The Banking Surveillance Industrial Complex

A bombshell report was released in December of 2024 by the House Judiciary Committee, revealing that a massive and constitutionally dubious surveillance operation has been underway by the federal government against countless Americans. Titled, “How the Federal Government Weaponized the Bank Secrecy Act to Spy on Americans,” its key findings demonstrate that the FBI and the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have been working together to undermine the 4th Amendment and conduct widespread warrantless surveillance on the financial transactions of innocent U.S. citizens engaging in constitutionally protected behavior.

Will Am I Racist? Stand the Test of Time?
Matt Walsh’s mockumentary skewers the extremes of the DEI movement

Am I Racist?, Matt Walsh’s searing attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, dominated the documentary film box office in 2024. Screening in 1,600 theaters at its height, the film earned $12.3 million before streaming on the Daily Wire. Walsh’s film grossed more at the box office than any other documentary since 2019. That’s when Peter Jackson’s artistically boundary-pushing World War I film They Shall Not Grow Old brought in $12.2 million. 

No, Marx Was Not an Important Economist

An odd battle erupted on social media last week when economist Ben Golub questioned whether students in his field needed to work through “classic” authors such as Adam Smith and Karl Marx to claim expertise in economics. In a viral tweet, English professor Alex Moskowitz cited Golub’s question to indict the entire field: “[E]conomics is not a real discipline…because it hasn’t properly historicized it’s own methods of knowledge production.” “[A] knowledge of the history of one’s discipline is a fundamental part of disciplinary knowledge,” Moskowitz continued, confident he had uncovered a fundamental shortcoming of the economics profession. He then likened the alleged oversight to a sociologist who had never read W.E.B Du Bois, or a psychologist unfamiliar with Sigmund Freud.

Will the FDA Make 2025 the Year of Healthy Eating?

A new year often begins with new year’s resolutions (and hangovers). According to a survey performed by Statista, two of the most common resolutions Americans made this year are to lose weight and eat healthier. The two are usually related. Unfortunately, most resolutions don’t become new habits. But this year, the Food and Drug Administration is here to help. 

RFK, Vaccines, and the FDA

As President-elect Trump prepares to return to the White House this January, many continue to question his choices for key cabinet positions. Perhaps his most controversial appointment so far is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (commonly referred to as RFK) as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. And a recent vaccine-related controversy is not helping. 

The Festivus Airing of 2024’s Federal Spending Grievances

If you were a fan of the Seinfeld television show in the 1990s or the reruns that still air and stream today, you know that Festivus is an alternative holiday celebrated by George Costanza’s father with some unique traditions. Perhaps the most notable tradition is the “airing of grievances” during the Festivus meal, in which each person tells the others all the ways they disappointed them during the past year. Here’s the clip featuring Jerry Stiller’s immortal performance introducing the practice:

Closing the Government’s Books on 2024

The end of the calendar year traditionally represents a time when many people take stock of their personal finances. How much did your income change during the last year? How much did your spending change? What about your debt? Are you better off now than you were a year ago? What do you need to change in the next year to improve your financial situation?

Ozempic Shortage Exposes FDA Challenges—but Telemedicine Offers Hope

Last November, the New York Times asked, “What is Ozempic, and why is it getting so much attention?” Five months later, it answered its own question with the headline, “This is what a miracle drug looks like.”

A Monster Spending Bill Is Defeated After Public Protests

The latest episode of Government Shutdown Theater did not go according to the usual script.

From Golden Fleece® to Gold Star: How the California DMV Cut Red Tape and Improved Customer Satisfaction

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has long had a reputation for embodying inefficient government bureaucracy. The agency was rife with waste and inefficiencies, a condition that earned it the California Golden Fleece® Award in 2019, a project of the Independent Institute aimed at investigating and reforming the worst examples of government failure, misallocated resources, and bureaucracy in California’s state and local governments.

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  • Beyond Homeless
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