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- CIVILIZATION’S INTERREGNUM – PART 15
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- Religion, Region, and Politics
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Washington's Credit Card Price Controls Will Hurt Consumers
- By Stephen Moore
Why has Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) declared war on credit cards?
Americans are in love with paying with plastic.
Perhaps too much so -- given that credit card debt now exceeds $1 trillion.
But paying with plastic has become a sort of American pastime -- so popular and convenient (especially reward programs that offer cash-back payments, frequent flyer miles and other discounts) that there are now an estimated 500 million to 1 billion credit cards in circulation and close to another 1 billion debit cards. This means there are multiple more credit and debit cards than there are adults in the U.S.
Is Google Guilty of Being Too Popular With Consumers?
- By Stephen Moore
You may have heard the Biden Justice Department is suing Google in federal court for being a "monopoly." That's a bizarre charge given that few, if any companies in all American history have lowered prices more than Google -- which provides access to information that used to take hours or days to find -- with merely a click of a button, and instantaneously. And it does it basically for free.
Wait, I thought monopolies are bad because they RAISE prices. Google does the opposite. If you're a consumer and a user of Google searches and you feel aggrieved, raise your hand.
Maybe a Temporary Government Lockdown Is Necessary. The Alternative May Be Worse.
- By Stephen Moore
What's worse? When politicians shut down the government, or when they lock down businesses, stores, schools, churches and restaurants -- and nearly all private commerce in America?
If you haven't heard, the media and congressional Democrats are near cardiac arrest over the prospect of a government shutdown later this year. They may need smelling salts. How dare Congress shut down our vital government services when they are deadlocked on the budget?
Biden's Killing the American Dream of Homeownership
- By Stephen Moore
In boasting about Bidenomics two weeks ago in Milwaukee, President Joe Biden declared that his policies are "restoring the American dream." Then he went into his creepy whispering mode and assured us "it's working."
Huh?
Isn't a big aspiration of the American dream owning a home? Biden keeps making first-time homeownership harder for young families for two reasons. One is that the overall jump in inflation and the slower increase in wages and salaries means that homes are more expensive. High home prices benefit those who already own their homes, but much of the increased value is due to general inflation, which reached a high of 9% last year and hurts everyone.
Why Has Biden Declared War on Natural Gas?
- By Stephen Moore
Natural gas is the world's wonder fuel: cheap, abundant, made in America, reliable AND clean burning.
So why are the Biden administration and environmental groups against it? There's really no good answer.
What makes the Left's war against natural gas inexplicable is that the single biggest factor in reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere has been the increased reliance on natural gas for electric power generation as we transition slowly away from coal. (By the way, emissions from coal plants have been dramatically reduced as well, which is one reason why the air that we breathe today is much cleaner than the air 20 or 50 or 100 years ago.)
Is It Time to Ban Electric Vehicles?
- By Stephen Moore
The New York Fire Department recently reported that so far this year there have been 108 lithium-ion battery fires in New York City, which have injured 66 people and killed 13. According to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, "There is not a small amount of fire, it (the vehicle) literally explodes." The resulting fire is "very difficult to extinguish and so it is particularly dangerous."
Last year there were more than 200 fires from batteries from e-bikes, EVs, and other devices.
New Banking Regulations Could Sink the Economy
- By Stephen Moore
Banking is just about the most regulated industry in America. Yet, as we saw with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others in recent months, lenders are not invulnerable to failure due to bad management or unexpected changes in economic conditions.
The inevitable response is for more regulation on all banks. But sometimes regulators can make conditions worse for healthy banks. The most famous example in recent times was when financial regulators urged banks to issue inordinate amounts of new "safe" mortgages leading up to the great financial crisis of 2008, ultimately flooding the financial system with toxic debt.
Will the Biden Administration Ban Cigars?
- By Stephen Moore
What is it with the Left that they want to ban nearly everything that is fun or convenient? Gas stoves, dishwashers, plastic straws, gas cars, snowmobiles and diving boards. And now the health busybodies want to ban certain cigars.
Recently, a gang of senators led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf urging the agency to ban (or heavily regulate) flavored cigar sales. Under pressure from the health lobby, the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products said it's primed to take action in the weeks ahead. They say underage teenagers are smoking these cigars and are at risk of becoming addicted.
This makes as much sense as banning scotch because kids might smuggle a bottle from Dad's liquor cabinet, or outlawing R-rated movies because 14-year-olds occasionally sneak into the theater.
Much of the Hot Air Is Coming From Washington
- By Stephen Moore
Baby, it's hot outside.
Right on cue, a New York Times headline links this surge in temperatures to "climate change."
Temperatures have climbed to well over 100 F in Las Vegas, Arizona, much of Texas, and New Mexico in recent weeks. In Phoenix, the heat wave is the worst since 1974.
Is The New York Times right? Is this climate change? Of course, yes. The climate on Earth has been changing since the Big Bang created this giant rock orbiting the sun.
Democrats Are Throwing Kids Off the School Bus
- By Stephen Moore
Have you heard the outrageous story of what happened recently in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital? Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.), elected in 2022, had campaigned on school choice for tens of thousands of children, mostly minorities, who are forced to attend failing public schools in places like Philadelphia.
"It's what I believe," Shapiro, then state attorney general, assured voters as he ran for governor. Last month on a national Fox News broadcast, Shapiro was unequivocal in his support for school choice because "every child of God" deserves "a quality education."
Republicans Must Be the Party of Small Business
- By Stephen Moore
A recent Wall Street Journal lead story reported that "Republicans and big business broke up." The amount of corporate donations to Republicans was cut sharply in the last election cycle to a lower amount than in nearly a decade. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has backed many Democrats running for Congress in close and competitive races, which puts the GOP slim majority in jeopardy.
The writing is on the wall: Corporate America is increasingly aligning itself with liberal Democrats, not Republicans.
To Reduce Airline Ticket Prices, Expand Washington's Reagan Airport
- By Stephen Moore
Those who live in or near the nation's capital, or routinely travel there, know that the Washington, D.C., region is home to the best airport in the country, Reagan National. It's also home to one of the worst airports, Dulles International.
Reagan is a gem for air travelers. It's beautifully remodeled, usually easy to get through the TSA lines, and contains good restaurants and gates within a few minutes of the main terminal. Most importantly, there is no other major airport in the country that I know of where you can leave downtown and arrive at the airport in less than 20 minutes when traffic isn't heavy. Dulles is almost an hour from D.C., is crowded, and has a crazy train system that doesn't even get you close to the planes but can add another 30 minutes to the travel time.
Stop Scaring Our Kids to Death
- By Stephen Moore
As nearly every standardized test is showing, our schools are doing an abysmal job teaching kids how to read or do math. In some cases, kids graduating from high school can barely read their diplomas.
But the schools are wildly succeeding with their climate change indoctrination program. When I speak to kids on high school and college campuses and ask what the greatest threat is to their generation, the answer isn't China's aggression. It isn't a drug abuse problem that is becoming the leading killer of our children. It isn't the failed schools or the corrupt government or the more routine violations of freedom of speech. It isn't the $32 trillion national debt soon headed to $50 trillion. (I always remind the kids, I won't be paying for this Mount Everest-sized debt burden. YOU will.)
What's the Matter With Texas Republicans When It Comes to School Choice Legislation?
- By Stephen Moore
This has been the year for school choice all over the country. At least six additional states joined Arizona and Florida to give parents the funds to send their children to private and charter schools.
Surprisingly, deep-red Texas is not among these states -- at least not yet. Currently, there is no school choice in the Lone Star State for low-income parents. Gov. Greg Abbott and a broad coalition of parent groups are pushing for the state House to clear a historic education savings account bill that has already passed the state Senate.
The Green Movement Is a Jobs Killer. Are Unions Finally Figuring This Out?
- By Stephen Moore
Could it be that union bosses are finally waking up to the cold reality that the greatest threat to steel workers, the United Auto Workers, miners, machinists and the Teamsters is the radical climate change agenda of the environmentalists?
The green movement has taken the Democratic Party hostage -- and President Joe Biden's all-in embrace of far-left green policies is wreaking havoc on rank-and-file union jobs.
The United Auto Workers recently announced it would withhold its endorsement of Biden as he runs for a second term. "The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers," UAW President Shawn Fain recently declared. "The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom" for America's workers.
Federal Trade Commission's Call of Duty Maneuver Is Actually a Dereliction of It
- By Stephen Moore
The British antitrust cops just announced they will oppose the proposed blockbuster $68.7 billion merger of two American companies -- Microsoft and gaming company Activision Blizzard, the owner of the wildly popular game Call of Duty. This decision is bad news for investors in companies, gamers and workers. But it's very good news for America's competitors in Asia and Europe.
The foreign regulators claim the merger will give monopolistic power to Microsoft in the computer gaming industry.
Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at Freedom Works. He is also author of the new book: "Govzilla: How The Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy." To find out more about Stephen Moore and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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