ArcaMax

'Tis the season for giving. For me, that mostly means supporting charities. One organization I donate to is SSP, Student Sponsor Partners, a nonprofit that gives scholarships to kids from low-income families. SSP helps children escape bad public schools by providing grants to students so they can pay the cheaper tuition at mostly Catholic ...Read more

The movie "The Matrix" gave us the "red pill" and the "blue pill." The red wakes you up to reality; the blue keeps you indoctrinated. Internet culture then invented a black pill. Those who take it think the world is doomed. So, podcaster Michael Malice wrote the book "The White Pill," calling it a "symbol of hope." "Young people in recent years,...Read more

Government excels at NOT getting things done. But politicians promise more things anyway. Kamala Harris declared that our government would "build thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable!" This "Broadband Connectivity Agenda" was supported by "every House Republican on Energy and Commerce," write Republican representatives. Three years later, not...Read more

Union leaders, some of them, are self-destructive idiots! America's ports have fallen behind! Not a single one ranks in the top 50 worldwide! A big reason is that dock unions stop innovation! This fall, the International Longshoremen's Association shut down East and Gulf coast ports, striking for a raise and a ban on automation. They got the ...Read more

As we gather this Thanksgiving, it's easy to take abundance for granted. Leftovers are practically guaranteed. It wasn't always this way. For most of history, there were no Thanksgiving feasts. Hunger, if not starvation, was the norm. Today, supermarkets are stocked with exotic foods from all over the world. Most of it is more affordable than ...Read more

People eagerly give money to rich environmental groups. The Natural Resources Defense Council has $463 million in assets. It claims it uses law "to confront the climate crisis." What it really does is pay lawyers to torture people who try to do useful things. Example: America needs minerals like copper and silver to make things. Even President ...Read more

I often report on fake "crises" pushed by media. Here's one that may be real: Kids are anxious. Lenore Skenazy, founder of the non-profit Let Grow, says it's because today's parents rarely allow their kids to experience the joys of independence. Skenazy once let her 9-year-old ride the New York City subway on his own. For that, the media labeled...Read more

I write this on Election Day. People are freaking out. "A Second Trump Administration Would Be a Carnival of Corruption and Greed," is a New York Times headline. "President Kamala Would Be a Disaster for the World," says The Telegraph. Wait. Take a breath. Yes, Donald Trump is an awful man who only cares about himself. He's scary reckless. But ...Read more

The world must be getting so much worse! Activists protest everywhere. Listening to them, I'd think hate, homophobia, racism and environmental threats are at record highs. But it's not true. Despite our ugly election politics, for most people, life is better than ever. Our air and water are cleaner. People live longer and healthier lives. There'...Read more

What does it take for a parent to get arrested? Surprisingly little. Scott and Heather Wallace of Hewitt, Texas, encourage their three boys to play outside on their own to build independence. One day, driving home from karate practice, 8-year-old Aiden misbehaved. So, half a mile from home, Heather stopped the car and told him, "Walk the rest of...Read more

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris keep making new promises. Trump fans applauded when he said he'll eliminate taxes on tips. Then Harris proposed that, too. Her audience applauded. Trump then proposed not taxing overtime. More applause. But narrow tax exemptions are bad policy. Economist Allison Schrager explains how they create nasty, unintended ...Read more

Some politicians and activists are eager to give you "free" money. They call it universal basic income (UBI) -- cash for everyone, no strings attached. Comedian Dave Chappelle thinks UBI would "save my community almost instantly."

UBI activist Conrad Shaw agrees, "You would effectively get rid of extreme poverty immediately." He says a UBI will...Read more

Sometimes politicians steal people's homes. Really. If homeowners miss property tax payments, even if they never received the bills, some towns grab the whole house and keep the proceeds. All the proceeds. Even if the total is much more than the property tax owed. I reported on this (mal)practice a couple years ago. Since then, there's been good...Read more