The State Can’t Win Against Strong Families

I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately—how it seems more and more that the family is under attack in media, in politics, in schools, and within the legal system. Nearly everywhere you look you can find examples of anti-family messaging. I, of course, don’t believe this is an accident. The late philosopher and theologian Michael Novak summed it up well when he said that, “Between the omnipotent State and the naked individual looms the first line of resistance against totalitarianism: the economically and politically independent family.” This profound statement encapsulates a fundamental truth about the fabric of our society and the pivotal role families play in preserving freedom and individuality against the ever-encroaching tide of totalitarianism. In our increasingly complex world, where the tentacles of the State often seek to envelop every facet of our lives, it’s imperative that we recognize and bolster the family unit as the bedrock

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Davos 2024: A Leviathan in the Alps

Imagine, if you will, a gathering of nearly 3,000 elites in the frosty, Swiss Alps—politicians, bureaucrats, business moguls, and the like, sipping on hot cocoa and discussing how to steer the future of the world. Yep, it’s that time again—the annual soiree of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. It sounds like the setting of a Bond movie, only the plot is less about espionage and more about… well, here are some of the initiatives: Rebuilding Trust and Cooperation The theme this year was about rebuilding trust. I guess maybe they’ve finally noticed that people have caught on to some of their shenanigans since they planned “The Great Reset” around covid, and view them as less than trustworthy. The UN Secretary-General, the Premier of China, and other luminaries of freedom and individual rights waxed eloquent about discarding prejudice and bridging differences. Yet, as they discuss global cooperation barometers and

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Why Toyota’s Alt-EV Course Makes Us All Better Off

Have you heard about the latest leap in automotive innovation from Toyota? Far from a breakthrough or new offering in the EV world, Toyota is charting an entirely new path. And while I love my Tesla, I’m all about innovation and outside-the-box initiatives. Toyota is flipping the script on emission reduction with the invention of an ammonia-powered engine. Yep. Ammonia. Ammonia (NH₃) is composed of nitrogen and hydrogen, and is commonly used in household cleaners and agricultural fertilizers. A key characteristic in this context is that it does not contain carbon, meaning its combustion does not directly produce carbon dioxide. Note that while ammonia combustion does not produce CO₂, the production of ammonia and its use as a fuel can have other environmental impacts, including the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are potential pollutants. That means that the environmental benefits of ammonia as a fuel would definitely depend on

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Oregon’s New Graduation Standards: A Red Flag For All

Oregon’s Declining Literacy and Math Standards Have you been following this story out of Oregon? In a state where reading proficiency for graduating seniors is far below 50%, and math skills rank even lower, the social activists masquerading as education professionals have decided that the answer is to simply remove any graduation requirement for reading, writing, or math. What could go wrong? The Bigger Picture: A Nationwide Educational Shift But make no mistake, this is not an isolated misstep; it’s a bellwether for a concerning trend in our nation’s educational landscape. The shift away from essential academic skills in favor of identity and politics is a development that all parents should watch with vigilant eyes—because what happens in Oregon today could very well be knocking on the door of your child’s school tomorrow. At the heart of the Tuttle Twins’ mission, and in every effort we spearhead at the Libertas

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Confirmed! The Post-Pandemic Education Revolution

The educational landscape of the United States is witnessing a transformative wave, one that has carried the concept of homeschooling from the peripheral fringes right into the mainstream. This change, meticulously chronicled in a recent Washington Post article, it turns out, is not merely a reaction to the pandemic’s education disruption but rather a deep-rooted shift in the perceptions and aspirations of American families towards personalized education. As an author and advocate for educational freedom, I find these revelations not just exciting, but also as affirming echoes of the Tuttle Twins ethos: that the education of children is a profoundly individual and familial endeavor, deserving of a profoundly decentralized approach. 1. The Enduring Appeal of Homeschooling The pandemic, an unbidden catalyst, necessitated remote learning—a distant cousin of homeschooling. Yet when schools reopened, many parents chose to keep them metaphorically shut by continuing to educate their children at home. This persistence

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Humor and Hayek

Parents and educators know how challenging it is to break down intricate economic ideas for kids. Heck, that’s why I wrote the first Tuttle Twins book to begin with. I couldn’t find any resources to help teach my kids these important concepts in a way that wouldn’t make them fall asleep. Our books cover important works by everyone from Nobel Prize winning economist Friedrich von Hayek, to celebrity psychologist Jordan Peterson, and everyone in between! To be fair, a lot of adults even struggle to understand F. A. Hayek’s work, so I’m extra proud of the job we’ve done with this episode of the Tuttle Twins cartoon. Inspired by the wisdom of Hayek’s Road to Serfdom, we explore what happens when a handful of people think they know what’s best for everyone else. (Spoiler: more often than not, their supposedly well-meaning plans result in a cascade of problems no one saw coming.) This

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