Policy

The Perils of Overreach, Part II

Election Wins Are No License for Shutdown Stubbornness In my previous column, "A Warning to Democrats on the Government Shutdown and ACA Subsidies," I cautioned the Democrat Party against the seductive trap of overreach during the ongoing government shutdown-now entering its 38th day. Drawing on historical precedents like the 1995-1996 and 2013 shutdowns, I argued that leveraging public blame against Republicans to demand permanent extensions of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies risks transforming a tactical advantage into a strategic disaster. The ACA's enhanced premium tax credits, set to expire at year's end due to Democrats' own sunset clauses in the 2022…

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The Perils of Overreach

A Warning to Democrats on the Government Shutdown and ACA Subsidies In the annals of political wisdom, few quotes capture the precarious nature of governance as succinctly as British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's reputed response to a question about what posed the greatest challenge to statesmen: "Events, dear boy, events." This adage underscores how unforeseen incidents can derail even the most calculated strategies, turning public opinion on a dime and exposing leaders to unforeseen vulnerabilities. As the United States grapples with the longest government shutdown in history-now entering its 37th day on November 6, 2025-Democrats find themselves in a position of…

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Republicans Can Win the Housing Battleground

Republicans Must Seize the Housing Crisis to Secure America's Future As we enter the second Trump era in November 2025, with Republicans holding the reins of power in Washington, the time for bold action on America's housing affordability crisis has never been more urgent. The data is damning: The median age of first-time homebuyers has hit a record 40, up from 38 last year, while first-time buyers now comprise just 21% of the market-the lowest since tracking began in 1981. Overall buyer age stands at 59, with repeat buyers at 62, and fewer than a quarter of buyers have children under…

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The Triumph of Trump’s Moral Compass

Outthinking and Outworking Western Leaders in the Gaza Peace Deal President Trump leading the wo The Middle East stands at a historic juncture, with the release of all 20 living hostages held by Hamas marking a decisive victory in the Gaza conflict. This achievement, cemented by the implementation of Phase One of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, stands as a testament to his unparalleled leadership and moral clarity. Unlike the Western leaders at Monday’s Peace in the Middle East summit in Sharm El Sheikh, who offered muted applause and pushed for excessive Israeli concessions, Trump, alongside his formidable team-Marco…

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Trump’s Troop Pay Directive

Trump’s Troop Pay Directive: Executive Authority, Legal Maneuvering, and the Politics of Shutdown Survival In the midst of a federal government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a directive to War Secretary Pete Hegseth, instructing him to redirect available funds to ensure that the October 15 paychecks for approximately 1.3 million active-duty troops are issued on time. This move, amounting to a roughly $4 billion infusion, draws from multi-year Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) funds to cover Military Personnel (MILPERS) accounts, bypassing the freeze on new spending imposed by the lack of a fiscal year…

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Democrats’ Shameless Pivot

From Illegal Alien Medicaid to a Costly Obamacare Boondoggle It’s Day Six of the government shutdown and the Democrats’ latest health care debacle is unfolding like a bad soap opera. After getting thoroughly thrashed in the court of public opinion over their botched attempt to funnel Medicaid funds to illegal aliens, these political hacks have scurried to a new, even more outrageous scheme: ramming through a permanent extension of pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies. Buried deep within their sham continuing resolution (S. 2882, hastily introduced by Sen. Patty Murray on September 18, 2025), this move takes a temporary COVID-19 lifeline-originally crafted by Democrats-and…

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A Better Option Than Rebate Checks

A Case for Capital Gains Tax Relief Over Tariff Rebate Checks: Igniting Sustained Economic Growth In the wake of President Donald Trump’s bold tariff agenda, generating over $214.9 billion in 2025 alone, the United States stands at a pivotal economic crossroads. Two competing proposals have emerged to harness this tariff windfall: Trump’s $1,000-$2,000 rebate checks for American households, funded by tariff revenues, and a capital gains tax cut, as advocated in my columns "Friday Forecasting" and "It's Time to Cut the Capital Gains Tax", featuring tiered rates for U.S. stocks and a flat rate for foreign gains, as outlined in the…

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Paul Ryan Was Right

Obamacare's True Costs Exposed In my July 20, 2025, column, "Joe Wilson Was Right," I argued that Rep. Joe Wilson’s infamous 2009 outburst-"You lie!"-during President Obama’s address to Congress captured a prophetic truth about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare. While Obama’s claim that the ACA wouldn’t cover undocumented immigrants held true in the law’s text, the reality of fungible federal funds enabled states to extend billions in coverage to non-citizens, a dynamic unmasked by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). But Wilson’s raw cry was not alone in its foresight. Rep. Paul Ryan, then a rising star…

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Democrat Shutdown Perfidy

A Shutdown Born of Perfidy and Powerlessness Democrat Perfidy on Health Care Funding for Illegal Aliens As the clock struck midnight on October 1, 2025, the United States government ground to a halt, not due to necessity, but due to the perfidious obstinacy of Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer. This shutdown, a spectacle of political self-sabotage, centers on a grotesque insistence on funding health care for illegal aliens-a policy choice that epitomizes Democrat hypocrisy and a complete lack of leverage in the face of a resurgent Republican majority. Meanwhile, federal spending has ballooned 54% since 2019 without delivering commensurate value,…

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Democrats Shutdown Principle

Democrats: Principally Wrong on Policy, Politics, and Process Congress has 24 hours until federal agencies shutter, veterans' checks stall, national parks close, and 2.1 million essential workers go unpaid. House Republicans passed a bipartisan seven-week CR, extending FY2024 funding to allow time for full appropriations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune pleads for Democrat votes to clear the 60-vote filibuster hurdle. Yet Chuck Schumer’s caucus demands costly riders-Obamacare subsidy extensions, Medicaid tweaks-despite a booming economy. This isn’t miscalculation; it’s a betrayal of principle. My columns, The Failure of the Cave and The Democrats’ Shutdown Folly, exposed Democrats’ cycle of hype, collapse, and…

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