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The Federal Budget Process

How Congress Passes a Budget Editorial Note: The June 2, 2025, post, "Learning About Congressional Budgeting," focuses on Congress’s role in budgeting, particularly the budget resolution and committee actions. This post broadly covers the entire federal budget process, including the President’s proposal and agency roles. The former is Congress-specific, while this is more comprehensive. The federal budgeting process in the United States is a sprawling, intricate endeavor, a high-stakes balancing act where lawmakers navigate competing priorities to keep the government humming. Under “regular order,” as outlined by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, Congress follows a deliberate, structured…

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Supreme Court Roundup

Supreme Court Roundup, 6/5/2025 In a series of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2025, the Court addressed critical issues of discrimination, liability, religious liberty, jurisdiction, and class-action certification. In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, the Court unanimously struck down the Sixth Circuit’s “background circumstances” rule, affirming that Title VII protects all individuals from workplace discrimination equally, regardless of majority or minority status. Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos saw the Court uphold the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, dismissing Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers for failing to prove intentional aiding and abetting…

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The Unfairness of Spot-Taking

Immutable Characteristics in Protected Categories In the 1986 film Soul Man, Mark Watson (C. Thomas Howell), a white male of European ancestry, dons blackface to secure a Harvard Law scholarship reserved for Black students, an act that crystallizes the profound unfairness of exploiting immutable characteristics for personal gain. Nearly four decades later, in August 2024, Imane Khelif, an athlete with XY chromosomes and male physiology, won gold in women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics, competing under the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) “recognized female” policy. These cases, though separated by time and context, are united by a shared violation: both Watson and…

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Wednesday Windings

Midweek Quick Takes This week’s debates have thrust antisemitism, political violence, and media accountability into sharp focus, exposing deep divides in American discourse. On The Tara Palmeri Show, Scott Jennings clashed with the host over the roots of political violence, citing incidents like the May 22, 2025, assassination of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and the June 1, 2025, Boulder attack, injured 12 people with Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel event, as evidence of left-wing antisemitic aggression. A CNN panel on NewsNight with Abby Phillip further highlighted tensions, with conservative voices challenging denials of antisemitism among progressive figures like…

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Logical Fallacies

A Lesson in Spotting Dishonesty and Logical Fallacies The Case of Michael LaRosa’s Fox News Segment In a heated Fox News segment on Monday, former Biden aide Michael LaRosa faced a grilling from host Sean Hannity about President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, a topic that dominated the 2024 election cycle. The confrontation, detailed in a Daily Caller article, serves as a masterclass in identifying dishonesty and logical fallacies in public discourse. LaRosa’s responses-deflecting allegations of Biden’s long-standing mental struggles-illustrate common tactics used to evade tough questions, obscure truth, and manipulate narratives. By dissecting LaRosa’s deflections, we can learn how to spot…

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America’s Fight Against Antisemitic Terror

The Intifada at Home: No More Excuses On a Sunday afternoon in Boulder, Colorado, a pro-Israel rally named “Run for Their Lives” unfolded near the county courthouse, its participants united in a call to free hostages held by Hamas. The gathering, marked by solemn determination, included an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor among its ranks. Suddenly, chaos erupted. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national illegally residing in the U.S., unleashed a horrific attack, hurling Molotov cocktails and wielding a makeshift flamethrower. Twelve people were injured, their screams piercing the air as Soliman shouted “Free Palestine” and “End Zionists.” This was no spontaneous outburst;…

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The Conservative Canon

The Conservative Canon With Summaries and Influence on Civics and Policy The conservative canon presented here is a carefully curated collection of 32 seminal works that have profoundly shaped the intellectual and civic landscape of American conservatism. Spanning from the Enlightenment to the late 20th century, these texts-ranging from Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France to Irving Kristol’s Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea-offer a rich tapestry of philosophical, political, and cultural insights that articulate the principles of limited government, individual liberty, tradition, moral order, and free markets. Including foundational works like John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government The…

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Learning About Congressional Budgeting

Charting America’s Budget A Tale of Reconciliation, Rescissions, and Deficit Debates Before we get into the heart of this lesson, let's review how a bill becomes a law. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ8psP4S6BQ In the heart of Washington, D.C., in June 2025, a fiscal tempest brews, captivating lawmakers, analysts, and citizens. H.R. 1, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a daring reconciliation bill passed the House, promising to extend Trump tax cuts and carve $1.6 trillion from federal spending. Yet, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) sounds a warning, estimating a $4 trillion deficit increase, igniting fierce debate. Meanwhile, a “DOGE rescissions package,” driven by the Department of…

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Pending Supreme Court Cases

Supreme Court October 2024 Term Major Cases Awaiting Decision   Below is the updated list of major outstanding Supreme Court cases for the 2024-2025 term, as of June 1, 2025, with each case linked to its respective SCOTUSblog page for detailed information. The list reflects cases still awaiting decisions, based on SCOTUSblog, with approximately 33 opinions in 39 cases pending. Each case includes a brief description, key issues, potential impact, status, and a direct link to SCOTUSblog’s case page. United States v. Skrmetti Issue: Does Tennessee’s S.B. 1, banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors (e.g., puberty blockers, hormone therapy), violate…

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A Saturday Evening Story

A Liminal Odyssey My Dance with Hypnagogic States, Lucid Dreaming, and Sleep Paralysis In the quiet twilight of my bedroom, as the world fades, I slip into a realm where consciousness frays into a tapestry of hypnagogic states, lucid dreaming, and sleep paralysis. As a musician and songwriter, this liminal space is my sanctuary-a place to relieve anxiety, recharge my soul, heal old wounds, and weave the threads of creativity into songs that echo the human heart. Guided by the ethereal strains of Bill Evans’ The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, especially the haunting “My Foolish Heart,” or the familiar cadence…

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