Category Archive

“Fed Remodel Keeps Inflating” by Andrew Ackerman and Nick Timiraos (Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2023, p. A1) reports that the cost of renovating the Federal Reserve System’s Great Depression-era headquarters building now stands at $2.5 billion. Beset by runups in the costs of building materials, predictable construction delays, and design changes demanded of architects along the way, the final price tag likely will be much higher. The Fed is not an ordinary buyer of renovation and remodeling services. Because of its unique funding mechanism, Fed officials have weaker incentives to control costs than any …

Friedreich’s Ataxia (sometimes shortened to FA) is a disease that slowly damages the nervous system over time. Often, FA results in difficulty controlling muscle movements, impaired sensory function, spinal curvature, and a host of other serious health concerns. Symptoms of FA usually begin during early or late childhood and last the duration of the victim’s lifetime (which is often shortened). While FA is rare (about 5,000 Americans currently have it), those with it can only receive treatment for symptoms.  Fortunately, the FDA granted fast-track designation for an experimental FA treatment named Omaveloxolone in 2022 after …

The federal Energy Department has now concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic began with a leak from a laboratory in China. In a similar style, FBI Director Christopher Wray explains, “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan. Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab.” And since the first case of COVID in the U.S. in January 2020, added Wray, China has tried to “thwart and obfuscate” investigations into the origin of the pandemic.  That was …

“The FTC’s Antitrust Collusion” (Wall Street Journal editorial page, February 24) pieces together 628 pages of redacted emails revealing that the Federal Trade Commission coordinates with foreign antitrust officials to block mergers involving U.S. companies. (The emails were obtained by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a lawsuit forcing the Commission to comply with the Chamber’s Freedom of Information Act request.) Enlisting foreign governments in its law-enforcement activities both betrays the Commission’s mandate to identify and prohibit “unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce”—to be read as interstate commerce—and sacrifices U.S. sovereignty on the altar of …

Right before Christmas, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) issued his Festivus Report for 2022. Unfortunately, because the Senator also tweeted his own reworked version of Clement C. Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas at that time, I missed his annual Festivus Airing of Grievances over some of the federal government’s most wasteful spending. But, like Christmas, people can feel the spirit of Festivus all year round. Who says we cannot belatedly celebrate Festivus on the cusp of spring? Nobody, that’s who! And whoever could complain can add my doing so now to their list of grievances to be aired when they celebrate Festivus. …

The Winston-Salem Witch Trials took place during the 17th century in colonial Massachusetts. Hundreds of people were accused, thirty were found guilty, and nineteen were executed by hanging. Even animals could not escape the hysteria sweeping the land where anyone could point a finger at another person and have them arrested. In Canada, a witch hunt-like culture has developed in the form of political discrimination. It is not done execution style as in Salem. Still, people are fired and ostracized, ruining their careers and reputations. The individual, usually someone with a conservative viewpoint, is caricatured and …

An article written in Yale Medicine notes that medical professionals across the globe are monitoring over 300 different subvariants of the omicron Covid-19 variant. The first known omicron variant infection in the United States was reported in late November 2021.  Omicron mutates quickly, but this is not necessarily a cause for concern. Most omicron infections are mild, and very few infections result in hospitalizations or death. Many infected patients don’t have any symptoms. Further, the more Covid-19 mutates to become endemic; the more likely future variants will be mild. But as the virus mutates, it …

“I think every kid, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every education opportunity possible. I guess, for some, that isn’t the consensus view.” That was Joe Biden, criticizing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, seemingly unaware that he was making a strong case for parental choice in education.  “Every education opportunity possible” includes the programs such as the G.I. Bill, which funds the scholar, who then chooses the school he or she wants. Under the G.I. Bill, scholars can choose UCLA, Brigham Young University, USC, Florida State or Notre Dame, and so on. That …

Many foreign policy analysts across the world seem to be resigned to a long, grinding, and painful war in Ukraine, throwing up their hands to declare that neither Ukraine nor Russia has any obvious incentive to reach a settlement ending the war.  Recently, the Ukrainians have had momentum in South and Northeast Ukraine and are making some progress in the Southeast Donbas region. The party winning a war typically has fewer incentives to come to the peace table, and in this case, the Ukrainians want to try to maintain their momentum during the upcoming winter. …