by the Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal, July 21, 2025.
Excerpt:
In a revealing report released late last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) disclosed that an astonishing 1.2 million Americans were concurrently enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program across multiple states last year. This revelation came after the agency enlisted the help of software engineers to scrutinize enrollment data, exposing that an additional 1.6 million individuals were double-dipping by being enrolled in both Medicaid and an ObamaCare plan with taxpayer-funded subsidies in 2024.
by Romina Boccia and Ivane Nachkebia, Cato at Liberty, July 22, 2025.
Excerpts:
The latest report from the Social Security Trustees has revealed a daunting reality: Congress must immediately and permanently boost the payroll tax rate by 3.65 percentage points—from 12.4% to 16.05%—to close a staggering $25 trillion funding gap projected over the next 75 years. For a median worker starting at age 22 in 2025, this tax hike would equate to a lifetime earnings drop of over $110,000 in present value terms, essentially the cost of forfeiting nearly 20 months of salary at the average wage.
And:
Interestingly, even if Congress were to eliminate the Social Security tax cap—making all income subject to payroll taxes—it wouldn’t fully resolve the program’s long-term financial woes. According to Jessica Riedl from the Manhattan Institute, this move would only bridge half of the funding deficit and impose a hefty tax burden on the upper middle class. Specifically, it would push the top marginal federal labor income tax rate above 50%, with the combined state, local, and federal tax rates nearing 60%. This situation would likely land us well beyond the revenue-maximizing thresholds suggested by the Laffer Curve. Moreover, any temporary surpluses generated by removing the cap would likely be misallocated by Congress, leading to future borrowing to repay the trust fund, a pattern we’ve seen repeated in the past.
I Once Thought Europeans Lived as Well as Americans. Not Anymore [sic]
by Tyler Cowen, The Free Press, July 20, 2025.
Excerpts:
European governments take a rather stern approach toward air-conditioning, be it central or window units. In certain locations, obtaining a permit for installation can be quite the Herculean task, with Geneva requiring proof of a medical necessity just to get the green light. Furthermore, in idyllic Portofino, Italy, neighbors have been known to report each other for clandestine air-conditioning operations, with penalties reaching up to €43,000—though most disputes are settled with a simple unit removal.
And:
Meanwhile, in an unexpected twist, Mississippi—the poorest state in the U.S. by multiple metrics—now boasts a higher per capita income than many prominent Western European nations, nearly matching Germany. While such statistics don’t encompass every aspect of living quality, including leisure time, they certainly paint a concerning picture for Europe.
The crime rates in the U.S. remain higher, but they are on a downward trajectory. For instance, New York City has seen its murder rate plummet to about one-sixth of its peak in the 1990s.
On a seemingly unrelated note, I find myself perplexed by the sight of numerous American tourists flocking to southern France or Amsterdam—an experience that feels starkly different from what it was four decades ago.
Yet, the writer leaves us hanging without elaborating on this sense of distress.
by Greg Lukianoff, The Eternally Radical Idea, July 22, 2025.
Excerpt:
Recent laws enacted in states like Texas and Colorado mandate that AI developers ensure their models do not yield “discriminatory” outputs. At first glance, this initiative appears commendable—after all, who would endorse discrimination? Yet, the notion of discriminatory knowledge raises alarms. While we rightly condemn blatant discrimination in practices like loan approvals, the idea of censoring knowledge itself is concerning. It would be akin to suggesting that instead of punishing a Klansman for his hateful actions, we should demolish the library where he acquired such beliefs. Not just the problematic texts, but the entire repository of knowledge that might benefit others.
Note: Image created by ChatGPT4.0.
