(Foundational) Culture, Character and Ideology

Americans Are Getting Caught in the Safety Net AA

By Paul Ryan and Les Ford Aug. 20, 2026

Principles of Government · September 7, 2026 ·

By Paul Ryan and Les Ford Aug. 20, 2026 – …America’s safety net is badly broken. It often punishes families who make progress toward financial stability. Parents who work more hours or increase their salaries can lose more in benefits than they gain in income…. a hypothetical single parent in the District of Columbia gains nothing financially as earnings rise from $11,000 to $65,000. When these “benefit cliffs” punish parents for earning more or getting married, they weaken the foundations of self-sufficiency and help transmit poverty from one generation to the next….UBI doesn’t solve any of this and creates another benefit cliff. Rather than reforming the safety net that discourages work and marriage, UBI would make unconditional assistance a permanent feature. Read More

Justice Thomas: Progressives vs. the Declaration AA

By Justice Clarence Thomas speech excerps

Principles of Government · July 14, 2026 ·

By Justice Clarence Thomas- Progressivism was the first mainstream American political movement—…—to openly oppose the principles of the Declaration. Progressives strove to undo the Declaration’s commitment to equality and natural rights, both of which they denied were self-evident….But we were fortunate not to trade our Lockean bounds for the supposedly enlightened world of Hegel, Marx and their followers. Fascism—which, after all, was a national socialism—triggered wars in Europe and Asia that killed tens of millions. The socialism of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China proceeded to kill more tens of millions of their own people. This is what happens when natural rights give way to the higher good of notions of history, progress, or, as Thomas Sowell has written, the “vision of the anointed.” Read More

America’s Exorbitant Privilege AA

By Paola Sapienza – 10 27 2025

Principles of Government · October 28, 2025 ·

By Paola Sapienza – 10 27 2025 – We can continue leveraging America’s exorbitant privilege in the global talent market, or we can retreat into protectionism that hands our competitive advantages to countries eager to welcome the talent we reject. If the United States wants to remain the world’s innovation leader, it must continue to welcome those willing to take the leap, cross oceans, and devote their lives to discovery. Our edge is selection from a larger global pool. Closing the door shrinks our innovative future. The choice is openness or stagnation. …In a globally competitive economy, the countries that win will be those that can assemble the best teams, regardless of where team members were born. The United States has spent decades building this capability. We abandon it at our peril—and we certainly shouldn’t abandon it in a way that strangles the startup ecosystem that made it possible in the first place. Read More

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Principles of Good Government

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(Foundational) Culture, Character and Ideology

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Characteristics of Government

Principles of Good Government

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