TAX POLICY CENTER — Last month, an Idaho lawmaker called the property tax “inherently evil” and suggested the state repeal it and replace the foregone revenue with a higher sales tax. He described the property tax in feudal terms, saying it “dates back to the dark ages or the middle ages when the lords of the manor had to pay taxes to the Kings and the Queens, otherwise they didn't get to keep their land.” This caught my attention because I’m a nerdy tax economist and we are known for loving property taxes while the general public, well, doesn’t. So my first, pedantic reaction was to tweet that, actually, the property tax dates to 6,000 B.C. And it performs very well on criteria of sound taxation like efficiency, equity, and reliability.... (more)

YOUTUBE — Former financial adviser H.A. Goodman analyzes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's grilling of anti-Trump attorneys arguing for excluding Donald Trump from individual states' 2024 presidential ballots. Interesting observations.... (more)

YOUTUBE — On Irish TV, noted British actor Stephen Fry was asked by Jordan Peterson how he would respond if in the afterlife he wakes up at the gates of heaven. In his response, Fry said that if God existed, he would tell Him He is "utterly evil, capricious, and monstrous." In this video, Jordan Peterson responds to this utterance.... (more)

FORBES — There is a growing discontent with American education. You can sense it swelling like a big wave, evidenced in a mix of troubling stats and trends from waning public perceptions of education to significant declines in enrollment and attendance. Students aren’t just talking about their discontent with education but walking it, too.... (more)

MADELINE CRABB — America is not only in decline but facing destruction—at the hands of the very people who are supposed to be protecting us. We began discussing these points last week and will continue in this article. While it is easy to point fingers at others for their role in causing our country's problems, all Americans share some responsibility for our demise. In the end, it is those of us who, as voters, have given consent to those in power (see the Declaration of Independence, paragraph 2) who are ultimately responsible for the intentional takedown of America.... (more)

EDDIE SCARRY OF THEFEDERALIST.COM — Voters in a few months are supposed to cast a ballot for their preferred presidential candidate. Meanwhile, we just watched one of our major political parties attempt to literally bankrupt the likely nominee of the other, and seize his property. Whatever you want to say of America anymore, it can’t possibly be called free and our elections aren’t anything close to fair.... (more)

CLOSER WEEKLY — Faith has always been at the heart of Savannah Guthrie’s family and career. In February 2024, the Today host released her faith-based book, "Mostly What God Does," and shared details about her religious journey over the years. What religion Is Savannah Guthrie? Savannah is a Christian. The broadcaster grew up as a Baptist in what she described as a “very churchy family.”... (more)

YOUTUBE — Discover how one man – St. Patrick – followed what Jesus said when he uttered the words “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” in the amazing story behind one of our oldest hymns: "Be Thou My Vision."... (more)

YOUTUBE — Renowned clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson has announced his 2024 multi-state speaking tour, 'We who wrestle with God," which will take place in large concert halls and sports venues throughout the United States from February 19 through June 11. Tickets are available at livenation.com and ticketmaster.com.... (more)

JUST THE NEWS — Judge Arthur Engoron ordered former President Donald Trump to pay roughly $355 million as part of a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. James had alleged that Trump manipulated the value of his assets to secure favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums. She had sought $370 million in penalties and an order barring Trump from serving as an officer in any New York corporation.... (more)

JERRY NEWCOMBE — In recent decades the quality of American education has plummeted. When you scan the headlines related to education, you realize how far we have fallen:... (more)

NEW YORK POST — Very little is known about Russia’s alleged satellite-killing and nuclear ambitions in space which sent some members of Congress into full-blown panic mode this week. While Moscow isn’t thought to have a deployed capability yet, the U.S. believes the Kremlin is dabbling with weaponry that experts say could fundamentally cripple the military and the American way of life. “We’re talking trillions of dollars worth of economic damage in the worst case,” Dr. Rebecca Grant, president of IRIS Independent Research, which studies defense and aerospace, told The Post.... (more)

NEW YORK POST EDITORIAL BOARD — Echoing our own Cindy Adams, Heather Higgins argues at RealClearPolitics that Democrats could indeed do a “switcheroo” to Michelle Obama, since “President Biden’s poll numbers seem set in quicksand.” She may hate politics, but the Biden years show “that when the media wants a president in place, a four-day workweek, consisting of one social obligation per day, and everything else delegated, will suffice. And that’s without a highly experienced First Gentleman.” I... (more)

DAVID HARSANYI — At the World Government Summit, Tucker Carlson told a gathering of world leaders that Moscow “was so much nicer than any city” in the United States. “It’s radicalizing for an American to go to Moscow,” Tucker went on. “I didn’t know that. I’ve learned it this week, to Singapore, to Tokyo, to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, because these cities, no matter how we’re told they’re run and on what principles they’re run, are wonderful places to live that don’t have rampant inflation.”... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — The House on Tuesday voted for a second time to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after the first vote failed last week. This time, Republicans received the outcome they sought. “Tonight’s vote was a vote for law and order in our communities, and a vote to restore the rule of law at our southern border,” Rep. John Joyce, R-Penn., told The Daily Signal.... (more)

YOUTUBE — On Nov. 8, 2023, Mark Levin joined Sen. Ted Cruz on Life, Liberty, & Levin to talk about Cruz's new book, "Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America."... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — Special Counsel Robert Hur just reported that President Biden is too feeble and lacks the mental capacity to remember the names of his immediately family. As far back as 2017 his mental state had deteriorated so much he would not be held accountable in a court of law for his actions, Hur speculated in his report explaining why Biden would not be charged despite violating federal law involving his handling of classified documents.... (more)

WESTERN JOURNAL — Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas said a Department of Justice report that described President Joe Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory” is proof enough for him that Democrats are going with a different candidate in November. The memo, along with Biden’s late Thursday news conference, means that those who are pulling the strings in the Democratic Party are forcing Biden out, Patrick claimed. He specifically blamed former President Barack Obama and the deep state.... (more)

JUST THE NEWS — Special Counsel Robert Hur’s final report on Joe Biden’s willful retention and dissemination of highly classified information is rocking Washington, re-igniting concerns of a dual system of justice while putting the full weight of the government behind the notion that America is currently being served by a president with “diminished faculties.”... (more)

TOWNHALL — The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday about whether officials in the state of Colorado and other states have the authority to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot. Even the most liberal justices, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, were skeptical of the claims coming from attorneys for the state.... (more)

TOWNHALL — The Senate's border security and supplemental funding bill failed to earn enough support in a procedural test vote on Wednesday afternoon, confirming what became clear just a few hours after the legislative text was released on Sunday night: it was never going to become law. Despite the bill being declared "dead on arrival" in the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate pressed ahead with the cloture vote that failed 49-50. Sixty "aye" votes were required to end debate in order to move the legislation ahead to a final vote on its passage.... (more)

BYRON YORK — Joe Biden is supposed to know something about legislating. After all, he spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate. He must have learned something in those decades. And yet Biden is the driving force behind one of the biggest Capitol Hill fiascos in years: the rapidly imploding "deal" on the U.S.-Mexico border, plus aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. It was Biden who insisted that those disparate subjects be linked – he threatened to veto any part that was passed alone – which turned out to be a fatal mistake given the impossibility of a majority in Congress agreeing on any immigration-related topic. Failing to agree on immigration guaranteed failure on the other policies.... (more)

WASHINGTON EXAMINER — The Supreme Court is preparing to weigh an unprecedented dispute over whether former President Donald Trump can be barred from state primary ballots, forcing the justices to convene during a time when the high court is not normally in session. Each high court term, which spans from early October until the end of June, the nine justices usually take a break from hearing oral arguments between late January and mid-February. This term, however, is not a normal one for the Supreme Court, which is already scheduled to consider the monumental constitutional question of whether Trump is barred from appearing on state primary ballots across the nation.... (more)

YOUTUBE — From Rosemary Siemans.com: ‘Take Time To Be Holy,’ recorded by Jack and Mary Siemans, May 24, 2023. A beautiful rendering of this classic hymn, with lyrics (Note: "whatever betide" at 1:47 means "whatever happens" in Middle English)... (more)

THE FEDERALIST — Yesterday, a reporter standing outside the Senate chamber told me that after four months of secrecy, The Firm™ plans to release the text of the $106 billion supplemental aid/border-security package — possibly as soon as today. Wasting no time, she then asked, “If you get the bill by tomorrow, will you be ready to vote on it by Tuesday?” The words “hell no” escaped my mouth before I could stop them. Those are strong words where I come from. (Sorry, Mom.)... (more)