The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
It’s Time to Get Rid of Debit Fee Price Controls
English Summary
The article argues that price controls on financial services, exemplified by the Durbin Amendment capping debit card interchange fees, are fundamentally detrimental to consumers and market efficiency. The core reasoning is that mandated price caps discourage innovation and investment, forcing merchants to raise prices elsewhere or causing card issuers to reduce services and rewards. Policymakers should recognize that attempting to regulate prices to track idealized 'incremental costs' leads to endless legal disputes and economic distortions. Therefore, the authors conclude that the fee caps must be eliminated entirely to allow market forces to guide pricing and encourage industry investment.
中文摘要
本文論點指出，對金融服務實施的定價管制，例如限制簽帳卡互換費的《德賓修正案》，本質上對消費者和市場效率有害。其核心論據是，強制性的價格上限會抑制創新和投資，迫使商家將價格提高到其他環節，或導致卡發行商削減服務和回饋。政策制定者應認識到，試圖將價格管制追蹤理想化的「邊際成本」，只會導致無止盡的法律糾紛和經濟扭曲。因此，作者們總結認為，必須完全取消這些費用上限，讓市場力量引導定價，並鼓勵產業投資。
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