Policy

Revisiting the Moynihan Report

The Enduring Shadow of the Moynihan Report: From 1965 Warnings to Modern Realities In the turbulent mid-1960s, amid the Civil Rights Movement's zenith and President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society ambitions, a controversial document emerged from the U.S. Department of Labor. Titled "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," it was authored by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then Assistant Secretary of Labor. Released in March 1965, the report was initially an internal memo intended to inform policy discussions on poverty and racial inequality. Drawing on census data and sociological insights, Moynihan argued that while civil rights legislation was essential, it alone…

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A Thought Exercise in Ending the Fed

Ending the Federal Reserve and Exploring Alternatives Like this post? Become a Citizen Producer! This thought exercise explores whether Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks could spark the end of the Federal Reserve, alongside a hypothetical scenario of its dissolution, potential positive outcomes, alternative systems Congress might consider, and the relevance of the GENIUS Act. The exercise imagines the Fed’s hypothetical end driven by Congressional and presidential action, delving into economic, political, and global implications based on available web insights and economic theories. Today in a CNBC interview, I called for a review of the Federal Reserve. It is my belief that…

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Joe Wilson Was Right

OBBBA Cuts Expose Obamacare's Fungible Funds In 2009, Rep. Joe Wilson yelled “You lie” during Obama’s speech to Congress, disputing claims that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) wouldn’t cover illegal immigrants. The Left slammed his outburst as rude, insisting Obama was right—ACA’s text bars illegal immigrants from federal benefits. Yet, the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) proves Wilson foresaw the truth. The ACA’s fungible funds let states cover illegal immigrants, and the Left’s outcry over OBBBA cuts reveals their contradiction: they defend “what isn’t happening” while admitting it’s been happening. The ACA’s 2014 Medicaid expansion gave states a deal:…

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America Needs an Interest Rate Cut Now

Time for a Rate Cut: Powell’s Inaction Is Costing American Families and Small Businesses The Federal Reserve, under Chair Jerome Powell, is once again dragging its feet, and American families and small businesses are paying the price. The June 2025 Producer Price Index (PPI) report, released July 16, 2025, shows inflation cooling-flat month-over-month and 2.3% year-over-year, below the expected 2.5%. Coupled with a flat June Consumer Price Index (CPI) at 3.0% year-over-year, the data screams for a rate cut now, not in September or Q4. Powell’s history of missteps-too slow to raise rates during the “Bidenflation” surge of 2021-2022 and now…

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America’s Healthcare Finance Crisis

America’s Healthcare Finance Crisis: Challenges, Costs, and Solutions America’s healthcare finance system faces a critical crisis, with Medicaid spending projected to rise from $1 trillion in 2025 to $1.4 trillion by 2034, straining budgets and threatening hospital viability. Safety-net hospitals, particularly in Medicaid expansion states, grapple with 55-65% uncompensated or low-compensated care, driven by uninsured patients, low Medicaid reimbursements, and U.S.-born children of illegal aliens (4.4 million, costing $35 billion annually). These children, granted citizenship under the 14th Amendment, inflate Medicaid costs. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, 2025) introduces reforms-Medicaid cuts, noncitizen restrictions, work requirements, and immigration enforcement-but further…

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Medicaid Reality vs. Rhetoric

Medicaid "Cuts" Debate: Fiscal Reality vs. Political Rhetoric The 2025 budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA), has sparked intense debate over Medicaid funding. A July 4, 2025, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) opinion piece, "No One Is ‘Gutting’ the Safety Net", argues that Republican proposals are pragmatic reforms to ensure Medicaid’s sustainability, not destructive cuts. In my columns, "Monday Misleading Math" (June 30, 2025) and "The Myth of Medicaid Cuts: Explaining Baseline Budgeting" (March 2, 2025), I reinforce this, framing the changes as reductions in growth, akin to the 1990s Medicare reforms. This column synthesizes these…

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A Precarious Fiscal Precipice

The Fiscal Trifecta Threatening America’s Future The United States stands at a precarious fiscal precipice, grappling with three interlocking threats: defaulting on the national debt, the looming insolvency of Social Security and Medicare, and the inexorable rise of long-term debt. Each challenge carries distinct origins, timelines, and consequences, yet their convergence forms a fiscal time bomb that threatens economic stability and social welfare. With Social Security’s insolvency now a mere eight years away-compared to a 36-year horizon in 2005-the urgency for reform has reached a critical juncture. Alan Greenspan’s 1996 warning of “truly wrenching” adjustments resonates with renewed force, as procrastination…

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Humpday Highlights

Quick Takes: Humpday Highlights Rubio’s USAID Overhaul: A New Era for U.S. Foreign Aid On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the termination of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) role in foreign assistance, aligning with the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda, as reported by the State Department’s Substack. The decision canceled 83% of USAID’s programs-5,200 out of 6,200 contracts-shifting oversight to the State Department to prioritize trade, investment, and national interests. The new strategy, emphasizing “trade over aid, opportunity over dependency,” marks aid with the American flag and targets self-sufficient nations. Supporters argue this addresses USAID’s inefficiencies,…

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Monday Moments

Quick Takes: Monday Moments Healthcare Reforms Are A Vital Response to DOJ’s Historic Fraud Takedown The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) June 30, 2025, healthcare fraud takedown, charging 324 defendants for $14.6 billion in false claims, exposes the critical vulnerabilities threatening Medicare and Medicaid’s solvency. Described as the largest coordinated operation in DOJ history, it targeted schemes like “Operation Gold Rush,” which exploited 1 million stolen identities to bill $10.6 billion, and opioid trafficking involving 15 million prescription pills (Lyndhurst Daily Voice). With $2.9 billion in actual losses and $245 million in seized assets (Tampa FP), this bust underscores the rampant fraud…

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Monday Misleading Math

The Misleading Math Behind the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: A Layman’s Guide If you’ve caught wind of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) currently being considered by the Senate, you might’ve heard it described as a budget-busting disaster that slashes Medicaid and hands out tax breaks to the rich. That’s the narrative often pushed by legacy media, leaning heavily on Democratic talking points. But here’s the truth: the numbers driving th You Can't Predict Ball: The Texas Rangers’ 2025 Season As the Texas Rangers hit the halfway mark of the 2025 season with a 41-43 record, they embody a…

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