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Our media prioritize British royals over British child rape

There’s no longer much foreign reporting on television with the exception of natural disasters, or countries where Americans are engaged in military action. That’s certainly true of Europe — except for Britain. The networks, surely focused on ratings, display a fascination with the royal ...

NY mayor ignores 40 centuries of economic lessons

Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a citywide freeze on rents. The response from economists can be summarized as “oy.” Economists are famous for arguing “on one hand” this and “on the other hand” that. This is why President Harry Truman famously wanted to ...

Before lighting up fireworks, consider effects on others

It’s time for the annual reminder that while fireworks spark awe and delight for many, they are a source of dread for some in the community. Michigan law establishes 12 days in which local governments can’t ban fireworks, all around federal holidays. They are: • Dec. 31 until 1 a.m. Jan. 1 • Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend until 11:45 p.m. • June 29 to July 4 until 11:45 p.m. • Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend until 11:45 p.m. Local governments may have ordinances on just what, when and where fireworks can be used at other times, so before ...

Drinking caused all kinds of headaches even in days of yore

It’s summer, the season of vacations, therefore the season of air travel and the season of people getting kicked off planes because they’ve had too much to drink. The culture has shifted, though, and because of regulations or health consciousness or sheer panic at the idea of getting ...

England a good lesson in pitfalls of ‘democratic socialism'

If you want to see modern-day socialism in action, look no further than to the other side of the pond at not-so-jolly old England. The story of Britain’s decline is a warning signal to those here in the States who are thrilled by the warm embrace of socialism. Right now, the Brits are ...

Federal waste of office space stifles economies at many levels

The federal government is the largest owner of U.S. real estate, including more than half a billion square feet of office space. That is far more than it needs, and the cost of maintaining it has ballooned to unsustainable levels. The Public Buildings Reform Board recently identified 26 buildings across 15 states — totaling more than 7.3 million square feet — as potential candidates for the government to dispose of due to poor usage and high maintenance costs. It’s the third set of disposal recommendations since Congress created the board in 2016. That’s a great start, but ...