Congressional Republicans are led on a short leash by a president who, as a candidate, vowed to not touch entitlement programs that are significant drivers of the deficit, and who breezily promised to eliminate the national debt (currently $22 trillion) in eight years. (Today, that would mean eight reductions of $2.75 trillion, a sum equal to 63 percent of the fiscal 2019 budget.) Republicans, now thoroughly disarmed concerning the issue of fiscal probity, struggle to frighten the 2020 electorate with the specter of spendthrift socialists threatening the Republic.
John Tamny warns of the danger to Americans of Americans’ fears of China’s economic rise.
Here’s Bryan Riley on tariffs and import quotas.
Chloe Anagnos bemoans cronyism in South Africa.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Kevin Williamson warns of Mark Zuckerberg’s illiberal impulses. A slice:
We should be clear about regulatory standardization and homogenization would mean: Official censorship by governments abroad, proxy censorship by business interests at home, and doublespeak on all sides.
Robert Wenzel loves Tyler Cowen’s new book, Big Business.