Just One Thing: Does college cause brain damage?
I keep thinking about the fact that almost all of the 18 or so anti-Israel protesters I encountered on Sunday were college age, or thereabouts. And the handful of people who yelled stupid things at the nearby pro-US and pro-Israel rally that I attended all seemed to be in their late teens or early 20s. I combine that with a recent study of employers which concludes that many recent college grads are woefully unprepared for the workforce…to the extent that almost 20% of them may be showing up to job interviews with a parent…and I can’t help but think that this is more than young people just being idealistic liberals or even leftists. This brain damage caused by institutions of higher learning. I’m having serious conversations with my younger son in particular about his not going to college.
Today's Guests
Deborah Flora is seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in the 4th Congressional District, competing against Lauren Boebert and several others. I actually like a couple of the others, including Jerry Sonnenberg and Mike Lynch, but Deborah has my endorsement. (Nice to see her show up yesterday at the pro-Israel and pro-US rally that I attended...and it's not even in her district!)
Deborah Flora for U.S. Congress - Colorado Common Sense
The Circle of Light Photo Project is a collection of photographs taken by people whose sight was restored through cornea transplants. The project educates the public about the impact eye donation has on the lives of those in our communities. It's currently on display at the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute.
One of the photographers is Dana Henderson from Elizabeth, CO. Dana is very grateful to have been a recipient of her transplants: right eye in 2006 and 2022, and left eye in 2008. The world is a beautiful, colorful place that she is able to be a part of and embrace. She has been able to see clearly as her daughter has grown up. They have had many adventures that have blown her away by God’s beauty and grace in nature. Being a teacher, Dana’s transplants are a blessing. Even with her latest transplant in the right eye, she was able to teach her students about the eye and the cornea and donors. They could even see the stitches! Dana’s husband is also a recipient of a cornea transplant. Their family is greatly blessed by someone choosing to be a donor! She is thankful every day for her donors giving her this gift of sight.
Brian Wesbury is, in my opinion, one of America's best economists. Unlike a lot of folks who work in the ivory towers of academia and are free to spout any prediction without repercussion for being wrong (or gain for being right), Brian is the Chief Economist for First Trust which has something like $200 billion under management, including in proprietary ETFs. Brian's also been a friend of mine for over 30 years. We're going to discuss the dollar (and "dedollarization"), inflation, the Fed, and maybe more.
Subscribe to Brian's daily free economic updates...they're concise, in plain English, and very informative: First Trust Economics Blog - The Antidote to Conventional Wisdom (ftportfolios.com)
Saudi Arabia ends petrodollar agreement: What it means for the USD, Bitcoin, and gold | Kitco News
Other Stuff
Denver's most famous independent bookstore is independent no more: Tattered Cover is being sold to Barnes & Noble for $1.83 million (denverite.com)
We'll be having some heat waves in the US, too, but not like this. In any case, please be careful if you go for a long walk in the hot sun, especially if you're older. Dr Michael Mosley: More tourists missing on Greeks islands as body of American is found (telegraph.co.uk)
Well this is exactly what nobody needs going into the 2024 election: Voting machine contract under scrutiny following discrepancies in Puerto Rico's primaries | AP News
I think what galls me the most about stunts like this is the conceit that nobody will figure it out, that they'll get away with it. It's not quite as stupid as the idea that 9/11 was an inside job, but almost: Tony Awards: That moment when Jay-Z joined Alicia Keys? It wasn't live | AP News
Good job by this US Navy captain. Not easy keeping morale up on an exceedingly long deployment at sea. U.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier counters false Houthi claims | AP News
Denver School Board: "OK, murder and attempted murder are kinda bad at school". New student discipline matrix coming to Denver Public Schools this fall - Chalkbeat
Some great results in a new Colorado survey of middle school and high school students’ well-being: 2023 HKCS Results - Key Takeaways by Topic.pdf - Google Drive
Main web page for the survey: Healthy Kids Colorado Survey information | Department of Public Health & Environment
The way our laws protect squatters, even unintended ones like this guy who really is something of a victim, is not OK. I do understand that this is a slightly (but only slightly) more challenging case than others where someone simply moves in knowing he has no right to be there: Scammer moves stranger into Denver woman's home | FOX31 News (kdvr.com)
Today in global antisemitism: a little push-back:
and
French court strikes down ban on Israeli companies at defense trade show | The Times of Israel
Social media warning labels? Surgeon general calls for social media warning labels and calls on Congress to act | AP News
The op-ed in the NY Times from the surgeon general (not sure if it requires a subscription to read): Opinion | Surgeon General: Social Media Platforms Need a Health Warning - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
I have no idea whether there is clear presidential authority for this or if it's another lawless action. I do have sympathy for illegal aliens who have been here a decade or more and are married to an American; I'd like to find a way to get them to legal residency even as I understand the potential incentives it provides. That said, as always, it's most important to follow the rule of law and I suspect that Congress has this authority, but not the president. (I will try to find out.) Biden to Give Legal Status to Immigrant Spouses of U.S. Citizens - WSJ
Two energy stories I owe you from yesterday:
Remember: The more money Xcel spends/wastes, the more profit they make. It's insane that this was approved. Xcel’s $440M plan to curb greenhouse gases OK'd by Colorado (coloradosun.com)
Colorado regulators push Xcel Energy away from natural gas - Axios Denver
Brutal economic event for a Colorado County, but should a private company have to spend $118 million to soften the blow? The money isn't free, obviously. And in this case, a "loophole" might mean that a law intended to protect counties in situations like this might not even apply: Moffat County wants $118 million in economic aid from Tri-State (coloradosun.com)
Two more I didn't get to from yesterday:
You know it's a weird election when the Democrat is chasing older voters while the Republican is improving his support among young adults: Biden's senior momentum: Why he's courting older voters (axios.com)
The left always eats their own: The Brooklyn Museum Is Progressive. Why Is the Left Attacking It? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Fun story about someone not getting away with dirty tricks: Democratic candidate, Biden appointee accused of creating fake racist attacks against himself | Just The News
Interesting to read the details of how this sort of thing is investigated: tylerpaw.fortbendcountytx.gov/PublicAccess/ViewDocumentFragment.aspx?DocumentFragmentID=26363071&SecurityToken=807F9755-B7C7-4D32-B099-7A8B5E85FEC4
Offered without comment: Man arrested in fatal shooting at Aurora restaurant | 9news.com
This thread is pretty fantastic if you like creative photography:
Today's Videos
Super-cool slo-mo of airplane dropping fire retardant (although I don't see smoke from where they're dropping the stuff)
Seriously, for how long did the dude practice THIS shot?
The Biden campaign is spending $50 MILLION airing this ad to the nation, starting right around now. Will it work? At the margin, it actually could, but mostly it gives you a sense of how brutally negative this interminably long election season will be.