Michael Barrett
@TheRealMBarrett
At the intersection of Vulnerability and Humility you find Understanding and Empathy. --- econ | cinema | foreign policy | gamification | human progress
Imagine dropping a 📣 400 YEAR 😭 tax increase and then just deuce-ing the f' out. Flip it around and read between the lines. ✌🏼 wisn.com/article/gov-to…
@CMSGov just did what my husband would like me to do before grocery shopping: checking to see what we have in the refrigerator so we don’t pay for duplicate products. This work & the One Big Beautiful Bill protects health benefits for those who need it most. I love to see it!…
"If all that remains is cold material calculus, China will fare well. Seventy per cent of countries now conduct more trade — in most cases twice as much — with China than with America." Trade creates peace. Let's bet on peace through trade.
It's easy to criticize Trump for ceding competitive ground to China. It's harder to reckon with the limits of American power in the world after Trump. A cold war-like posture toward Beijing will be less warranted and less feasible. My thoughts in @ftopinion, gift link below:
This generation will mark the end of "soft power" as a respected concept and method on foreign affairs. For good or ill, soft power diplomacy is taking a major hit to public sentiment, let alone legitimacy.
The nonprofit NGO / Leviathan ecosystem has existed a long, long time. The 1975 Senate Church Committee discovered that nearly half of all international grants from U.S. foundations between 1963 and 1966 were secretly funded by the CIA. Separately: Rockefeller, Carnegie, and…
Like, how can you have joy in your life if you have that much hate? I really wonder about that sometimes.
Expanding freedom and opportunity in Kansas starts with you. Elizabeth Patton shares how you can get involved today. ks.americansforprosperity.org
Strong evidence suggesting enrollment losses in public schools are due to more than private choice programs. Massachusetts doesn't have such a program, but since COVID private enrollment has risen more than pre-COVID trends while public enrollment has dropped.
Whether its voting against rescission that cut $6 million for “Net Zero Cities” in Mexico or $3 million for "Iraqi Sesame Street," Democrats continue to treat government like their own private charity fund.
You don’t need a podium….Just a porch, a purpose, and maybe some coffee! One small step, one real person, one conversation that matters. ☕️ Ready when you are…
“We are so used to our discontent, we don’t even think about it.” My conversation with @ctmnicholson, Director of Research at @InstituteDanube:
If you're not cultivating at least one creative discipline, you're not living at your full potential.
As Colbert exits, a contrast with Conan O'Brien's ouster. Conan was the very face of grace, gratitude and honesty. He made sure good humor was at the center of the show to the end and never stooped to the gleeful cynicism or petty spite infused in Colbert and friends.
Well stated. The only real path to affordable housing requires cutting through protectionist and archaic regulations.
We’re in a government created housing shortage, and it’s pricing out young, middle-class families.
Tulsi said some in the media were participants. Clare Danes tells Stephen Colbert a story about Intelligence having a nice spy camp for journalists. She was cut off.https://t.co/s3XkBLvnJL
Whew, buckle up. Scratch that. Buy a five-point harness, then buckle up. From the Office of the Director of National Intelligence: "New Evidence of Obama Administration Conspiracy to Subvert President Trump’s 2016 Victory and Presidency" dni.gov/index.php/news…
"the conservative movement must remember its roots... It must transcend the reactionary impulse to merely oppose progressivism and instead reclaim its commitment to the "permanent things": the moral and cultural foundations of a free society." 👏🏼@Mike_Pence…
Great discussion on the benefits of One Big Beautiful Bill. @RapidResponse47 x.com/i/broadcasts/1…
🚨 Latinos are driving a national shift — and DC needs to pay attention. The 2025 National Poll of Hispanic Voters is out, and the results are powerful: 💵 80%+ say the economy is the top concern 🎓 3 in 4 support school choice 💸 91% are worried about rising taxes This isn’t…
The bill should be proof that "owning the libs" is not an effective strategy for balancing the budget or imposing fiscal responsibility. reason.com/2025/07/16/the…