Vice President Kamala Harris thinks U.S. Steel should not have the right to sell its business to Japan’s Nippon Steel. Previously, some Republican senators thought they too should have the ability to kill the deal between private companies. And it doesn’t stop there. During the pandemic, airlines had to get the government’s permission to hand out hand sanitizer to passengers. Energy projects are subjected to years of permitting processes. And, of course, in most places, Americans aren’t allowed to build what they want on their own property without subjecting themselves to government authorization. Welcome to the permission-slip economy. It shouldn’t be this way. Permitting reform isn’t just bureaucratic minutiae; it’s a critical, deeply moral issue for anyone who believes in free markets, individual liberty, and economic progress. Our permitting regime is a web of red tape that stifles innovation, slows growth, and leaves Americans poorer, less free, and increasingly frustrated with a government more interested in regulating than enabling prosperity. This isn’t some esoteric topic for policy wonks; it’s about the real, tangible effects of overregulation on Americans’ daily lives. Housing costs, job availability, energy prices, and technological advancement all hinge on how our government handles permits. And right now, it’s failing miserably. Take housing. Some areas like California and New York City face a crisis largely due to onerous permitting processes. Builders must navigate a Kafkaesque labyrinth of regulations just to break ground, assuming they are even allowed to build. These delays add years to construction and inflate costs by tens of thousands per unit. This isn’t mere inconvenience; it’s a genuine disaster for middle- and low-income families priced out of the market. The American dream of homeownership is being strangled by red tape. Worse yet, Americans are priced out of lucrative labor markets because rents are so artificially inflated in job-rich cities. But that’s just the beginning. Permitting processes are choking the energy sector. Important infrastructure — pipelines, wind farms, grid modernization — is being held up for years by endless environmental reviews, public comments, and lawsuits. Now, two judges have signaled to developers that permits that took years to obtain could be canceled on a whim if subjected to pressure from the climate activists. This isn’t just bad policy; it’s economic sabotage resulting in higher prices, less reliable supply, and missed opportunities for cleaner, more efficient energy. What about other infrastructure? Roads, bridges, and transit systems fail to get fixed when approval for repairs takes years or sometimes decades. An outdated, bloated process prioritizes procedure over results, making some projects obsolete before they begin. Meanwhile, the government wastes massive amounts of money on infrastructure subsidies when all we need is to allow people to build. The free market thrives on innovation and speed, allowing swift responses to societal needs. The current system is its antithesis — slow, cumbersome, and designed to prevent change rather than facilitate it. It’s not just harming businesses; it’s harming everyone. Imagine what we could achieve with reform: affordable housing, more jobs, lower energy prices, modernized infrastructure. We could unleash a new wave of American innovation and growth. Yet these reforms are repeatedly blocked by bureaucrats protecting their turf, politicians appeasing special interests, or activists who believe halting progress is virtuous. The time for permitting reform is now. Every delay means lost opportunity for Americans who deserve better: a government facilitating progress, not impeding it; a truly free market, not one shackled by bureaucracy; a future where prosperity trumps paperwork. The good news is that there are many permitting reform ideas out there. Of course, in an ideal world, building and innovating should generally be permitted by default. Short of this, creating a “one-stop-shop” federal permitting agency to reduce redundancies — a single point of contact for applicants to coordinate between different agencies — should be a priority. This would be coupled with strict timelines for permit reviews, including a “shot clock” mechanism where permits are automatically approved if no decision is made by the deadline. Environmental reviews should be streamlined by radically reforming the National Environmental Policy Act process, setting page limits on environmental impact statements and allowing for more categorical exclusions for routine or low-impact projects. State-level reforms should be encouraged through federal incentives, and a “presumptive approval” system should be implemented for routine projects. This isn’t just good policy; it’s a moral imperative. Permitting reform is about restoring a healthy power balance between government and individual and ensuring that America remains a place where innovation thrives, entrepreneurs succeed, and opportunity is universal. It’s about reclaiming the principles that made this country great. Veronique de Rugy is the George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. To find out more about Veronique de Rugy and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM READ MORE: How Similar Are Harris and Trump’s Economic Policies? Let’s Take a Look. The Tariff Paradox: Americans Love Free Trade More Than They Realize The post Welcome to the Permission-Slip Economy appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

In our quest to unravel the universe’s most profound mysteries, few artifacts embody the intersection of science and faith as poignantly as the Shroud of Turin. This ancient cloth, believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, has once again captured global attention with an Italian scoperta straordinaria (“extraordinary discovery”). Recent findings suggest that the Shroud dates back 2,000 years, aligning with the time of Christ, reopening the profound mystery at the heart of Christianity and inviting us to reflect on the limits of scientific inquiry. The Shroud has been a focal point of fascination and controversy for centuries. It bears the faint image of a man who appears to have suffered crucifixion, a detail that has both inspired reverence and fueled skepticism. In 1988, carbon-dating analyses conducted by three separate laboratories apparently settled the debate, dating the Shroud to around 1350 AD, thereby dismissing the Shroud as a medieval forgery, an object of the past rather than a genuine relic from Christ’s time. Yet, the recent scoperta straordinaria by Italy’s Institute of Crystallography has challenged this conclusion. Employing Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) technology, the Italian researchers have provided new evidence suggesting that the Shroud’s fabric is consistent with the first century AD. Their findings indicate that the linen of the Shroud closely matches a sample from the Siege of Masada (74 AD), suggesting that it could indeed be 2,000 years old. What they have certainly done is highlight the enduring tension between faith and science. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the European Enlightenment, which emphasized reason and empirical evidence, established science as the ultimate arbiter of truth. However, the Shroud of Turin is a potent reminder that science alone cannot explain everything. Despite being one of the most studied relics in history, the Shroud continues to defy definitive scientific explanation. The image on the cloth has captivated experts for decades and remains a profound mystery. No known method of image creation has successfully replicated the Shroud’s unique characteristics or explained how the image was fully formed. As Bishop Robert Barron of the Word on Fire ministry recently observed: “Our faith in Christ’s resurrection is in no way dependent on the Shroud, but its uncanny power to capture our attention and many other mysteries have strengthened the faith of many.” The bishop’s words emphasize that the Shroud, while not the foundation of the Christian faith, is a powerful symbol that draws individuals closer to the divine mystery.  Reflecting on this scoperta straordinaria and its implications, we are reminded that pursuing truth often requires an open mind and a readiness to accept that some mysteries may never be fully resolved. The Shroud of Turin stands as a testament to the enduring power of faith in a world increasingly dominated by science. For more on this subject and on the author, visit theshroudfilm.com. The post The Shroud of Turin: Scoperta Straordinaria! appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

from The Pete Santilli Show:  TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Peter Schiff, Schiff Gold: The Gold-Oil ratio — which signifies how many barrels of oil you can buy with an ounce of gold — has been steadily rising since its dramatic COVID-era spike in April 2020. A high ratio tends to signify economic trouble and a weak dollar, since it demonstrates that gold has […]

Members of The Quireboys and Down n' Outz combine for an all-star album featuring Joe Elliott, Ryan Roxie, Charlie Starr and more

FBI received anonymous tips