More about the story about the cats in Ohio... 

Is this a policy story? Ostensibly, no. But in reality, we believe, yes. 

It is a story about how cultural difference, not just “harder” measures like unemployment, social spending, or crime, is a relevant datum when we speak of immigration. 

When we first discussed this issue, we noted that Haiti's recent history means recent migrants from Haiti are very likely to be unable to function in a first-world society. We also noted the reality of Haitian vaudou. Since then no less an authority on weirdo spiritual stuff than former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has weighed in, in a now-deleted X post: “Haitian voodoo is in fact real, and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield, Ohio confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of Democrats as smug elite jerks who think they're too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo.” Indeed. 

We also previously noted that the notion of a public space, in which special rules obtain and which individuals choose to obey for the sake of social comity, a notion which seems self-evident to Westerners, is actually not such at all and is heavily socially-constructed. If you wonder why some people are more likely than others to leave trash on the sidewalk or to play disturbingly loud music in public transport, it's likely because they weren't raised in a culture that has a strong notion of public space. 

It is highly politically incorrect to discuss these things, but it doesn't make them any less real. People from different cultures may behave differently in public space, which may have an impact on the quality of life of the existing citizens in places where newcomers arrive. In which case, citizens in a democracy are perfectly allowed to complain to their public officials and believe that immigration policy should reflect their preference on quality-of-life issues, and not just abstract socioeconomic data or budget math. This is a perfectly legitimate preference which should be taken seriously in a democratic polity that believes even a little bit that public policy should be responsive to the desires of the citizenry. 

One way in which Western culture in general, and American culture in particular, differs markedly from other cultures is the great sentimental value we accord to our pets, which in other cultures are viewed in a much more unsentimental, utilitarian way—sometimes only as pests or, indeed, a source of calories. 

What is the impact of migrants eating cats on GDP? 

Of course, the point is that, if you love your pets, you don't care. 

What is the evidence that Haitian residents in and around Sprigfield, OH have been kidnapping public park animals and/or pets and either eating them or destroying them? We have multiple eyewitness reports. We have Ohio Senator JD Vance reporting many constituent calls about this, dating from before the story went viral. We have at least one recorded 911 call. And finally, we have a verified report from Chris Rufo, who runs an investigative journalism outfit, that migrants have indeed been eating cats in Dayton, OH, a town neighboring Springfield. Rufo also published a long and eye-opening post on his process which corroborates the veracity of his report. At this stage, furious media obfuscation notwithstanding, it seems frankly impossible for any reasonable, non-motivated observer to deny that something like what Donald Trump has been describing has been taking place in and around Springfield, OH. 

We are still at the 2015 stage when, to use Peter Thiel's felicitous phrasing, people are taking Donald Trump literally when they should be taking him seriously. The point of the story, and of the underlying reality to which it points, is that human beings are not fungible economic units. They are, in fact, people, with cultural backgrounds and aspirations. And if you neglect to take that into account in your immigration policy, you will get, well, national freakouts about migrants eating cats. 

Policy News You Need to Know

#StochasticTerrorism – What is there to say about the latest assassination attempt on President Trump? It seems now undeniable that the would-be assassin was a standard-issue liberal who believed standard-issue MSNBC talking points. Although the Secret Service seems to have acquitted itself well in this instance, there are still unanswered questions about its policies and its recruitment. But (and this is also related to the Springfield story), there are also questions about the giant noise machine made up of the Democratic party apparatus, most legacy media, and talking heads and influencers. Progressives once coined the term “stochastic terrorism” to describe the contention that standard Republican rhetoric was really a secret ploy to activate right-wing nutjobs and motivate them to commit terrorism against the Republicans' adversaries. As is disturbingly often the case, the progressives' allegation now seems to be more true of themselves than anyone else. We recommend this eye-opening thread by Hillsdale professor Matthew Mehan going over how, since the Summer of 2020, the left's noise machine has been normalizing and encouraging violence. Is there a policy remedy? Perhaps. There is no First Amendment right to shout fire in a crowded theater. 

#VotingRights – We are not comfortable writing about so many hot-button issues at the same time, but Carlos Fuentes of The Oregonian reports that the Oregon DMV registered more than 300 non-citizens to vote. It is obvious that voting processes and standards in many places in the United States are suboptimal, to say the very least, and it should be totally uncontroversial to fix them. “DMV Administrator Amy Joyce told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday that the office is checking for additional errors and will likely find more instances of registering non-citizens to vote.” Uh-huh.

#TheEconomy – Wage growth actually won't keep up with inflation this year.

#AI – “Zoox (Amazon) is launching fully autonomous passenger rides in SF 'very soon.' They’re [software] limited to 45MPH, in the city only to start. [The car] has no steering wheel and is fully symmetrical- it can drive in either direction.” Via Sheel Mohnot. We recommend clicking through to watch the short clip, which has real the-future-is-here vibes. When we were in San Francisco, we would guesstimate that roughly 10% of the cars we saw on the road were self-driving taxis from Alphabet subsidiary Waymo. But these cars are regular cars with added features. A new car built from the ground-up to be used as a self-driving taxi feels like a new evolution. 

#Fusion – Speaking of breakthrough technology, Nadia Schadlow at the Hudson Institute has a stirring call-to-arms on nuclear fusion.

#Vaccines – Speaking of breakthrough technology, again: Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel has said Moderna could have a skin cancer vaccine out as soon as 2025. (https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Pharmaceuticals/Moderna-to-launch-skin-cancer-vaccine-as-soon-as-2025-CEO)

#Housing – Good news on the housing front: Sen. Tim Scott has introduced the ROAD to Housing Act to "make targeted reforms across all segments of the U.S. housing market." Key reforms include improving oversight of federal housing programs, encouraging local solutions and innovation, incentivizing successful homelessness reduction efforts, supporting public housing authorities in deconcentrating poverty, reducing regulatory burdens that increase housing costs, and enhancing data collection to better evaluate program effectiveness. The goal is to increase housing supply, improve affordability, and provide more economic opportunities for families. 

#Waste #Contracting – Striking fact from RealClearInvestigations' Jeremy Portnoy: “A rocket launcher for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Artemis mission was supposed to be delivered in March 2023 for $383 million, according to the NASA Office of the Inspector General. Recent estimates from the agency’s IG say the launcher will be ready in September 2029 at a cost of $2.7 billion — a 600% price increase.”

#Debt – Heritage's excellent E.J. Antoni on the latest depressing debt news: “Federal debt is down $73 billion over the last 3 days, but that's just [because the] Treasury drained $83 billion in cash; that's still a net negative of $10 billion, and it also means a jumbo-sized auction to rebuild the TGA. Translation: federal debt will explode again next week.” Interest payments on the debt now exceed defense spending.

#Economics – New NBER paper shows Covid aid to state governments made it easier for incumbents to win re-election.