The federal freeze on childcare funding in Minnesota is the predictable outcome of a governing philosophy that elevates empathy and expansion while treating authority, discipline, and enforcement as secondary concerns. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn’t freeze funding because Minnesota cared too much about families. It froze funding because federal officials no…
Keep the Filibuster and Beat the Shutdown the Right Way
President Trump is right about one thing: Washington’s broken. The endless gridlock, the political posturing, and now another government shutdown. It’s enough to make any sensible American want to throw the rulebook out the window. But there’s one rule we can’t afford to toss: the Senate filibuster. Yes, it’s frustrating. Yes, it slows things down.…
Stop Using Federal Workers as Political Pawns
Let’s call this shutdown what it is: a national embarrassment. Once again, Congress has failed to do its most basic job — fund the government — and, once again, federal workers are being turned into bargaining chips in a high-stakes game of political chicken. This time, Senator Ron Johnson (R–Wis.) tried to do something practical.…
Social Security’s 2.8% Raise: Better Than Nothing
Today, the Social Security Administration announced the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026: a whopping 2.8%. That works out to about $56 extra a month for the average retiree. Now, I’m not knocking an increase. Every bit helps when folks are trying to stretch a fixed income in today’s economy. But calling this a “boost” feels…
3% Inflation Is the Quiet Thief That Won’t Leave the House
The latest numbers put inflation at about 3%. That may sound mild compared to the 9% wildfire we endured in 2022, but let’s not fool ourselves. It still means higher prices, thinner savings, and slower progress for families already stretched to the limit. Politicians in Washington can pat themselves on the back all they want,…
Don’t Let Politics Hold the Troops Hostage
It’s mid-October 2025. The leaves are turning, daylight is shrinking, and Washington, D.C., remains locked in a standoff. Congress never passed its funding bills. The government is shut. We’re now on Day 16 (if you’re keeping score). The halls of power echo with partisan recriminations, press releases, and the occasional soundbite about “who’s to blame.”…
When Paychecks Become Pawns
According to reports, the White House has floated the idea that furloughed federal workers might not automatically receive back pay when this shutdown finally ends. You’d think that in a country that can send billions overseas at the drop of a hat, paying our own employees would be the easy part. Yet somehow, common sense…
Shutdown Brinkmanship, Medicaid Backlash, and the Perils of Political Posturing
Washington is once again doing its favorite dance: the Shutdown Shuffle. The Capitol's buzzing, tempers are flaring, and if you listen closely, you can almost hear the circus music playing faintly in the background. On one side, you've got Democrats clutching their talking points like pearls at a Southern dinner party; on the other, Republicans…
Shutdown Chicken: Who’s Going to Blink First?
Well folks, here we are again. Washington is playing its favorite game: “chicken.” Except instead of two kids riding rusty bikes at each other down a gravel road, it’s Chuck Schumer and President Trump squaring off, and the gravel road is the entire federal government budget. One wrong move, and instead of skinned knees, we’re…
Clawing Back the Chaos: An Analysis of Trump’s Rescissions Bill
The Senate recently voted to advance the Rescissions Act of 2025, a bill that would repeal approximately $9 billion in previously approved federal spending. The legislation has been championed by President Trump and supported by many Republican lawmakers. The bill proposes to rescind about $8.3 billion in foreign aid, focusing on discretionary funds administered by…
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