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Here are my takeaways from the 2026 mid-term elections. It was more than inflation. It was more the war with Iran. It's about us and who we are.

I think oligarchs get a bad rap. Yes, they are very wealthy. But they got wealthy by supplying great products and services that most people want. A lot better than the empty campaign promises of politicians.

The Democrats cannot pack left-leaning justices onto the Supreme Court until they have a Democratic president who can nominate candidates with the correct ideological orientation. But that has not stopped them from trying to soften up the public's acceptability for the need to expand the Court as a solution to a problem. But it is actually their problem, not our problem. The Court is actually doing a pretty good job of not bowing to the whims of either the MAGA Republicans or the progressive Democrats.

The welfare state, as practiced in Europe and recommended by Bernie Sanders and the progressive left in the US, is becoming unraveled in France as the country runs out of resources while the populace demands evermore benefits. The end result is riots on the streets of Paris. But the demand for entitlements is insatiable igniting more riots throughout France that are spreading to the rest of Europe. America needs to take action to keep them from spreading to our shores.

If I were in President Trump's shoes I would do things differently. Almost anyone would do things differently. President Trump may be likely to stay his course and not change anything. But without changes, much of what he has tried to accomplish – policies, buildings, names changes, etc. – will be wiped out by succeeding administrations. Change is the only way to preserve his legacy.

There are very few debates between rival candidates in the runup to the 2026 mid-term elections. And the few that have been held deteriorated into ad hominin attacks and shouting matches. But we live in a democracy and we need to able to debate the issues that confront us. And sometimes we even need to compromise to order to serve the American people.

French students are rioting in the streets because they want their government, already huge by any standard, to get even bigger. This despite the fact that their government cannot afford it current huge welfare state and is deeply in debt. Many Americans also want their government to do more. But do we want to follow the path France has taken?

Who does care about election day this November? The outcome seems pretty much preordained even though the MAGA right and socialist left continue to fight it out. But we deserve a better choice than these two essentially un-American options. If we want better choices in November 2028 we need to start working on it now!

This has been a difficult commentary to prepare. America has welcomed people of many different religions as visitors as well as citizens. But members of one religion have repeatedly attacked us and our friends and allies. Many people, even some of our own leaders, have said that these attacks are only perpetrated by extremists within this religion. But it is hard to separate the extremists from other believers. And as members of this religion become more politically active they have allied themselves with socialists that are opposed to American ideals and principles. So what are we to do with the Muslims among us?

My wife always complains that my commentaries are depressing because I only discuss the bad news out there. But there is good news out there as well, if you look hard enough. In this commentary we look at some of the good news out there and discuss why many people are still anxious and depressed.

Greedy capitalists are not the only people exploiting workers and other so-called victims in the US. Political party platforms try to seduce people who feel that they are being victimized by powerful forces beyond their control and the Democratic Socialists of America are no exception. But the people need to realize that the solutions proffered by these political parties, whether industrial policy, welfare benefits or socialist ownership of the means of production are not really intended to help people, but rather to increase the power of the political party.

Republicans and Democrats have been buying votes for decades with generous benefits and even more generous tax cuts – and now even the Democratic Socialists want to get in on the action. But there has been little improvement in the condition of the American people despite all these so-called benefits. The only discernible benefit appears to have been the continuous reelection of incumbents will into their dotage. But now the bill is about to come due – and guess who is going to have to pay for it?

There are a lot of policies being promoted under the name of socialism by Democrats in the runup to this fall's mid-term elections (and especially by the progressive wing of the Democrats as well as the Democratic Socialists of America) that have nothing to do with socialism. But many of these policies have more to do with the frigidity of individualism than with the warmth of collectivism.

Within two months of his election as president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez held a referendum for a constitutional assembly to change the basic institutions of Venezuelan democracy. With only 52% of the vote he was able to control 95% of delegates to that assembly. That was almost 30 years ago and the Venezuelans have not had a free and fair election since. The Democratic Socialist of America have outlined a similar strategy for the United States on the leftist platform published on their website.

A few days ago President Trump announced a temporary pause in kinetic warfare against Iran in order to give diplomatic negotiations another chance. Another chance? Hah! How many rounds of diplomatic talks do we need to realize that the Iranians will never be willing to negotiate away their key national and ideological priorities.