To Read Pile 9
The To-Read Pile is my regular digest of worthwhile governing- and culture-related essays, articles, and books (with some light commentary added).
Happy reading.
Society and Culture
Outstanding piece about Covid and “scientizing politics” from my friend Tony Mills: “We Still Haven’t Reckoned with Covid’s Costs.”
Startling, troubling, long Politico profile of Rep. Nancy Mace by Michael Kruse. At least she knows she’s unwell.
Terrific essay in The New Atlantis, “What Comes After Gender Affirmation?” on how ideology got far ahead of the evidence on youth gender dysphoria.
Caroline Downey on Gen Z dating and political divides: “A Cold War Between the Sexes.”
People don’t read much anymore, and now paperbacks are going extinct, per Dominic Green in WSJ.
LOTS of people have lots to say about the “great feminization” debate. It’s worth reading Helen Andrews’ initial essay. Matt Yglesias thinks Andrews overstates the evidence. Leonora Barclay makes similar points at Persuasion.
Mary Katharine Ham on reading and citizenship in National Review. We need more people sticking up for each—very glad Mary Katharine combined the two.
Joshua Rothman in The New Yorker on the end of reading in the era of AI.
Shameless Self-Promotion
[These are some of the essays I’ve written since the last “To-Read Pile”]
The release of my novel COMMUNITY DAY is now complete. You can read all 13 installments—the entire novel—by simply paying $8. Just pay for a month, and access all 13 parts.
I’ve written several pieces about the courts recently:
I argue that possessing a law degree doesn’t make you a policy expert
My take on Justice Kagan’s implied “unitary legislative theory”
My assessment of the justices’ opinions in the tariff case
My take on subsidiarity and the separation of powers
Why SCOTUS should uphold a law I don’t like.
In the culture department, I wrote about an astonishing 1983 concert, how the Stranger Things finale fits into the two types of coming-of-age stories, and the coming “critical male theory.”
A few pieces on the conservatism today:
On planning for the threats of the future
Why the fight over higher education in Virginia is important, and why K-12 and higher ed are so different.
K-12 and Higher Education
Outstanding piece in Persuasion demonstrating the actual progressive bias in higher-education syllabi. This short explanation (and the longer paper) should be required reading for anyone involved in higher-education administration and governance today. We can’t rebuild trust among the public, much less claim to take seriously the pursuit of truth, until we address this issue head on.
Per the above, this essay by Steve Teles on “academic sectarianism” is worth the read.
Funny, chilling Rick Hess piece on the possible ripples of President Trump’s higher-ed “compact.”
A more straightforward, but equally valuable critique of the compact by Keith Whittington.
Beth Akers on Trump’s under-heralded higher-ed success—accountability.
I’ve been arguing for a while now that we’re blithely allowing AI to undermine student learning. Good Michael J. Lewis piece in Commentary explaining what’s underway in classrooms.
Good piece by Mike Petrilli explaining that the ed-reform movement accomplished remarkable things for students…and then we just lost our way.
David Brooks is heading to Yale to teach.
Arizona considers a ballot measures to limit its education savings account program and possibly include accountability provisions.
Addiction and Crime
Good reminder by Tal Fortgang that, as James Q. Wilson argued, incarceration works by taking the most dangerous criminals off the street.
I want states and localities to get stricter about alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc. Mississippi is loosening up.
New Jersey to clamp down on possible abuses by substance-abuse recovery centers.
Excellent Christina Buttons essay on the value of residential treatment programs for struggling teens.
Sally Satel in TFP on whether you can really be addicted to social media.
Americans seem to be finally waking up to the dangers of sports gambling. And that couldn’t happen fast enough for me.
SCOTUS and the Courts
My good pal Phil Wallach wrote an outstanding essay a while back about the awful trend of presidents’ “teaching old laws new tricks,” i.e., conjuring up new interpretations of statutes to allow themselves to conduct policy adventures. Read that, and then read his recent “A Majority for the Rule of Law” on how SCOTUS, via the tariff case, put an end to such adventuring, at least for now.
Good primer by Anastasia Boden at SCOTUSBlog on how the Carolene Products footnote changed constitutional law and our understanding of liberty.
Important Shep Melnick essay at L&L on the overuse of federal civil rights levers to get the policy outcomes desired.
Two excellent essays by Aaron L. Nielson: reflections on Justice Alito’s 20 years on the Court and the lost opportunity for federalism in the fading of Lopez.
Speaking of Alito, this James Rosen profile of the justice and his intersections with Justice Scalia is good.
NYT on how the Court’s three progressives are spilt on strategy and temperament.
Very good Sarah Isgur piece explaining CJ Roberts’ goal of reining in the presidency.
The major questions doctrine and other canons of interpretation are being pressure-tested and analyzed like never before. Good primer by Prof. Abbe Gluck.
State Policy
Idaho’s state government wants localities to stop putting up so many flags on government buildings. Fascinating test of how much you believe in localism.
Indiana wants the Chicago Bears to play home games in the Hoosier State (Chicago is only about 25 miles from the Indiana border). This has led to a fascinating set of policy machinations in Indiana and Illinois related to zoning, stadium construction, tax increases, tax limitations, borrowing...
Interesting efforts underway in RI to address a range of housing problems. But it’s a problem when state leaders ignore the priorities of towns and neighborhoods.
Michigan wanted a study on the state’s Native boarding schools. The report is complete, but it’s been buried. The recent hearing was not uneventful. Given the AG’s role, I have to wonder if some state leaders are concerned that the report implies serious legal liability by the state.
Steven Malanga’s very good essay explaining how states are using the DOGE script.
West Virginia to prohibit having sex with animals.
Sundry
For years, Chetty et. al. have been doing important work on upward mobility and its constraints. I’m intrigued by their newer findings on how community factors (like public housing) affects poor kids’ future earnings.
Per the above, I enjoyed this essay by Scott Winship on mobility and opportunity. I’m increasingly interested in how people define “flourishing” or “the good life.” Scott’s piece is helpful along these lines.
Excellent Bruno Manno explanation of why “third places” and weak bonds are so important for community and opportunity.
This book review in The Atlantic relates to the question of happiness and mattering.
And this book review in Public Discourse about reading and finding truth is worthwhile
Are small and mid-sized cities the current and future of job growth and in-migration? Terrific City Journal essay by Malanga.
Some conservatives have found themselves fighting hard for parental rights in some areas and then defending the power of the state to intervene in family decisions elsewhere. Very good National Affairs essay on this tension by Naomi Schaefer Riley.
This Jonah Goldberg piece on Nat Cons and real-life foreign affairs was good when it was released, and it’s even better now that isolationists have to address Trump v. Iran.
We should talk more about the link between radical egalitarianism and envy; thought-provoking essay by Hayward and Denno
Catholic Social Teaching
Two good pieces in National Review about the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo XIV: “After Pope Francis” by Stephen White and “The Job of a Pope” by Rachel Lu.
Invaluable statement by Pope Leo XIV on artificial intelligence. Discusses how AI can rob us of our humanness, relationships, and more.
Cardinal Dolan of NYC had to resign. Good pieces on him and his legacy.
Great Maggie Phillips piece reminding us that “social justice” comes from Catholic Social Teaching…and social justice isn’t what you think it is
This is obvious AI slop. Only a fool would believe the crap that comes out of her language learning models.