25th Anniversary Edition) ([link removed])
By Robert Higgs
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Congress Needs to Rein in a Too-Powerful Federal Reserve ([link removed])
By Judy Shelton (The Wall Street Journal)
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When Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks, investors listen. They listen as if there are fortunes to be made by guessing correctly about when the Fed might begin cutting back on the amount of U.S. government-backed debt it buys every month. They listen for the stray word that could spook financial markets. Mr. Powell’s speech on Aug. 27 proved to be unspectacular in all the ways that count on Wall Street. Nevertheless, it was a spectacle. READ MORE » ([link removed])
Boom and Bust BankingThe Causes and Cures of the Great Recession ([link removed])
Edited by David Beckworth
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More “Death” is Needed in Higher Ed: Bring on More Creative Destruction ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes)
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Federal government data show that productivity per worker rises one or two percent annually over time for private American business, but my guess is that it is rising somewhere around zero for higher education. Why? Is the higher ed sector populated by less hard-working, less intelligent, inferior workers and capital resources? READ MORE » ([link removed])
Restoring the PromiseHigher Education in America ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder
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The Roots of American Failure in Afghanistan ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland (Real Clear World)
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The rapid collapse and fiasco of Afghanistan has led to predictable finger-pointing about who is to blame for “losing Afghanistan.” Both President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, laudably wanted to end the quagmire. Both made blunders. READ MORE » ([link removed])
War and the Rogue PresidencyRestoring the Republic after Congressional Failure ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland
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On Workers’ Rights, Ideology Overrules California Voters ([link removed])
By Ronald L. Trowbridge (The Hill)
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On Sept. 11, 2020, the California legislature, governed by Democrats, passed AB-5, or the so-called gig act—which requires private independent contractors to become employees—with strong support from organized labor. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed the bill into law on Sept. 18. Proposition 22 later overturned this legislation. On Aug. 20, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled Proposition 22 unconstitutional, arguing the law illegally "limits the power of a future legislature to define app-based drivers as workers subject to workers' compensation"—a circular argument indeed. READ MORE » ([link removed])
California DreamingLessons on How to Resolve America’s Public Pension Crisis ([link removed])
By Lawrence J. McQuillan
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What China Learned from 9/11 Could Be Easily Applied in a Military Conflict ([link removed])
By K. Lloyd Billingsley (The Epoch Times)
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With the 20th anniversary only days away, many Americans are assessing the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. As they count the cost in lives and treasure, Americans might also ponder what a major adversary such as the Chinese regime learned from the attack, and how that might play out in any future conflict. READ MORE » ([link removed])
Opposing the Crusader StateAlternatives to Global Interventionism ([link removed])
Edited by Carl P. Close, Robert Higgs
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The Beacon: New Blog Posts
* Domestic Terrorist Gets a Special Favor ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Afghanistan: Two Implications for National Defense ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* Wuhan COVID Patients Showed Genetically Modified Henipah Virus ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* To Mask, Or Not? A State of Resistance ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe

Catalyst: New Articles
* Vaccine Passports Have Come to Canada ([link removed]) , by Patrick Carroll
* Modular 2.0: How Prefab Housing Is Making a Comeback ([link removed]) , by Scott Beyer
* What States Leading Economic Recovery Have in Common ([link removed]) , by Brad Polumbo


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