Whether it’s free speech, privacy, housing, or healthcare, this week’s articles challenge conventional wisdom from every angle.

Overturning a 2001 precedent, the Supreme Court has ruled that capping the money political parties spend in coordination with their candidates violates the First Amendment. While critics fear a surge of dark money, Ivan Eland explains why redirecting campaign cash from independent Super PACs back to institutional parties could actually strengthen American politics and help tame extreme voices on both sides.

Next, as Congress considers renewing the controversial Section 702 “backdoor search loophole,” Ella Reed argues that a quiet administrative purge has gutted the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), fundamentally changing the calculus surrounding the program’s future.

Then, a prominent recent proposal from Unleash Prosperity makes a bold and welcome claim: Reforming the FDA could unlock trillions of dollars in economic value. In the first installment of a three-part series, Raymond J. March examines the proposal’s shortcomings.

Craig Eyermann traces the history of America’s national debt from 1790 to the present.

Caleb Pettit argues that Washington’s efforts to revive domestic shipbuilding through the controversial Jones Act are a lost cause.

Robert Wright bridges centuries of political thought to explain why government accountability is crumbling.

Scott Beyer asks whether the age-old wisdom that buying a home is the golden ticket to building wealth still holds true.

And finally, Dr. David Gortler examines the FDA’s post-pandemic policies.

Happy reading.

Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor