The article argues that the Federal Reserve's recent rate hike decision, while justifiable on inflation grounds, highlights a critical lack of an underlying, transparent policy framework. The core problem is that the Fed's decisions appear discretionary, leading to market uncertainty because the committee's judgment, rather than clear data, dictates policy shifts. The author proposes that the Fed adopt a formal monetary policy rule—an algebraic formula linking the target rate to indicators like inflation and unemployment—to replace subjective guidance. Implementing such a rule would provide market predictability, enhance transparency, and shield the Fed from political attacks by making deviations from the standard easily quantifiable.
DHS: We'll "Direct" States to Remove Voters and Imprison Non-cooperators
English Summary
The article details plans by the Trump administration to interfere with state election processes, citing DHS directives aimed at forcing states to remove voters—particularly noncitizens—from voter rolls. This alleged federal overreach is backed by threats from officials, such as Secretary Mullin, who suggested local election workers could face imprisonment for non-compliance. However, the author argues that these actions exceed both statutory and constitutional authority, noting that the claims of large numbers of ineligible voters are based on flawed data and methodology. Ultimately, this strategy establishes a dangerous precedent of using federal legal threats to undermine state autonomy in managing elections.
中文摘要
本文詳述了川普政府計畫干預州級選舉流程的舉措，援引國土安全部（DHS）的指令，旨在迫使各州從選民名冊中移除選民——特別是非公民。這種所謂的聯邦權力過度擴張行為，甚至得到官員如穆林部長的威脅支持，他暗示地方選舉工作人員若不遵守規定可能會面臨監禁處分。然而，作者主張，這些行動已超越了法定和憲法賦予的權限；同時指出，關於大量無資格選民的主張是基於有缺陷的數據和方法論。最終而言，此一策略樹立了一個危險的先例，即利用聯邦法律威脅來削弱各州管理選舉的自主權。
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